Readability · Length · Encoding
Slug Checker
Paste slugs or full URLs, one per line. Each gets a score out of 100, a list of problems such as capitals, underscores, double hyphens, stop words or double encoding, and an optimized slug made by the same engine as our slug generator.
- 100% in your browser
- Same engine as the slug generator
- Bulk + CSV export
Processed in your browser · nothing is uploaded
5 checked · average score 83
https://example.com/blog/10-Tips--For-Better-URLs-2026.html79/100 · Needs work29 characters · 6 words
- WarningHas capital letters. URLs are case-sensitive, so /Page and /page are different pages.
- WarningHas double hyphens (--).
- TipStop words (for) can usually be dropped.
- TipHas a year. Leave it out if you will update the page, so the URL never has to change.
- TipEnds in .html. Leave file extensions off new URLs; keep them on pages that already rank.
Optimizedhttps://example.com/blog/10-tips-better-urls-2026.htmlHow_To_Write_A_Slug77/100 · Needs work19 characters · 5 words
- WarningHas capital letters. URLs are case-sensitive, so /Page and /page are different pages.
- WarningUses underscores. Google recommends hyphens to separate words.
- TipStop words (to, a) can usually be dropped.
Optimizedhow-write-slug/products/caf%25C3%25A9-menu87/100 · Needs work9 characters (14 percent-encoded) · 2 words
- WarningPercent-encoded more than once (%25…). Fix whatever encodes the link twice.
- TipNon-ASCII letters are fine for readers in that language, but the link is 14 characters once percent-encoded.
Optimized/products/cafe-menuthe-ultimate-complete-guide-to-choosing-the-best-url-slugs-for-your-blog-posts74/100 · Needs work78 characters · 14 words
- Problem78 characters is too long. Aim for 60 or fewer.
- TipStop words (the, to, for) can usually be dropped.
- Tip14 words. Three to five key words are usually enough.
Optimizedultimate-complete-guide-choosing-best-url-slugs-your-blogurl-slug-checker100/100 · Good16 characters · 3 words
No problems found.
Optimizedurl-slug-checkerAlready optimal
This slug checker reviews URL slugs the way an editor would. Paste a slug such as How_To_Write_A_Slug or a full URL, one per line, and each one gets a score out of 100, a list of what to fix (capital letters, underscores, spaces, special characters, double hyphens, stop words, length and percent-encoding) and an optimized slug you can copy. The suggestion comes from the same engine as our URL slug generator, so both tools always agree. Everything runs in your browser.
What the checker looks at
Only the last path segment is checked, so https://example.com/blog/my-post/ is read as my-post. Percent-encoded slugs are decoded first, and a query string or #fragment is left as it is.
- Problems (−20 each): spaces, broken percent-encoding, an empty slug, or more than 75 characters.
- Warnings (−10 or −5): capital letters, underscores, special characters, a % after a number, double encoding, 61 to 75 characters, words run together, only numbers, double or edge hyphens, a repeated word.
- Tips (−3 or no deduction): non-ASCII letters, stop words, a year, more than eight words, a file extension, a query string.
The score is 100 minus the deductions. 90 or more is Good, 70 to 89 Needs work, below 70 Poor. It is a checklist of our own, not a Google ranking factor: a slug that scores 80 can rank fine, but the fixes make links easier to read, share and keep.
Examples
| Input | Score | Optimized |
|---|---|---|
url-slug-checker | 100 | url-slug-checker |
How_To_Write_A_Slug | 77 | how-write-slug |
/blog/10-Tips--For-Better-URLs-2026.html | 79 | /blog/10-tips-better-urls-2026.html |
caf%25C3%25A9-menu | 87 | cafe-menu |
/p/12345 | 90 | /p/12345 |
Summer Sale 50% Off! | 50 | summer-sale-50-percent-off |
the-ultimate-complete-guide-to-choosing-the-best-url-slugs-for-your-blog-posts | 74 | ultimate-complete-guide-choosing-best-url-slugs-your-blog |
/zh/%E9%87%8D%E5%BA%86%E7%81%AB%E9%94%85/ | 97 | /zh/chong-qing-huo-guo/ |
The last row uses the Chinese → pinyin option. /p/12345 keeps its numbers: the checker cannot invent words, so write a few descriptive ones yourself. The year in the third row is only a tip; drop it if you will update the page next year.
Why these rules
- Hyphens, not underscores. Google recommends hyphens to separate words, because underscores often join words into one concept, as in
format_date. It also advises against running words together. - Lowercase. URLs are case-sensitive, so
/APPLEand/appleare two different URLs. One consistent case avoids duplicates. - Readable words. Google recommends descriptive words over long ID numbers, in your audience's language. Non-ASCII slugs are fine for those readers; the checker only notes how long they get once percent-encoded (each Chinese character becomes 9 characters, such as
%E9%87%8D). - Encode once. Reserved characters must be percent-encoded, a literal
%is written%25, and a URL must not be encoded twice.%25C3%25A9is the classic sign of double encoding: decoded once it is%C3%A9, decoded twiceé. Check or fix one with the URL encoder/decoder. - Short and stable. Under about 60 characters is easy to read and share; our URL slug length guide explains the numbers.
Fixing a slug on a live page
Changing the slug of a published page changes its URL. Before you switch, set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one with the 301 redirect generator, update internal links and your sitemap, and keep the redirect in place. Changing hundreds at once? See bulk URL changes with 301 redirects. For new pages, write the slug with the slug generator and it will pass from the start.
Sources
- Google Search Central: URL structure best practices for Google Search
- IETF: RFC 3986, Uniform Resource Identifier (URI): Generic Syntax, sections 2.1–2.4
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What makes a good URL slug?
Short, lowercase words that describe the page, separated by hyphens, with no spaces, special characters or file extensions. url-slug-checker scores 100.
How is the score calculated?
Each issue takes off a fixed number of points: 20 for a problem, 10 or 5 for a warning and 3 or nothing for a tip. 90 or more is good. The score is a checklist, not a ranking factor.
How does the checker read a % after a number?
As a percent sign, unless it starts a complete %XX sequence that decodes to valid UTF-8. 100%-cotton, 50% and 50%ab-off are percent signs (−10, suggested as percent); 50%C3%A9 is decoded to 50é. In 50%ab the %ab could be either, so the checker notes the ambiguity. Writing 50-percent avoids it.
Does the checker change my URL?
No. It only suggests an optimized slug. The rest of the URL, including the query string, stays as you pasted it. If you change a live URL, redirect the old one with a 301.
Can I check many URLs at once?
Yes. Paste one slug or URL per line. You can copy all optimized slugs or download a CSV with each input, its score, its issues and the suggestion.
Should I remove stop words from slugs?
Usually, as long as the slug still reads well: how-to-write-a-slug becomes how-write-slug. Turn the option off when a stop word matters to the meaning.
What about Chinese or other non-Latin slugs?
They work in browsers and Google, and Google recommends your audience's language. The checker flags them only as a tip and can suggest a pinyin slug for Chinese, or keep the original letters if you prefer.
Is my data uploaded?
No. The checks run in your browser and nothing you paste is sent anywhere.
Changing a live slug?
Redirect the old URL to the new one with a 301 so links and rankings carry over.