A slug is part of the URL. It comes after the domain and tells you what webpage you're currently on.
Example: IllinoisState.edu/student-life
A slug should be related to the page title, but it does not need to be exactly the same. Slugs should be simple and descriptive.
Example: https://illinoisstate.edu/athletics/
The title of this page is Redbird Athletics. The slug "/athletics" is not an exact match, but still communicates what the webpage is about.
If someone were to look at a URL in an email, in print, or elsewhere outside of a website, they should have a clear idea of what the webpage is about.
Slugs play a role in search engine optimization. When choosing a slug name, consider using keywords that your audience might use in a search engine to find the webpage.
Example: search terms "campus recreation Illinois State class schedule"
Search result: https://campusrecreation.illinoisstate.edu/fitness/classes/
Most systems we use at Illinois State require lowercase slugs.
Example: IllinoisState.edu/visit/virtual
If a slug has more than one word, separate the words using dashes. Do not use empty space, underscores, or combine words. This helps search engines read your slug as separate words.
Example: IllinoisState.edu/student-life
It's unnecessary to repeat words that are already part of the URL.
Example: https://alumni.illinoisstate.edu/association/awards/distinguished/
The last slug in this example is "/distinguished/". You can tell by looking at the URL this is a distinguished award because the preceding slug is "/awards/."
Since "/awards/" is already in the URL, we do not need to say "/distinguished-award/."
You can often remove short, common words from the slug. This includes articles, conjunctions, and prepositions such as:
Sometimes common words are necessary for the slug to make sense.
Example: IllinoisState.edu/points-of-pride
In this case, "of" is part of the whole brand. If the slug were /points-pride, it loses the brand name, becomes less readable, and doesn't make much sense.
Most people are not familiar with abbreviations outside your unit and the University. In most cases, slugs should contain all the words you might abbreviate.
Example: https://illinoisstate.edu/academics/physical-education-teacher-k-12/
Around the Kinesiology and Recreation department and among students, the Physical Education Teacher Education major is known as PETE. The general public and search engines may not know what PETE means. Spelling out the abbreviation in the slug is more helpful for people outside the department.
If an abbreviation is widely known, accepted, and used in public, an abbreviation can be used in the slug. If you know it as the letters, then refer to it as the abbreviation.
Example: It is widely known what the NFL is. They can get away with using an abbreviation of their formal name (National Football League) in their URLs.
When naming a slug, there should be a balance between length and usefulness. One-word slugs are nice, but not always necessary or helpful.
The purpose of a slug's name is to clearly communicate what is on a webpage.
Example: Let's say you want to have a webpage that displays a map of the Bone Student Center.
bonestudentcenter.IllinoisState.edu/map
This URL indicates a map of the Bone Student Center will open if selected.
IllinoisState.edu/map
This URL indicates a map of Illinois State University will open if selected. Although the slug is short with one word, it is not descriptive of the map we want to display. In this case, more words should be added to the slug to give the audience a better understanding of what's on the webpage.
A better slug would be: IllinoisState.edu/bone-student-center-map/ or IllinoisState.edu/bone-student-center/map/.