WordPress is the most popular content management system (CMS) worldwide, thanks to its user-friendly design and highly customizable features. One critical aspect of WordPress involves working with URLs and slugs. Slugs are the part of a URL that uniquely identifies a page on your website, making them crucial for SEO and user navigation. This guide will show you step-by-step how to find the original slug of a WordPress page or post.

1. Understanding Slugs in WordPress

A slug is the portion of a URL that follows the domain name and serves as a unique identifier for a post, page, or any other type of content on your site. For instance, in the URL https://example.com/about-us, the slug is about-us.

Importance of Slugs

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Slugs contribute to the readability of a URL and help search engines understand the page’s content.
• User Experience: Clean and descriptive slugs make it easier for users to know what to expect on a page.

Where Are Slugs Used?

Slugs appear in various parts of WordPress, such as:

• Blog posts
• Pages
• Custom post types
• Tags and categories

2. Why Finding the Original Slug Matters

Sometimes, the original slug of a page or post is modified due to updates, causing:

• Broken Links: Changes to a slug can lead to 404 errors.
• SEO Disruptions: Search engines might lose track of the page, affecting rankings.
• Content Management Issues: The original slug can be necessary for restoring past configurations.

Knowing how to locate the original slug helps you address these issues effectively.

3. Locating Slugs in the WordPress Dashboard

The simplest way to find a slug is via the WordPress dashboard.

Steps to Find a Slug:

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Navigate to Posts > All Posts (or Pages > All Pages for static content).
3. Hover over the title of the post or page. The permalink will appear at the bottom of your browser.
4. To see the slug explicitly, click Edit on a post or page. The slug is editable in the Permalink section right below the title.

4. Using the WordPress Settings to Check Slugs

WordPress allows you to manage your permalink structure through the settings panel.

Steps to Verify Slugs via Permalink Settings:

1. Go to Settings > Permalinks in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Observe how slugs are configured based on the selected permalink structure.
3. Open a post or page in the editor and check the slug in the Permalink section.

If you’re working with default settings, the slug will usually match the post or page ID.

5. Inspecting the Database for Original Slugs

For advanced users or developers, slugs can be retrieved directly from the WordPress database.

Steps to Access the Database:

1. Log in to your hosting provider’s cPanel or dashboard.
2. Open phpMyAdmin and locate your WordPress database.
3. Navigate to the wp_posts table.
4. Find the post_name field, which contains the slug for each post and page.

Note: Always back up your database before making changes.

6. Leveraging Plugins to Retrieve Original Slugs

Plugins can simplify the process of finding and managing slugs in WordPress. They provide user-friendly interfaces and additional tools to ensure you don’t have to dive into complex coding or database configurations.

Recommended Plugins:

• Yoast SEO: This plugin displays the slug in the permalink preview, making it easy to edit and optimize.
• Redirection: It helps track slug changes and ensures redirects are in place to avoid broken links.
• Slug Manager: A dedicated tool for monitoring and managing slugs across your website.

How to Use a Plugin:

1. Install and activate the chosen plugin from the WordPress repository.
2. Navigate to the plugin settings or edit a post or page to view the slug details.
3. Use the plugin to revert to or edit the original slug without affecting other elements of your website.

Plugin Compatibility Tips:

• Always ensure that plugins are updated to the latest version.
• Confirm compatibility with your WordPress theme and other plugins to avoid conflicts.

7. Checking Slugs in Custom Post Types

WordPress supports custom post types, which are ideal for organizing specific types of content such as portfolios, testimonials, or product pages. However, slugs in custom post types can behave differently due to their unique URL structures.

How to Locate Slugs for Custom Post Types:

1. Navigate to the custom post type section in your WordPress dashboard (e.g., Products or Testimonials).
2. Hover over an item to preview the URL at the bottom of your browser.
3. Alternatively, open the item in the editor and check the Permalink section.

Slug Considerations for Custom Post Types:

• Custom post types often include additional identifiers in the URL, such as /products/slug-name.
• Ensure your custom post type’s slug is optimized for readability and keyword integration.

8. Restoring Original Slugs After Changes

Changing a slug might seem harmless, but it can lead to broken links and SEO issues. Restoring the original slug is essential to maintain consistency and search engine visibility.

Steps to Restore Original Slugs:

1. Find the Original Slug: Use the methods outlined in Sections 3 and 5 to retrieve the slug.
2. Edit the Post or Page: Open the editor, navigate to the Permalink section, and re-enter the original slug.
3. Set Up Redirects: Use a plugin like Redirection to point the old URL to the restored one. This ensures users and search engines are seamlessly redirected.
4. Test the URL: Verify that the restored slug is working correctly by visiting the page and testing internal and external links.

Best Practices for Slug Restoration:

• Avoid making frequent changes to slugs.
• Document original slugs to prevent confusion during updates.

9. The Role of Slugs in SEO

Slugs are more than just a technical aspect of URLs—they play a significant role in search engine optimization and site rankings.

SEO Benefits of Well-Optimized Slugs:

• Keyword Targeting: Including primary keywords in your slug boosts search engine visibility.
• Readability: Short and descriptive slugs improve click-through rates by clearly conveying the page’s topic.
• Ranking Signals: Search engines consider slugs when determining a page’s relevance to a query.

Slug Optimization Tips:

• Keep slugs under 60 characters.
• Avoid unnecessary words (e.g., articles like “the” or “and”).
• Use hyphens to separate words for better readability.

By ensuring your slugs are concise, meaningful, and aligned with SEO best practices, you create a strong foundation for your site’s visibility.

10. Common Mistakes to Avoid with WordPress Slugs

Mistakes with slugs can lead to poor user experience and missed SEO opportunities. Here’s a list of common pitfalls and how to avoid them.

Mistakes:

1. Keyword Stuffing: Overloading slugs with keywords can appear spammy to search engines.
2. Using Long Slugs: Excessively long slugs reduce clarity and user engagement.
3. Changing Slugs Without Redirects: This leads to broken links and lost SEO value.
4. Ignoring Hyphenation: Spaces or underscores in slugs can confuse users and search engines.

How to Avoid These Errors:

• Follow a consistent slug structure for all posts and pages.
• Test every new slug before publishing to ensure it functions correctly.
• Use plugins to manage redirects and monitor slug performance.

Conclusion

Slugs are the backbone of your WordPress URL structure, influencing everything from SEO to user experience. Whether you’re restoring an original slug, managing custom post types, or optimizing your website for better rankings, understanding how slugs work is essential. By following the techniques and best practices outlined in this guide, you can confidently manage slugs on your WordPress site and enhance your online presence.

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FAQs

1. What is the difference between a slug and a permalink?

A slug is a part of the permalink. The permalink is the full URL, while the slug refers specifically to the segment that uniquely identifies the page.

2. Can I change a slug after publishing a post?

Yes, but you should set up a redirect from the old slug to the new one to avoid broken links and SEO issues.

3. Do slugs affect SEO rankings?

Absolutely. Slugs contribute to the URL structure, and well-optimized slugs can improve search engine rankings.

4. How do I optimize slugs for SEO?

Use concise, keyword-rich, and hyphen-separated slugs. Avoid unnecessary words and keep the length manageable.

5. What happens if two posts have the same slug?

WordPress prevents duplicate slugs by appending a number to the second instance (e.g., slug-2). However, it’s best to create unique slugs for clarity and SEO purposes.