Content revised 20 October 2026.
A blog URL should describe the topic and remain useful after a routine content update. Decide the naming approach before publishing, then keep established addresses stable where possible.
Start with the article’s lasting topic
A guide to preparing a website brief might use a concise topic-based slug. Avoid adding a year unless the year is part of the article’s real scope. Otherwise the address can become misleading when the guide is reviewed later. The page title can explain more detail than the URL needs to carry.
Keep the blog structure predictable
Use categories or directories when they serve a clear organisational purpose. Consider what happens if an article belongs to several categories or moves between them. The editorial team should understand whether those changes affect the public address before changing taxonomy.
Check the draft address
- Use words that match the topic, without a keyword list.
- Remove accidental duplicate slugs and temporary draft wording.
- Follow the site’s existing case and separator conventions.
- Open the preview and verify the final published path.
Review links after publication
Link to the article from a relevant existing page and check that the link works. Confirm that sharing controls, canonical output and the sitemap use the intended address. If a typo is discovered on a new page, assess whether correcting the URL is worth a redirect rather than quietly breaking the original link.
Keep content updates separate from URL changes
Updating examples or correcting a fact usually doesn't require a new slug. When a page’s purpose changes substantially, make an editorial and migration decision together. A tidy URL is part of a maintainable blog, not a reason to reset every address during a redesign.
Official guidance: Google’s recommendations for clear URLs.