We’re All Optimizing for SEO

Except for the URL Slug

Your SEO slug matters! Optimize your Substack URL slugs for better rankings and visibility.

We’re All Optimizing for SEO… Except for This One Thing

We all know the importance of optimizing our posts for SEO. But when we’re in the Substack post editor doing a final check before hitting “publish,” are we actually covering all the bases?

✅ Title SEO optimized with at least our main keyword: CHECK

✅ Body copy optimized with at least three of our keywords: CHECK

✅ Image alt text optimized with at least our main keyword: CHECK

✅ Image caption optimized with at least our main keyword: CHECK

✅ SEO post title optimized (<60 characters): CHECK

✅ SEO post description optimized (<160 characters): CHECK

⚠️ SEO post URL slug optimized: CH… Huh?!

Yes. The post URL slug.
Have you customized it and optimized it for SEO juice?

⚠️ Double "Huh?!" ⚠️

What is the URL Slug?

The URL slug is the part of the web address that comes after the last slash ("/") in a post’s URL. It serves as a unique identifier for your post and helps both readers and search engines understand what the page is about.

A well-optimized slug is short, keyword-rich, and easy to read.

Example:

❌ Messy Default URL Slug (Too Long, Unoptimized)

https://substack.com/p/how-to-improve-your-substack-seo-url-slug-best-practices-for-beginners

✅ Optimized URL Slug (Clean & SEO-Friendly)

https://substack.com/p/substack-seo-url-slug

A clean, well-structured URL slug makes your post easier to find, easier to click, and more likely to rank in search engines.

Why You Should Care About Your Post URL Slug

By default, Substack auto-generates your URL slug. It pulls from your post title, often creating something long, clunky, or not fully optimized for SEO.

But here’s the thing:
You can edit it. And you should.

A short, clean, keyword-rich URL slug does three important things:

1️⃣ Boosts SEO relevance – Helps Google categorize your content and match it to relevant searches.
2️⃣ Improves user experience – A simple, readable URL looks cleaner and more clickable.
3️⃣ Prevents messy or outdated URLs – Default slugs often contain stop words (and, the, of, for) or unnecessary fluff.

Where to Find & Edit Your URL Slug in Substack

Watch this short video where I walk you through exactly where to find and edit your Substack post URL slug in no time at all.

👉 In your post editor screen, go to Settings (on the right-hand panel).
👉 Scroll down to Post URL, where Substack has pre-written your slug.
👉 Delete the clunky version and replace it with a short, keyword-rich slug.

Example:

❌ Auto-Generated Slug:
/how-to-improve-your-substack-seo-url-slug-best-practices-for-beginners

✅ Optimized Slug:
/substack-seo-url-slug

Cleaner. Shorter. More powerful.

Best Practices for Substack URL Slugs

✔️ Keep it short – Ideally under 50-60 characters.

✔️ Use your focus keyword – This helps Google understand your post topic.

✔️ Avoid unnecessary stop words – Skip words like the, and, of, for unless they’re essential.

✔️ Use hyphens (-), not underscores (_) or spaces – Google treats hyphens as word separators, making URLs easier to read.

✔️ Skip dates unless necessary – A slug like marketing-trends-2025 will feel outdated next year.

Key Takeaway:

🚀 Before you publish, always edit your post URL slug.
Make it short, simple, and keyword-focused for maximum SEO impact.

This one small tweak can make your Substack posts rank better, look better, and get more clicks.

🔹 Have you ever customized your Substack URL slug before?

Let me know if this was new to you via reply email or in comments below! 👇

Cheers!
Mentor Mike
mentormike.net