Why slugs matter beyond just readability
A clear, descriptive slug helps visitors understand what a page is about before clicking, and search engines do give some weight to relevant words appearing in the URL. But a slug's bigger significance is structural: it's part of the permanent address of the page, referenced by every internal and external link, saved bookmark, and indexed search result pointing to it.
Why migrations often change slugs, deliberately or not
Every platform has its own rules for how slugs are generated and structured - length limits, allowed characters, whether product slugs are nested under a category path or flat, how duplicate names are disambiguated. Moving to a new platform frequently changes at least some slugs, sometimes because the new platform enforces a different pattern, sometimes because it's a chance to fix messy legacy slugs from the old system. Either way, a changed slug means a changed URL, and a changed URL needs a redirect (see 301 redirect) from the old address.
Keeping slugs stable where it matters
For pages with meaningful existing search rankings or a lot of inbound links, keeping the exact same slug on the new platform (when the platform allows it) avoids the need for a redirect entirely and is often the simplest way to preserve that page's standing. Where a slug does need to change, planning the new slug and its redirect together - rather than letting the platform auto-generate one and dealing with the URL as an afterthought - is what keeps the transition clean.
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep my exact old URL slugs on a new platform?
Often yes, if the new platform's URL rules allow it and you set them deliberately rather than accepting auto-generated ones - this is one of the simplest ways to avoid needing a redirect for that page at all.
Does changing a slug hurt SEO?
Not if it's paired with a proper 301 redirect from the old slug to the new one - the redirect passes most of the accumulated ranking signal forward. Changing a slug with no redirect is what causes SEO harm, not the slug change itself.
Should I use my product name exactly as my slug?
Generally yes, simplified to be URL-safe (lowercase, hyphens instead of spaces, no special characters) - slugs stuffed with unrelated keywords beyond the actual page topic don't provide extra benefit and read as spam to both visitors and search engines.
What happens if two products would generate the same slug?
The platform needs a disambiguation rule - usually appending a number or an extra identifier. We check for this during migration since duplicate-slug collisions can otherwise cause one product's page to silently overwrite another's URL.