Build SEO-Friendly URLs That Last

A website URL is more than an address that takes someone to a page.

It is part of the way visitors recognise a website, understand its content and decide whether a link looks relevant. It also helps search engines discover and interpret the pages that make up a website.

Yet URL structure is often treated as an afterthought.

A business might launch with short, readable page addresses, then gradually introduce inconsistent naming, unnecessary parameters, duplicate paths and confusing redirects as the website grows.

Eventually, even a relatively small website can become difficult to maintain.

Google Search Central updated its URL structure documentation on 23 October 2026, clarifying its guidance on separating words with hyphens rather than underscores and on URL parameters.

This was a documentation clarification, not a new ranking algorithm announcement. The underlying recommendation is practical: make URLs understandable, consistent and easy for search engines to crawl.

For a small business, a sensible URL structure can make future content management, website migrations and SEO maintenance considerably easier.

What makes a URL SEO-friendly?

An SEO-friendly URL is an address that is understandable, consistent and appropriate for the content it identifies.

Consider these two examples:

• example.co.za/services/website-development/
• example.co.za/page.php?id=48271&section=9

Both could lead to a working page, but the first gives visitors a clearer indication of what they are about to open.

Google's URL structure best practices recommend using readable words rather than long, unclear identifiers where possible.

This does not mean that every URL needs to contain a complete page title or a collection of search keywords.

A URL should be useful first. It should help identify the page without becoming unnecessarily long or complicated.

1. Use descriptive words

A descriptive URL helps people understand the destination before opening it.

For example:

• /services/website-development/
• /articles/business-record-keeping/
• /contact/

These addresses are easier to interpret than automatically generated paths containing long numeric identifiers.

Descriptive URLs are especially useful when people share links through email, messaging applications, documents and social media.

A business owner should be able to recognise the general purpose of a link without having to open it.

However, descriptive does not mean excessively detailed.

A URL such as:

/articles/best-affordable-professional-small-business-website-development-services-for-growing-companies/

is unnecessarily long.

A shorter address such as:

/articles/small-business-website-development/

is easier to manage and still communicates the subject.

Aim for clarity rather than maximum keyword inclusion.

2. Use hyphens instead of underscores

One of Google's clarified recommendations is to use hyphens to separate words in URLs where possible.

For example:

Recommended

/small-business-website/

Not recommended

/small_business_website/

Also avoid joining separate words

/smallbusinesswebsite/

Google explains that hyphens clearly indicate word boundaries, while underscores have historically been used in programming and other contexts to join concepts or identifiers.

The recommendation is documented in Google's URL structure guidance.

The documentation update log records the clarification on 23 October 2026. You can follow the Google Search Central documentation updates for further changes.

Does this mean a business should immediately rename every existing URL containing an underscore?

No.

If an existing URL is working, has external links and is already indexed, changing it solely to replace underscores may introduce unnecessary migration work.

The better approach is to use hyphens consistently for new URLs and plan any necessary changes to existing addresses carefully.

3. Keep URLs in a consistent format

Consistency makes a website easier to manage.

Decide how the website will handle:

• Uppercase and lowercase letters.
• Trailing slashes.
• Word separators.
• Category paths.
• Article slugs.
• Product identifiers.
• Query parameters.

For example, these addresses may be treated as different URLs by a server or search engine:

• /Services/Website-Development/
• /services/website-development/

Google explains that URL handling is case-sensitive. If a website's server treats uppercase and lowercase paths as equivalent, the business should standardise them to reduce ambiguity.

A common approach is to use lowercase URLs throughout the website.

Trailing slash behaviour should also be consistent. Some websites use /contact/, while others use /contact. Either can work, but the website should avoid serving both versions as separate pages without a clear canonical arrangement.

Consistency is more important than choosing one particular style because it looks fashionable.

4. Organise URLs around the website's information structure

A website should have a logical structure that reflects its content.

For example, a small business website might use:

The structure should help visitors and website administrators understand where information belongs.

Avoid creating deep URL hierarchies simply because the CMS allows them.

A path such as:

/business/services/digital/online/website/development/basic/

may be more complicated than necessary if the website has no meaningful reason for each level.

A shorter structure can be easier to maintain:

/services/website-development/

The hierarchy should reflect a genuine organisational relationship rather than an attempt to insert more keywords.

5. Use the language your audience understands

Google recommends using words in the language of the intended audience.

This is important for businesses serving multilingual communities.

A business that communicates with customers in English, Setswana, isiZulu or another language should consider whether the page address remains understandable to the people it is intended to serve.

Do not mix languages randomly within a URL simply to include additional search terms.

Choose a consistent approach that reflects the website's content and audience.

If a business serves customers in Maboloka, Soshanguve, Centurion or surrounding areas, its URL structure should still be based on useful content and clear information architecture.

Adding a place name to a URL does not automatically make a page valuable or relevant. The page itself must provide a genuine reason for existing.

6. Avoid unnecessary URL parameters

URL parameters are the values that appear after a question mark in an address.

For example:

/products?category=shoes&sort=price

Parameters can be useful. They allow websites to filter information, sort results and pass data between systems.

Problems arise when a website creates large numbers of URLs that display substantially the same content.

Consider a product catalogue with filters for:

• Colour.
• Size.
• Brand.
• Price.
• Availability.
• Sorting order.

If visitors can combine every filter in many different ways, the website may generate a very large number of URLs.

Some of those addresses may show nearly identical lists of products.

Google explains that excessive URL variations can create crawling inefficiencies and make it harder for search engines to discover the content that matters.

Its URL structure documentation discusses additive filters, irrelevant parameters and session identifiers as potential sources of unnecessary URL complexity.

Review parameters that do not change the actual content.

Examples may include:

• Tracking identifiers.
• Unnecessary referral values.
• Session IDs.
• Duplicate sorting parameters.
• Repeated filter combinations.

Where possible, keep the number of indexable URL variations under control.

Do not remove parameters that are essential to the website's functionality. The objective is to prevent unnecessary URL duplication, not to break the application.

7. Do not use URL fragments as separate content pages

A URL fragment is the part of an address that follows a hash symbol.

For example:

example.co.za/#contact

Fragments are useful for linking to a section of a page.

They can also be used by JavaScript applications to manage certain types of navigation.

However, Google generally does not support URL fragments as a way of identifying separate content pages.

If a business website uses:

• example.co.za/#services
• example.co.za/#about
• example.co.za/#contact

to display entirely different content without proper page URLs, it may be making its content structure harder to understand.

For separate indexable pages, use actual paths such as:

• /services/
• /about/
• /contact/

Google's documentation recommends using the History API rather than fragments when JavaScript changes the content of a page in a way that requires separate URL handling.

This is especially relevant when a website uses a single-page application architecture.

8. Understand canonical URLs

Sometimes the same or very similar content can be accessed through more than one URL.

For example:

• /services/website-development/
• /services/website-development/?source=newsletter
• /Services/Website-Development/

Depending on the server and application configuration, these may create duplicate or near-duplicate versions of the same content.

A canonical URL tells search engines which version the website considers preferred.

A canonical link may look like this:

Google describes redirects, canonical link annotations and sitemap inclusion as signals that can help establish preferred URLs.

Its canonical URL guidance explains how these methods work and why they should be used consistently.

Important points include:

• Use a self-referencing canonical on the preferred page.
• Link internally to the preferred URL.
• Keep sitemap entries consistent with the canonical URLs.
• Avoid declaring different canonical destinations for the same content.
• Do not use robots.txt as a canonicalisation method.

A canonical tag is not a replacement for every redirect. If an old URL has genuinely been retired, a permanent redirect may be more appropriate.

9. Do not change existing URLs casually

One of the most expensive URL mistakes is changing addresses without planning what happens to the old ones.

Imagine that a business has published articles for several years.

Some articles may have external links, bookmarks, social shares and existing search visibility.

If the business changes its URL structure during a redesign and does not redirect the old addresses, visitors may encounter errors.

Search engines may also need to discover and process the new URLs.

A URL migration should therefore be treated as a technical project rather than a cosmetic cleanup.

Google's site migration guidance recommends preparing a URL mapping, configuring redirects, updating internal links and monitoring the old and new URLs.

A practical migration process follows.

Step 1: List existing URLs

Gather the important URLs from:

• Current XML sitemaps.
• Search Console.
• Website analytics.
• Internal navigation.
• External links.
• CMS exports.
• Server logs, where available.

Include important documents and media files if their URLs will change.

Step 2: Map each old URL to its new destination

Create a table that records the old address and the corresponding new address.

Do not redirect every deleted page to the homepage.

A redirect should lead to a relevant replacement. Redirecting unrelated pages to a generic destination can confuse visitors and may be treated as a soft 404.

Step 3: Implement permanent redirects

Where a page has moved permanently, use an appropriate server-side permanent redirect.

Common examples include HTTP 301 and 308 redirects.

Avoid unnecessary redirect chains.

For example, instead of:

/old-page/ → /new-page/ → /final-page/

redirect the old URL directly to the final destination.

Step 4: Update internal links

Internal links should point directly to the new URLs.

Do not rely on redirects for every internal navigation link when the website owner can update the links themselves.

Update:

• Navigation menus.
• Footer links.
• Article references.
• Related-content links.
• Breadcrumbs.
• Sitemap entries.
• Canonical annotations.

Step 5: Monitor the migration

Use Search Console to monitor indexing and inspect important URLs.

Check whether:

• New URLs are accessible.
• Old URLs redirect correctly.
• Important pages return the expected status codes.
• Canonical annotations point to the correct destinations.
• The new sitemap contains the intended URLs.
• Visitors are still reaching important pages.

Google recommends keeping redirects in place for as long as possible and generally for at least one year after a site move.

10. Build URLs with future growth in mind

A website's structure should be able to accommodate new content without requiring repeated restructuring.

A small business might begin with five pages and later add:

• New services.
• Case studies.
• Articles.
• Promotions.
• Product categories.
• Customer resources.
• Downloadable documents.

Before launching a new section, decide where it belongs and how its URL should be constructed.

Avoid creating new paths based on temporary campaign names or internal project identifiers unless there is a clear reason.

For example, a campaign page might initially be published at:

/campaign-november-2026/

If the content is intended to remain useful after the campaign ends, a more durable URL may be appropriate.

A stable URL makes it easier to keep links working as the website evolves.

11. Create a URL naming standard

A short internal standard can prevent inconsistencies when several people publish or maintain website content.

The standard could specify:

• Lowercase letters.
• Hyphens between words.
• Short descriptive slugs.
• No unnecessary dates.
• No internal database IDs in public-facing paths.
• Consistent trailing slash behaviour.
• A clear hierarchy for articles and services.
• A review process before changing existing URLs.

It should also define who approves URL changes.

If a content editor can change a published article's slug without understanding redirects, the website may accumulate broken links over time.

A simple approval step can prevent unnecessary changes.

SEO audit:

If you want to identify URL duplication, indexing problems and technical SEO issues on your website, explore the Mogen SEO audit.

SEO-friendly URL checklist

Use this checklist when publishing new pages or reviewing an existing website:

• The URL describes the page clearly.
• Words are separated with hyphens.
• The URL uses a consistent case format.
• The path is not unnecessarily long.
• The URL reflects the website's information structure.
• The audience can understand the words used.
• Unnecessary parameters have been removed where appropriate.
• Duplicate versions have a clear canonical arrangement.
• Internal links use the preferred URL.
• Important pages appear in the sitemap.
• Existing URLs are mapped before migration.
• Permanent redirects lead to relevant destinations.
• Redirect chains and broken links are checked.
• Search Console is monitored after changes.

Frequently asked questions

Do hyphens improve Google rankings?

Google recommends hyphens because they make word boundaries clearer to users and search engines. This should not be interpreted as a guaranteed ranking improvement or a reason to rename every existing URL.

Are underscores bad for SEO?

Google does not recommend underscores as word separators when creating URLs. Existing pages that use underscores do not automatically need to be changed. Consider the value and risk of a migration before altering established URLs.

Should every URL contain my primary keyword?

No. A URL should describe the page naturally. Repeating keywords or creating excessively long addresses does not make a website more useful.

Is a canonical tag the same as a redirect?

No. A canonical tag indicates a preferred version of similar or duplicate content, while a redirect sends a visitor and crawler from one URL to another. They solve related but different problems.

Will changing my URLs cause my rankings to drop?

A migration can cause temporary search visibility fluctuations while search engines process the changes. Poorly implemented redirects, missing pages and inconsistent canonical signals can create additional problems. Planning and monitoring reduce avoidable risks.

Should a small business use short URLs?

Short URLs are often easier to share and maintain, but clarity matters more than an arbitrary character limit. Use enough descriptive words to identify the page without unnecessary detail.

SEO planning:

Visit the Mogen promotions page to review currently published offers before planning improvements to your website's search visibility.

Conclusion

Good URL structure is not about inserting as many keywords as possible into a web address.

It is about creating a consistent system that visitors can understand and that the website can maintain as it grows.

Google's October 2026 clarification reinforces useful fundamentals: use readable words, separate them with hyphens, avoid unnecessary parameters and keep the URL structure manageable.

For businesses planning a redesign or migration, the most important decision is to protect existing URLs and map changes carefully.

A well-planned URL structure can support better website organisation, more reliable navigation and a cleaner technical foundation for ongoing SEO work.

Sources

• Google Search Central: Latest Documentation Updates
• Google Search Central: URL Structure Best Practices
• Google Search Central: How to Specify a Canonical URL
• Google Search Central: How to Move a Site