A clear URL tells visitors and Google what a page is about before they even open it. A logical structure also keeps your website organised as it grows.
Good URLs are
- Short and readable.
- Lowercase, with hyphens between words.
- Descriptive of the page content.
- Free of dates, IDs and random numbers where possible.
| Avoid | Better |
|---|---|
| /page.php?id=482 | /services/ac-repair/ |
| /Our_Services/AC%20Repair | /services/ac-repair/ |
| /2026/03/14/blog-post-about-diwali-gift-ideas-for-everyone | /blog/diwali-gift-ideas/ |
A simple structure
- /services/[service]/
- /locations/[city]/
- /industries/[industry]/
- /blog/[topic]/
- /products/[product]/ or /category/[name]/
Do not change URLs casually
Changing a URL that already ranks can lose rankings unless you add a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one. Read 404 errors and redirects.
Tools
Create clean slugs with our URL slug generator and break down any URL with our URL parser.
Want the full picture? This article is part of SEO: the complete guide, our in-depth guide with everything in one place.
