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SEO-friendly URLs: short, readable addresses that rank

Short, lowercase URLs with hyphens are easier to read, share and rank. See good and bad examples and how to change URLs safely with 301 redirects.

By the WebTools team · Published 2026-11-10 · 1 min read

A good URL tells people and search engines what the page is about before they open it. It's also easier to share, remember and type.

Good and bad URL examples: short lowercase with hyphens versus long with capitals, underscores and IDs
Readable vs hard-to-read addresses

Rules of thumb

  • Short: remove filler words like "and", "the", "of".
  • Lowercase only: some servers treat /Shoes and /shoes as different pages.
  • Hyphens between words, not underscores or spaces.
  • One or two keywords that describe the page.
  • No dates in evergreen articles, so they don't look outdated.
  • Avoid IDs and long parameters where your platform allows it.

Set it up

  • WordPress: Settings → Permalinks → Post name. You can edit each post's slug in the editor.
  • Shopify: edit the URL handle under Search engine listing.
  • Wix and Squarespace: edit the page URL in the page's SEO settings.

Changing URLs safely

  1. Change the address.
  2. Add a 301 redirect from the old one (most platforms offer this automatically when you edit the slug).
  3. Update internal links and your XML sitemap.
  4. Check with the SEO audit that no internal links go through redirects any more.
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Questions about this topic

Should I change existing URLs to make them prettier?

Only if they're really bad, and always with a 301 redirect from the old address. Changing URLs without redirects loses rankings and breaks links.

Do keywords in the URL help?

A little, and they help people see what the page is about before clicking. Don't stuff them; one or two words are enough.

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