Describe the page in ordinary words
A fictional florist’s /services/wedding-flowers.html address is easier to recognise than /page-8472.html. The descriptive path tells someone what kind of information to expect before opening it.
Google recommends readable words, logical organisation and hyphens between words. It also notes that URL paths are case sensitive. See Google’s URL guidance.
Pick one convention for new pages, such as lowercase words separated by hyphens. Consistency makes addresses easier to maintain and reduces accidental variations.
Include enough detail to identify the subject
Avoid squeezing every service, town and promotional phrase into the path. “Wedding flowers” identifies a service. “Best cheap wedding flowers florist deals Malaysia” reads like a keyword list and is harder to share.
Keep dates out of evergreen addresses unless the date is part of the subject. A yearly event page may need a year; a general delivery-policy page usually does not. Think about whether the address will still describe the page after the next update.
Use folders for a useful organisation
A shop might group advice under /guides/ and products under /products/. The folder should reflect how the website is organised rather than add an unnecessary level for every possible label.
The path alone does not create navigation. Visitors still need useful menus and internal links to reach the page.
Dynamic URLs can work too. Do not remove parameters simply because they look untidy if the application needs them to select content.
Be careful with an existing address
Before renaming a page, check where the old link is used. It may be in customer emails, printed material, bookmarks or another website. A slightly prettier address may not justify disrupting those routes.
If a change is necessary, map the old URL to the appropriate replacement and implement a suitable redirect. Update internal links, canonical information and the sitemap as part of the same change.
A short publishing checklist
- Can someone recognise the subject from the path?
- Does it follow the website’s existing naming convention?
- Will it remain accurate after routine content updates?
- Does the exact address load the intended page?
- If it replaces another URL, does the old route still work?
A clear address supports an organised website, but it is not a shortcut to rankings. Keep the page itself useful and give it an accurate title.