Content Optimization Details

Hyphens versus Underscores in URLs

Google recognizes a hyphen as a word separator, but does not recognize an underscore as a word separator. That being the case, dashes should always be used in URLs so that Google and other search engines can read each word separately.

For instance, if you are trying to optimize for the keyphrase chicago financial planner,

Google reads www.xyz/chicago_financial_planner as chicagofinancialplanner.
Google reads www.xyz/chicago-financial-planner as chicago financial planner.

Although there is debate about whether underscores in URLs affect search results, I think the evidence in favor of using hyphens in URLs is very strong. And while some SEO specialists assert that URL structure has little if any impact on a web page’s search performance, experience suggests to me that properly formatted, keyword rich URLs do matter.

In addition to SEO considerations, usability issues make hyphens the correct choice for URLs.

  • Hyphens are easier to type than underscores – no need for the shift key
  • Hyphens are easier to read
  • Underscores are obscured when URLs are underlined

Another usability (and branding) issue to watch out for is URL consistency across the domain. Lately I’ve worked on sites that mix hyphen and underscore URL formatting. This leaves visitors with the impression the website was built in happenstance fashion. What would you think of an author who used different fonts for the page numbers in his book?

Should Underscored URLs be Converted to Hyphenated URLs?

Properly formatted URLs have search engine and usability benefits. If your pages are performing well on the search engines already and you have plenty of new and return traffic, it may not be advisable to change them. However, if you need to improve in terms of SEO, rewrite them. Here are three good reasons why.

  1. Ninety-nine times out of 100, you’ll not simply convert the underscores to dashes, you’ll rewrite the URL with better keywords – a double bang for your SEO buck.
  2. Keyword rich URLs reinforce branding as well as improve long term search engine performance.
  3. By setting up 301 redirects, neither PagerRank nor search performance will be adversely affected.

As important as I think proper URL formatting is, it is not an SEO quick fix or cure all. It’s very difficult to determine what factors determine how a web page will rank on Google. First of all, many factors contribute. Second, the weight of the contributing factors continually changes.

Certain factors, such as the age of your domain and what your competitors are doing to optimize their sites, are beyond your control. Therefore, content optimization factors you can control should be handled as well as possible.

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