URL structure infographic: five good versus bad URL pairs from Google's examples (readable words, hyphens not underscores, standard parameters, no fragments, no session IDs), four notes on case, language, parameters and infinite spaces, and three steps on what to do.

Oct 6, 2026

URL Structure Best Practices for SEO (Infographic)

What makes a good URL for SEO, using Google's own good and bad examples: readable words, hyphens, standard parameters, no fragments or session IDs.

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<a href="https://searchinsider.io/infographics/url-structure"><img src="https://searchinsider.io/research/url-structure/url-structure-infographic.png" alt="URL structure infographic: five good versus bad URL pairs from Google's examples (readable words, hyphens not underscores, standard parameters, no fragments, no session IDs), four notes on case, language, parameters and infinite spaces, and three steps on what to do." style="max-width:680px;width:100%;height:auto;" /></a><p>Source: <a href="https://searchinsider.io/infographics/url-structure">URL structure infographic</a> by Search Insider.</p>

What makes a good URL for SEO?

The short answer: Google wants URLs that are simple, readable and consistent: real words, hyphens between them, the language your audience uses, and no parameters that don't change the content.

Based on Google Search Central.

What it shows

Google recommends readable words rather than long ID numbers in URLs.
Use hyphens rather than underscores to separate words.
Use the standard key=value format for parameters, joined with &.
Google generally doesn't support URL fragments, so don't use them to change content.
URLs are case sensitive: /APPLE and /apple are different URLs.
Avoid session IDs and trim parameters that don't change the content.

What to do

Naming: Short readable words with hyphens.
Consistency: One case and one version of each URL.
Cleanup: Remove session IDs and pointless parameters.

The walkthrough

What makes a good URL for SEO?

Google recommends simple, descriptive URLs that use readable words rather than long ID numbers, such as /wiki/Aviation instead of /index.php?topic=42&area=3a5ebc944f41daa6f849f730f1 ^[1].

Should URLs use hyphens or underscores?

Google recommends hyphens to separate words, for example /summer-clothing rather than /summer_clothing ^[1].

How should URL parameters be formatted?

Use an equal sign to separate key-value pairs and an ampersand to add more parameters, such as ?category=dresses&sort=low-to-high ^[1]. Trim parameters that don't change the content ^[1].

Can you use # fragments in URLs?

Don't use fragments to change a page's content, because Google Search generally doesn't support URL fragments ^[1].

Are URLs case sensitive for Google?

Yes. Google treats /APPLE and /apple as distinct URLs with their own content ^[1].

Can URLs use other languages?

Yes. Google recommends words in your audience's language, and percent-encoding non-ASCII characters in link href attributes as needed ^[1].

What URL problems waste crawling?

Session IDs in URLs (use cookies instead), and infinite URL spaces created by additive filtering or dynamically generated calendar pages ^[1].

Sources

URL structure best practices for Google Search, Google Search Central

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