Dash, Hyphen or (-), that is the one you should be using in your URLs. But why? Search engines handle underscores (_) and dashes (-) in URLs very differently, and this can directly affect your SEO and how your pages appear in search results.
Why You Should Use Dashes.
According to Google, dashes are recommended to separate words in your URL as it “helps users and search engines better identify concepts in the URL.” This is due to how Google reads the dashes as word separators, as you cannot use a space in a URL.
For example, if your URL is:
https://example.com/weboracle-is-the-best
Google reads this as “weboracle is the best”, making it easier to match exact search queries.
This improves indexing, readability, and relevance in Google searches.
Why You Should Not Use Underscores
Underscores are not recommended by Google or us, as they do the opposite of what dashes do. Whereas dashes provide spacing for words in a URL, dashes combine them.
For example, if your URL is:
https://example.com/Why_you_should_use_WebOracle
Google reads this as “WhyyoushoulduseWebOracle”, one long word that no one would be searching for, unless their spacebar isn’t working.
Why Should You Worry About Your URL?
Whilst it may seem a rather arbitrary choice, the way in which you write your URL can provide a significant amount of information to a user or an algorithm. In other words, if you want to get as many people to your website as possible, then a well-structured URL is an amazing starting point.
Search engines thrive on trustworthiness and quality, with there being more than 50 billion web pages for their algorithms to select from, it’s easy to understand the importance of standing out from the crowd.
To put it simply, it’s in Google or Bing’s best interests to be picky about who they’re showcasing to their users. So, the onus is on you to ensure that you’re meeting their qualifications for succeeding on the SERPs (Search Engine Ranking Pages).
This is where URLs come into the picture. Your URL, or Uniform Resource Locator, is the key way in which browsers locate and access works published on the internet. So, if you’re looking for ways to improve your SEO, then it’s a good idea to start at the source, and that means finding a structure that is going to get you the best results.
Looking For Ways to Improve Your SEO?
For those who are trying to improve their presence in the digital space, why not work with the professionals? At WebOracle, we’ve worked with businesses across Australia, helping them grow their presence and expand their audiences through search engine optimisation and full-service web design and development. Contact us today to learn more.