Content revised 20 October 2026.
An SEO-friendly URL is a clear, usable address that fits the page and the site’s structure. Descriptive words can help people understand it, but the address alone doesn't make a page rank.
Understand the parts of the address
In https://example.com/guides/website-brief/, https is the scheme, example.com is the host and /guides/website-brief/ is the path. Some URLs also contain query parameters. Each part has a role; a page doesn't need a visible file extension to be a valid resource.
Choose wording that makes sense
For a new page, use a short description of the topic in language the audience understands. Avoid turning the path into a sentence full of repeated service and location phrases. Keep naming conventions consistent so editors know what to use when publishing the next page.
Look at behaviour as well as appearance
- Can a visitor open the address directly?
- Do internal links point to the intended version?
- Do parameter variations have a deliberate handling policy?
- Does the server return an appropriate response for missing pages?
Do not casually rename established pages
An existing address may already be linked from other websites, emails and customer documents. Changing it for a tidier phrase creates migration work. If a change is justified, map the old address to the correct replacement, update references and test the response. A descriptive slug is useful; avoiding unnecessary disruption is useful too.
Official guidance: Google’s URL structure guidance.