How to Create SEO-Friendly URLs in 2027

Q: What characters are allowed in URLs?

Letters (a-z), numbers (0-9), hyphens (-), underscores (), and periods (.). Avoid spaces, special characters, and non-ASCII characters (use percent-encoding if needed).[1][3]

Quick answer: SEO-friendly URLs are short, descriptive, and use hyphens to separate words. Include the target keyword, avoid special characters, use lowercase, and keep under 60 characters. Structure: domain.com/category/keyword-rich-slug. Avoid query parameters, session IDs, and dynamic URLs. Use 301 redirects when changing URLs. In 2027, clean URLs also help AI search engines understand page content and context.[1][3][4]

URLs are often overlooked in SEO, but they play a significant role in search rankings, user experience, and click-through rates. A well-crafted URL tells both search engines and users what the page is about before they even click.

URL best practices

1. Keep it short

Ideal: 50-60 characters (including domain)
Maximum: 75 characters
Why: Shorter URLs are easier to read, share, and remember

Bad: example.com/blog/2027/04/15/how-to-compress-images-without-losing-quality-complete-guide

Good: example.com/blog/compress-images-without-losing-quality

2. Include target keyword

The URL should contain the primary keyword for the page:

example.com/blog/image-compression-guide ✅
example.com/blog/post-12345 ❌
example.com/blog/article ❌

3. Use hyphens, not underscores

Google treats hyphens as word separators but underscores as word connectors:

image-compression → "image compression" ✅
image_compression → "imagecompression" ❌

4. Use lowercase

URLs are case-sensitive on some servers. Always use lowercase to avoid duplicate content issues:

example.com/Blog/Post and example.com/blog/post may be treated as different URLs

5. Avoid special characters

Remove or encode special characters: ?, &, =, %, #, @, !

6. Use a logical structure

domain.com/category/subcategory/page-slug

Example: mintsaas.net/blog/how-to-compress-images-without-losing-quality-2027

7. Avoid stop words (optional)

Stop words (a, an, the, in, on, for) can be removed if the URL remains readable:

how-to-compress-images-without-losing-quality (keep "without" and "losing" — they're meaningful)
how-to-compress-images-the-complete-guide → compress-images-complete-guide (remove "the")

8. Avoid dates (usually)

Dates in URLs make content look outdated:

example.com/blog/2023/04/image-compression — looks old in 2027
example.com/blog/image-compression-guide — evergreen

Exception: News sites where the date is relevant.

URL structure by page type

Blog posts

domain.com/blog/keyword-rich-slug

Example: mintsaas.net/blog/how-to-compress-images-without-losing-quality-2027

Product pages

domain.com/products/product-name

Example: mintsaas.net/products/image-compressor

Category pages

domain.com/category/

Example: mintsaas.net/blog/ (blog category)

Landing pages

domain.com/landing-page-slug

Example: mintsaas.net/image-compressor

Common URL mistakes

1. Dynamic URLs with parameters

Bad: example.com/products?id=123&category=tools&sort=price

Good: example.com/products/image-compressor

Dynamic URLs are harder for search engines to crawl and index. Use URL rewriting to create clean URLs.[3]

2. Session IDs in URLs

Bad: example.com/page?sessionid=abc123

Good: example.com/page

Session IDs create duplicate content issues. Use cookies instead.[3]

3. Too many subdirectories

Bad: example.com/a/b/c/d/e/page

Good: example.com/category/page

Deep nesting dilutes link equity and confuses users. Keep to 2-3 levels max.[3]

4. Changing URLs without redirects

When you change a URL, always set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one. This preserves link equity and prevents 404 errors.[3]

5. Inconsistent trailing slashes

Choose one format and stick with it:

example.com/page/ (with trailing slash) OR
example.com/page (without trailing slash)

Set up redirects to enforce consistency. Inconsistent trailing slashes create duplicate content.[3]

URL redirects

301 (Permanent)

Use when permanently moving a page. Passes ~99% of link equity.

Redirect 301 /old-page /new-page

302 (Temporary)

Use for temporary redirects (A/B testing, maintenance). Doesn't pass link equity.

Redirect 302 /old-page /new-page

307/308 (HTTP/2 equivalents)

Modern equivalents of 302/301. Preserve request method (important for POST requests).[3]

URL and AI search (GEO)

In 2027, AI search engines use URLs to:

Understand page context: /blog/how-to-compress-images tells AI the page is about image compression
Determine freshness: URLs with dates signal content age
Assess authority: Clean, keyword-rich URLs signal quality
Generate citations: AI includes URLs in citations — clean URLs are more trustworthy

GEO tip: Use descriptive, keyword-rich URLs that AI can parse and cite easily.[3][4]

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Does URL structure affect SEO rankings?

Yes. Clean, keyword-rich URLs are a minor ranking factor. They also improve CTR (users are more likely to click descriptive URLs) and help search engines understand page content.[1][3]

Should I include the year in my URL?

For evergreen content, no (it makes content look dated). For time-sensitive content (annual guides, yearly reports), yes. Weigh freshness signaling vs. evergreen appeal.[3]

How long should a URL be?

Keep under 60 characters (excluding domain). Shorter URLs are easier to read, share, and remember. Google truncates long URLs in search results.[3]

What characters are allowed in URLs?

Letters (a-z), numbers (0-9), hyphens (-), underscores (_), and periods (.). Avoid spaces, special characters, and non-ASCII characters (use percent-encoding if needed).[1][3]

Should I use subdomains or subdirectories?

Subdirectories (example.com/blog/) are generally better for SEO. They consolidate domain authority. Subdomains (blog.example.com) are treated as separate sites by Google.[3]

How do I handle URL changes?

Set up 301 redirects from old URLs to new ones. Update internal links. Submit updated sitemap to Google Search Console. Monitor for 404 errors.[3]

Does HTTPS affect URLs?

HTTPS is a ranking factor and required for modern web. Always use HTTPS. The URL changes from http:// to https:// — set up 301 redirects from HTTP to HTTPS.[3][4]

Can I use non-English characters in URLs?

Yes, but they're percent-encoded (e.g., %C3%A9 for é). For international sites, use the native script (e.g., Japanese characters) as Google supports them. For global sites, stick to ASCII for compatibility.[3]

Sources

[1] MDN Web Docs — URLs: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn/Common_questions/Web_mechanics/What_is_a_URL

[2] Google Search Central — URL structure: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/url-structure

[3] MintSaaS Image Compressor: https://www.mintsaas.net/products/image-compressor

[4] Web.dev — Core Web Vitals: https://web.dev/vitals/

[5] MintSaaS PDF Compressor: https://www.mintsaas.net/products/pdf-compressor

Free tools on MintSaaS

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