In SEO How Should Files be Named?

Hi there,

I want to know that how should be the file names of the web pages.

Do the keywords in the files names are helpful in SEO or not?

e.g. free-online-games.html or free_online_games.html or games.html

Any help will be appreciated.

Regards
bushib

 

I always use the line-in-between-technique

 

Yes, it affects ranking especially... Choose free-online-games.html ...

 

Hi,

Thanks

Regards
bushib

 

I am sorry having another opinion. take a look for example on PHPld SEF links.
I always use free_online_games.html (for example)

 

Your slicing the sashimi pretty thin here, I happen to agree with cookiemon007, but it is probably a testing issue at the end of the day. Remember that whatever you decide you need to stick to it, changing the URL later will trash your SERPS. Also, you are always better using a fully qualified address throughout the site.

 

using hyphen and underscore are different in terms SE robot, it would be better to use hyphen rather than underscore because hyphen treated by SE as space... cheers

 

Keywords in your file names are really helpful.
IMO, free-online-games.html or free_online_games.html are both good as Google will now recognise underscores as word separators as it traditionally did not recognise it.

 

Hmmm, its strange. PHPld script directory using underscore and get great results. In fact, the links are the same. Maybe its just a "tradition"

 

Here is something that is of an unofficial information from official person from Google:

With underscores, Google’s programmer roots are showing. Lots of computer programming languages have stuff like _MAXINT, which may be different than MAXINT. So if you have a url like word1_word2, Google will only return that page if the user searches for word1_word2 (which almost never happens). If you have a url like word1-word2, that page can be returned for the searches word1, word2, and even “word1 word2″.

That’s why I would always choose dashes instead of underscores. To answer a common question, Google doesn’t algorithmically penalize for dashes in the url. Of course I can only speak for Google, not other search engines. And bear in mind that if your domain looks like www.buy-cheap-viagra-online-while-consolidating-your-debt-so-you-can-play-texas-holdem-while-watching-porn.com, that may still attract attention for other reasons. I hope you understand why?

 

I remember Matt Cutts saying somewhere that in the near feature it will make no difference and he also recommended the owners of the sites that have keywords in url connected with underline that it is not worth changing them at - since in the near feature Google will be able to read both urls _ and -

But if you are just starting now, i would say start with - already.

 

hi

i have suggest the - free-online-games.html

 

I found, confirmed by client's rankings, that both versions work equally well.

.com/spanish_property/residential_properties.html

.com/sicily-yacht-vacation.htm

 

Hyphens used to be the preferred method but now hyphen or underscore are pretty much the same.

 

Hyphens are better, target your main keywords in your url if you want.

 

Using _ or - has same effect for SE's.

 

Yes they are.