Choosing a URL

Choosing a URL

The URL is created based on the text that you put in the URL field when you create the page, and once it is created, only publishers and admins can change the URL, so it is a good idea to give that field some thought. Some guidelines for that URL field:

• 50-Character Limit: The URL field is capped at 50 characters and generally shorter is better. 
• Include only lowercase letters and numbers separated with dashes: Special characters (like punctuation) and extra spaces will get turned into extra dashes, and generally URLs with extra dashes (like 2 or more dashes between words) look strange so we try to avoid them. So cut out punctuation, separate words with dashes, and make all letters lowercase.
• Cut Out Uninformative Words: Cut out most or all uninformative words like a, and, the, etc.
• Include Search Terms & Make It Meaningful: Think about SEO and include words that people might be searching for. The URL should give people and search engines a good idea of what to expect on the page. The URL (and breadcrumb) is visible in search engine result pages and will influence whether people click on the page.
• Consider the Section Breadcrumb to Avoid Repetition: In the case of events and press releases, the pages will appear in a section that doesn’t have the state name earlier in the URL path, so it makes sense to include the state name or some other indication of location (something people might search for) in the title so that it ends up in the URL. For pages that will live in the Maine section (regular articles and campaign pages), you don’t need to include the state name because it is already in the URL. that goes as well for other words that are already in the URL. For example, if someone is writing an article that will go in the Tackle Climate Change section, it’s not as important to include “climate change” since it will already be in the URL. That said, it may make sense to include it again due to the article’s title (such as in the URL /latin-america-caribbean-climate-week-lessons/, where “climate” is an important part of what the article is about).
• URLs should not be changed once they are published. Once a URL is published, any changes (no matter how small and no matter how short a time the URL has been live) require setting up a redirect. Additionally, the longer a page is live the more authority and value it accrues, some of which is lost in a redirect. URLs should only be changed when absolutely necessary.