Google On Spaces In Your URLs

Aug 28, 2015 - 7:42 am 5 by

Chalkboard5 Google 1900px

John Mueller of Google posted a note about spaces in the URL on Google+. You know, the URLs that look like www.domain.com/file name goes here.html.

Should you fill those holes?

John Mueller of Google said "the answer is not "no"" when it comes to the question "Should you encode spaces in URLs as "%20", "+" or as a space (" ")?"

I love when he answers questions with double negatives, makes you scratch your head.

Here is the full post on Google+:

Should you encode spaces in URLs as "%20", "+" or as a space (" ")?

(the answer is not "no" :-)) I run into this question every now and then, maybe this will help someone get it right too :).

TL;DR: use "+" or "%20" in the query-string, use "%20" within the rest of the URL.

So in short, be safe, make sure your URLs do not have spaces in them. It is best to use hyphens, but you can close the wholes with the + or "%20" but it is probably best to use hyphens.

Forum discussion at Google+.

 

Popular Categories

The Pulse of the search community

Follow

Search Video Recaps

 
Google Core Update Flux, AdSense Ad Intent, California Link Tax & More - YouTube
Video Details More Videos Subscribe to Videos

Most Recent Articles

Search Forum Recap

Daily Search Forum Recap: April 24, 2024

Apr 24, 2024 - 4:00 pm
Google Search Engine Optimization

Google: We Won't Change The 301 Redirect Signals For Ranking & SEO

Apr 24, 2024 - 7:51 am
Google

Google Image Search Tests Tablet Like Design Interface

Apr 24, 2024 - 7:41 am
Google Search Engine Optimization

Google: Our Link Best Practices Doc Are Still Good Guidelines

Apr 24, 2024 - 7:31 am
Google Ads

Google Ads Established In Extensions

Apr 24, 2024 - 7:21 am
Bing Search

Bing Tests Lock Icon In New Search Snippet Location

Apr 24, 2024 - 7:11 am
Previous Story: New Look For Apps In Google Mobile Search