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Best Practices for File Names and URLs

  • Ditch the junk: No underscores, weird characters, or spaces in your file names or URLs. Just don't.

  • Dashes are your friends: Use dashes instead of spaces. They're totally fine. Search engines recognize them as word separators.

  • Capitalization counts (sometimes): Title casing is cool for file names like "Document.pdf" or "Video.mp4," but keep extended URLs all lowercase (like "jesusfilm.org/watch," not "jesusfilm.org/Watch").

  • Version it up: Even if you think it's the final version, slap a version number on it. You never know!

  • Think like a downloader: Name files in a way that someone searching for it in the future will be able to find it.

    • Maybe add "JFP" at the start.

    • Throw in the year at the beginning or end, too.

  • Why all the rules? Mostly for SEO (search engine optimization), but also to avoid links looking weird and to prevent issues with older browsers. Plus, keeps things tidy.

  • Internal vs. Public: You might get away with anything for internal stuff, but sticking to best practices saves headaches later, especially if you plan to share files publicly.

Further reading:
https://www.woorank.com/en/blog/underscores-in-urls-why-are-they-not-recommended



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