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