Should I change my website URLs for SEO?

Usually, no: don't rename working pages just to replace _ separators with hyphens. For owners asking 'should I change my website URLs for SEO', Google's 23 October 2026 update clarified word separation in URLs, meaning page addresses, rather than announcing a new ranking rule. It's most useful if you're planning new pages or a redesign.

What Google clarified about word separators

Google's URL structure guidance recommends using hyphens rather than _ characters to separate words in website addresses. The reason is straightforward: this helps people and search engines identify the concepts in an address more easily. It is a naming recommendation, not a promise of better search positions.

For a new boiler repair page, that means choosing an ending such as boiler-repairs rather than boiler_repairs. Both names suggest the same service to a person reading them. Google's preference gives you a sensible convention to follow before the page goes live.

The changelog describes the update as a clarification that brings the documentation into line with Google's video guidance. It doesn't announce a deadline for changing existing addresses or say that pages containing _ separators have acquired a new penalty.

What to check before changing an address

Start with the pages that matter to your business, rather than a list of every _ separator on your website. Which service pages bring enquiries? Which product pages lead to orders? Search Console, Google's free tool for checking your site's performance in Google Search, can show which pages receive search clicks and the searches behind them.

Record those searches and clicks before editing anything. Keep enquiry or sales records alongside them where you can, because search clicks alone don't tell you whether a page earns its keep. A plumber's emergency call-out page may be more valuable than a popular article about radiator noises.

Then open each important page from your main menu and from another page that links to it. Check that it loads, describes the right service and gives visitors a clear way to contact you or buy. A missing page deserves attention before a punctuation preference does.

If you're redesigning the site, ask for a list showing existing addresses beside proposed replacements. Mark the addresses you want to keep. Changing the colours, photographs, page title or layout doesn't automatically require changing the page's address.

If Google has found an important page but hasn't included it in its searchable collection, address that separately. Our guide to pages Google has found but hasn't included in search explains what to investigate. Changing a word separator is not a diagnosis of why a page is missing.

The best URL structure for a small business

Choose addresses that describe the page in words your customers recognise. The best URL structure for a small business is usually easy to maintain and unlikely to need renaming whenever the business updates an offer. Aim for a sensible filing system, not a collection of search phrases squeezed together.

For a new accountant's payroll page, payroll-services is a clear ending. For a salon's page about hair extensions, hair-extensions describes the subject without unnecessary decoration. These are examples of naming choices, not templates that guarantee search visibility.

Use hyphens between words on new pages and keep spelling and capital letters consistent. Lower-case addresses are a practical house rule because they reduce decisions for whoever adds pages later. Choose the convention before publishing rather than tidying it up after people have started linking to the page.

Avoid putting a year, temporary promotion or staff member's name into an address unless that detail genuinely defines the page. A cafe can update its main menu without giving the menu page a fresh address every season. An online shop can change a product's description without renaming the address simply to match new advertising wording.

Keep the address relevant to what is actually on the page. Adding town names to a general service address doesn't create useful local information for customers. SEO friendly website addresses support a clear page; they don't replace a proper explanation of the service, where you provide it or how to book.

Does changing a URL affect SEO?

Yes, it can. When an address changes, visitors and search engines need a way to find the replacement. A page with a neater name is little help if links from search results, saved bookmarks or other websites lead to a missing page.

There are sound reasons to move a page. You might be combining overlapping service pages, correcting an address that describes the wrong service or moving to a different website system. The reason should be something you can explain beyond 'the new name looks better'.

A permanent redirect is an instruction that sends visitors and search engines from an old address to its replacement. If a move is necessary, arrange that before removing the old page. Ask whoever manages the website to confirm how the old address will be handled rather than assuming the editor does it automatically.

For a necessary address change:

• Record the old address and its intended replacement before publishing.
• Send the old address to the closest matching page, not automatically to the home page.
• Update links within your website so they point directly to the replacement.
• Test the old address and check that you reach the correct page.
• Watch search clicks and enquiries after the change, alongside checks for broken links.

Also check what your website editor does when you alter a page title. The title and address may have separate settings, so confirm which will change before saving. You should be able to improve the wording customers see without accidentally moving the page they already know.

After a move, keep a note of what changed and when. That gives you something concrete to investigate if enquiries fall, instead of guessing whether the redesign, the wording or a broken address caused the problem.

When not to buy SEO help

Do not rename working pages just to replace _ separators with hyphens. This clarification is not a new penalty or a reason to buy a site migration, meaning a project that moves a website or changes its addresses. A sales proposal based only on removing _ separators deserves a firm question: what actual problem is this fixing?

If your salon's existing hair extensions page opens correctly, describes the service and receives useful enquiries, leave its address alone. Use hyphens when you publish new pages. No address format can guarantee a place on Google, and cosmetic changes are not a substitute for useful information.

You can choose sensible new page addresses yourself through your website editor. If no redesign or new content is planned, noting the convention for future use is enough. Spend your attention on inaccurate opening hours, missing service details or a contact form that doesn't work before worrying about a _ separator.

Protect the pages that bring enquiries

Leaving _ separators alone is fine; leaving broken addresses after a redesign is different. A service page that Google can no longer reach may stop appearing for searches that previously brought customers. That can reduce organic traffic, meaning visitors from ordinary unpaid search results, and the enquiries those visits produce. Customers may instead choose competitors whose relevant pages still open and answer their questions.

PageNumberOne runs automated SEO work every day, including a weekly technical audit, a check for website problems such as broken links and pages search engines can't reach. That puts attention on faults affecting access to your service pages rather than treating every _ separator as something to fix. We also fix page titles, search-result descriptions and headings, alongside structured data, the hidden labels that help search engines understand what a page describes.

We track where your site appears for relevant search phrases and provide a plain-English monthly report. Those checks give you a record to review when pages change, rather than judging a redesign only by its appearance.

That foundation work is included in the Starter plan. It supports ongoing checks and improvements without making a wholesale address change the default answer or promising search positions.

Run the free SEO check now, just below this post. Use it to see what needs attention before you rename a working page.