Improve URL standards #2
Description
What
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/content-design/url-standards-for-gov-uk
- URLs always need to be clear, unambiguous, easy to read, easy to type and easy to share
- URLs should be in lower case
- URLs should align with the title of the page
- URLs must use words and should not contain acronyms, unless the acronym is very well known or it’s an acronym of an organisation with a long name
- dashes should be used to separate words within URLs so they are easy to read - for example, www.gov.uk/set-up-business (another version without hyphens can be created if the URL is designed to be read aloud, like on a TV or radio advert)
- articles (a, an, the) and other superfluous words should not be used. For example, use /benefits or /benefits-guides rather than /a-guide-to-benefits
- URLs should use the verb stem, where possible. For example, /apply instead of /applying
- URLs should be based on user need rather than the (current) name of a policy, scheme or service, which might change. For example, the URL www.gov.uk/advertise-job is intended for people who want to advertise a job on the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) Find a job service
- include the year when using a short URL for one-off promotion of an annual event like www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/budget-2020
- trailing slashes should not be used when sharing or printing URLs - it’s bad for search engine optimisation (SEO). For example, use www.gov.uk/your-url-here rather than www.gov.uk/your-url-here/
you must not use a GOV.UK short URL to redirect a user to a non-government site
Why
Examples
