12 replies
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I am working on a website that has underscores in URL. Previously my keywords used to rank on 1st page of google but now suddenly the rankings are nowhere to be found. I changed the meta tags, daily updating facebook page and adding quality backlinks on the website. Do you guys think that changing underscores to dashes or hyphens in URL do any good?
#underscore #url
  • Profile picture of the author kobyburne
    The use of underscore in URL doesn't affect the website.but it is must to get updated with the google algorithm.otherwise it will be move backwards.
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  • Profile picture of the author yukon
    Banned
    Originally Posted by rahulpandit View Post

    I am working on a website that has underscores in URL. Previously my keywords used to rank on 1st page of google but now suddenly the rankings are nowhere to be found. I changed the meta tags, daily updating facebook page and adding quality backlinks on the website. Do you guys think that changing underscores to dashes or hyphens in URL do any good?
    The underscore doesn't matter for ranking a page but you changing the URL will drop a page like a brick in the SERPs considering your basically deleting an old/ranked webpage.

    Never mess with a URL of a ranked page.
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    • Profile picture of the author rahulpandit
      Originally Posted by yukon View Post

      The underscore doesn't matter for ranking a page but you changing the URL will drop a page like a brick in the SERPs considering your basically deleting an old/ranked webpage.

      Never mess with a URL of a ranked page.
      I am not messing with a URL of a ranked page as all my keywords show my homepage in SERP The problem is with the product and services page.
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      • Profile picture of the author yukon
        Banned
        Originally Posted by rahulpandit View Post

        I am not messing with a URL of a ranked page as all my keywords show my homepage in SERP The problem is with the product and services page.
        Then why are you talking about changing the URL in OP?

        Originally Posted by rahulpandit View Post

        Do you guys think that changing underscores to dashes or hyphens in URL do any good?
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  • Profile picture of the author surajraj
    As much I have read, it better to not use underscore in URL. I want to give you one example here :
    If your post is about underscore in URL. Then using underscore URL will :
    URL.com/URL_in_underscore

    Without using underscore
    URL.com/URL-in-underscore.

    Now using underscore URL_in_underscore will treated as single word by search engine.
    After using hyphen it will be treated as three different word.

    So its better to use hyphen at place of underscore in URL and post.
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  • Profile picture of the author vmsethi
    better you use (-) dash it will help you to get rank
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  • Profile picture of the author AndresNWD
    Agree with Yukon: don't change the URLs, even if they are not ranked, or Google will treat them as they were brand new pages. You could do 301 redirects, but it's much better to use hyphens for the reasons mentioned before.
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    • Profile picture of the author paulgl
      Changing meta tags won't help rankings.
      Niether will updating a fb page. That could be
      part of your problem. Grasping at clueless straws
      instead of working to improve important things.

      The only thing google ever said about dashes or underscores, is
      that most people know what a dash means and does. They might
      not know what an underscore means. A dash is more visitor-friendly.

      There's really no such thing as url.com, but I digress.

      Paul
      Signature

      If you were disappointed in your results today, lower your standards tomorrow.

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  • Profile picture of the author Devendra Choudhary
    Banned
    Underscore does not allow in URL Structure. You can use hyphen.
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  • Profile picture of the author LuckyIMer
    It is better to use dash - instead of underscore, if you do change your website links structure, you need to use 301 permanent redirect.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rank Watch
    Originally Posted by rahulpandit View Post

    I am working on a website that has underscores in URL. Previously my keywords used to rank on 1st page of google but now suddenly the rankings are nowhere to be found. I changed the meta tags, daily updating facebook page and adding quality backlinks on the website. Do you guys think that changing underscores to dashes or hyphens in URL do any good?
    Yes they do. Use dashes or hyphens instead of underscores.
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