Member Avatar for HelenLF

I am redesigning a website for a client.

He has some pages set up which perform reasonably well but the urls consist of keywords seperated by %20.

Would it best to replace the %20, or does this not bother google?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by productsmarine

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Short answer for : changing the visible URL string itself won’t automatically kill the page’s value — the risk comes from how you migrate. A few replies here already pointed to swapping the separators; the important follow‑up is to do a careful 1:1 migration so search engines and users find the new addresses without loss.

A simple, safe workflow:

  • Build a complete map of old URL -> new URL before touching live files.
  • Implement server‑side permanent redirects (301) for every changed page to its new URL.
  • Update all internal links, navigation, and the XML sitemap to use the new URLs.
  • Add or update canonical tags so each page declares the new URL as canonical.
  • Submit the updated sitemap and use the URL inspection / request indexing for priority pages in Search Console.
  • Monitor Search Console coverage, crawl errors, and analytics for drops or unexpected 404s.

If the page has strong link equity, keep content and meta elements stable while the redirects take effect so you can isolate the URL change. Proper 301s generally transfer signals over time, but temporary ranking/traffic fluctuation can occur while Google reprocesses the redirects. Also avoid redirect chains or client‑side redirects; they slow crawl and can dilute signal.

For implementation and checks, refer to official guidance on redirects and a practical checklist on redirect handling:

Moz — Redirection basics and best practices

Follow the mapping + 301 + sitemap + monitor routine and the chance of long‑term harm is minimal.

Recommended Answers

All 11 Replies

Member Avatar for claudejean123

I think as long as the url is not the type of full-keyword thing, Google won't see your site as a spammer. It depends on how you optimizes that certain website..

Member Avatar for JamieLynnSEO

I feel like it'll be fine... just dont over-use the keyword in the site content.

Member Avatar for JamieLynnSEO

(i would personally delete the 20% though, (assuming you are implying that it is physically in the url)

Member Avatar for HelenLF

It is actually a space that is in the url

Member Avatar for dornaled

yes actually a space that is in url.

Member Avatar for kathrinrich

It seems to me that everything will be fine ... Not only the abuse of the keywords the content of your site.

Member Avatar for HelenLF

I don't think in this case there is an abuse of keywords, although I have seen this done in other sites. There are 3 keywords or should I say one 3 word keyphrase used in the url and it sums up the content of the page and the site in general.

Thanks everyone for your help

Member Avatar for OliviaSSLGuru

If you feel that the %20 won't look good to the url, then you use a separator to multiple words, like a "-".
Example

Member Avatar for HelenLF

Yes, replacing the spaces with a dash is what I want to do.

My concern is that the page as it is has a high pagerank and I am worried that replacing the spaces with dashes might harm this.

Member Avatar for gokhanfil

<a href="" title= "keyword" >link name </a>

Member Avatar for productsmarine

Yes you must consider it with your client before making any changes in your site

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