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Stable, unique URLs: Create unique, unchanging URLs

Updating links once a page has changed location is often not enough; visitors have saved the page in their Favourites or found the URL using a search engine. Ensuring that URLs never need to be updated avoids this problem. Should a page have to be moved, make sure there is proper redirection.

Create unique, unchanging URLs

Guideline R-pd.4.1

"...a usable site requires.. persistent URLs that don't change."

URL as UI, Jakob Nielsen

URLs and modified content

When you modify or expand Web content, you need to ensure that dynamically generated URLs still direct the visitor to the same content if the content. Web developers who build such systems should make sure that dynamically generated URLs are accessible at all times. Read more

Sessions in URLs

Avoid using sessions in URLs. If a site only fuctions thanks to sessions, a returning visitor following the link from his or her Favourites will not be able to access the page, as this identity is no longer valid. For the same reason, other sites including search engines, won't be able to link to the page either. In view of such problems, many search spiders will not even index URLs containing sessions. Read more

Redirection for relocated content

When you move information, please make sure you redirect visitors to the new location. Sometimes relocating a page and updating links to the new location is unavoidable. There will then be visitors who try to access the page using the original URL. This will lead to an error message. It is a helpful gesture to direct these visitors to the page they are looking for. Read more

Links and references


Web Guidelines version 1.3, November 2007.