Google has clarified how it wants words separated in web addresses. Its Search Central documentation updates log lists the change on 23 October 2026, describing it as follows: “Updated the URL structure best practices to clarify word separation guidelines using hyphens versus underscores.” This is a documentation clarification, not a ranking update. Brands Win is a Singapore-based digital marketing agency that builds and looks after WordPress and WooCommerce stores for consumer brands, and this guide explains what Google’s URL structure guidance says and what Singapore online stores should check.

Checked on 26 October 2026 against Google Search Central’s documentation (read 26 October 2026).

What Google updated

The change appears in Google’s Latest documentation updates log (entry dated 23 October 2026, read 26 October 2026). The page it points to is URL structure best practices for Google Search (last updated 21 October 2026 UTC, read 26 October 2026). The log and the page footer show different dates, so the fairest summary is that Google’s log lists the update on 23 October 2026.

Google says the edit brings the documentation in line with its “The Non-Canonical Cabinet” video series. Nothing in the log describes a new ranking factor or an algorithm change.

What the page says about hyphens and underscores

The heart of the update is one short section. Google says it recommends hyphens instead of underscores to separate words, “as it helps users and search engines better identify concepts in the URL.”

Google then explains the reasoning. It says: “For historical reasons, we don’t recommend using underscores, as underscores are commonly used for denoting concepts that should be kept together”. Programmers often join words with underscores in function names, “whereas hyphens clearly signal a word boundary.”

Google also lists joining words together with no separator as not recommended.

Two points matter here. First, the wording is “recommend”, not a rule your store must meet. Second, Google makes no claim that hyphens change where pages appear in results. The value is clarity: people and search engines can read a hyphenated address more easily.

The other guidance on the same page

The hyphen section sits inside a wider page, and the rest of it is just as useful for online stores.

Encode characters correctly. Google says Google Search supports URLs as defined by the internet standard it cites, and that reserved characters must be percent encoded.

Do not use fragments to change content. A fragment is the part of an address after a hash sign. Google says not to use them to change what a page shows, as “Google Search generally doesn’t support URL fragments.” If JavaScript changes the content, Google says to “use the History API” instead.

Use a common encoding for parameters. Parameters are the extra settings after a question mark, such as a colour or a sort order. Google recommends an equals sign between each key and its value, and an ampersand between parameters.

Use descriptive words. Google says: “When possible, use readable words rather than long ID numbers in your URLs.”

Use your audience’s language. Google’s advice is to “Use words in your audience’s language in the URL”, and to percent encode characters outside the basic range when linking.

Keep parameters to a minimum. Google says: “Whenever possible, shorten URLs by trimming unnecessary parameters”. It also says: “Wherever possible, avoid the use of session IDs in URLs and consider using cookies instead.”

Remember that case matters. Google says it treats “/APPLE and /apple as distinct URLs with their own content”. If your server treats both the same, Google suggests you “convert all text to the same case so it’s easier for Google to determine that URLs reference the same page.”

Google also warns that “Overly complex URLs, especially those containing multiple parameters, can cause problems for crawlers”, because they can create many addresses that lead to the same or similar content.

What this means for Singapore stores on WordPress and WooCommerce

The points below are our general guidance for WordPress and WooCommerce stores, not Google’s wording.

Product and category slugs. Look at how your product and category addresses read. Short, descriptive slugs with hyphens between words are the pattern Google describes. If older pages use underscores, note them, but do not change them yet.

Filter and sort links. Online stores often let shoppers filter by size, colour or brand. Check whether those links use the equals sign and ampersand pattern Google recommends, and whether they create many near-identical pages. Filters that pile up one on top of another are the kind of additive filtering Google’s page describes as a common issue.

Mixed-case addresses. Check whether any links use capital letters, and whether the same page loads with both upper and lower case. If it does, consistent lower case is the simpler option for new pages.

Multilingual pages. Many Singapore brands serve shoppers in English, Chinese and Malay. Google’s advice is to use words in your audience’s language, so a Chinese page can carry Chinese words in its address, encoded correctly in links.

JavaScript filters that use fragments. Some stores load filtered products by changing the part of the address after a hash sign. Google says it generally does not support fragments, so ask your developer whether your filters use them and whether the History API would suit your set-up. URL work often happens alongside theme updates, and our WordPress security updates checklist covers how to keep that maintenance safe.

A safe URL checklist

Our recommendation is to start with an audit, not a mass rename. Changing a working web address can break links from other sites, saved bookmarks and your own menus, so any change needs redirects and a plan.

Our recommendation for a safe URL review:

• Do not rename existing URLs just to swap underscores for hyphens. Google’s page recommends hyphens; it does not tell you to rewrite old addresses.
• Apply the guidance to new pages first. Set a simple slug style for new products, categories and posts: lower case, descriptive words, hyphens between them.
• List your current patterns. Note any underscores, capital letters, fragments, session IDs and long parameter strings.
• Only change addresses as part of a planned rebuild or migration. If you do change them, map every old address to its new one and set up permanent redirects before launch.
• Update internal links and your sitemap so they point straight to the new addresses rather than through a redirect.
• Watch Search Console after any change for crawl errors and pages dropping out of the index.
• Keep filters tidy. Use the common parameter format and avoid creating endless filter combinations that lead to the same products.

Hypothetical illustration, not a client example: a Singapore activewear store on WooCommerce finds that some older category addresses use underscores and capital letters, and that its filter links are built with fragments. The team leaves the working category addresses as they are, because no rebuild is planned. It sets a lower-case, hyphenated slug style for every new category and product, and asks its developer to move the filters to standard parameters, testing the change on a staging site first.

If you are planning a new store or a rebuild, URL structure is easier to get right at the start. Our ecommerce website design page explains how we approach WooCommerce builds, and our SEO services page covers ongoing search work. For how search and AI answers fit together, see our guide to SEO vs AEO vs GEO.

Where Growth System 90 fits

At Brands Win, we use Growth System 90 as a planning approach, so URL clean-ups, redirects and site rebuilds are scheduled against a shared plan and performance targets rather than done in a rush after each documentation update.

FAQs: Google URL structure guidance