Google’s Test: Underscores vs. Hyphens in URLs

Introduction

When it comes to SEO best practices, even the smallest details matter — including how you structure your URLs. For years, there’s been debate among SEOs about whether underscores (_) or hyphens (-) are better for search engine optimization. Google itself has tested and clarified this issue multiple times, but confusion still lingers.

In this blog, we’ll break down Google’s stance on underscores vs. hyphens in URLs, why it matters for SEO, and the best practices you should follow in 2025.

1. Why URL Structure Matters for SEO

Your website’s URL is more than just an address — it’s a signal for both users and search engines. A clean, descriptive, and well-structured URL can:

• Improve click-through rates (CTR)

• Help search engines understand page context

• Enhance overall user experience

For example:

• Good URL: www.example.com/seo-tips-for-beginners

• Poor URL: www.example.com/seotipsforbeginners123

That’s where the hyphen vs. underscore debate comes into play.

2. Google’s Official Position

According to Google’s Search Central documentation and past statements by engineers like Matt Cutts and John Mueller:

• Hyphens (-) are treated as word separators.

  • Example: best-seo-tools = “best seo tools”

• Underscores (_) are treated as word joiners.

  • Example: best_seo_tools = “bestseotools” (a single word)

This means hyphens are more SEO-friendly, because they help Google and other search engines parse URLs into meaningful keywords.

3. Google’s Tests: Do Underscores Still Matter?

Over the years, Google has tested how underscores and hyphens affect indexing. While modern search engines have improved at understanding context, Google still recommends using hyphens as the default practice.

Why? Because:

• Hyphens improve readability for users

• Hyphens provide clear keyword separation

• Underscores can still cause ambiguity in certain cases

So while Google can interpret both, hyphens remain the safer, SEO-approved choice.

4. Best Practices for URL SEO in 2025

If you want your URLs to perform well in both search rankings and user experience, follow these guidelines:

Always use hyphens (-) instead of underscores (_)
Keep URLs short, descriptive, and keyword-rich

Avoid unnecessary words, numbers, or parameters
Use lowercase letters only
Don’t change old URLs unless absolutely necessary (redirect properly if you do)

5. Practical Example

• Hyphen URL: www.example.com/mens-suits-charcoal-grey

• Underscore URL: www.example.com/mens_suits_charcoal_grey

Both might rank, but the hyphen version is clearer for both users and Google — improving chances of higher CTR and better SEO performance.

Conclusion

Google’s tests confirm what SEOs have suspected all along: hyphens are better than underscores in URLs. While Google has become smarter at interpreting different formats, hyphens still provide the cleanest, most user-friendly, and SEO-friendly approach.

If you’re building a new site or optimizing an existing one, stick with hyphens for clarity and rankings. It’s a small detail that can make a big difference in your overall SEO success.

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