Google has updated its URL structure best practices SEO documentation to add new examples, while also making significant changes to the document’s structure. Google made it clear that no changes were made to how Google processes and handles URLs, and that this document update was just to help clarify the written guidance.
What changed. Google wrote that they “Reorganized the URL structure documentation so it has a clearer flow and is easier to navigate, with added examples based on real-world URLs we’ve encountered.”
You can compare the current version of the page to the archived version of the page.
Why Google made the change. Google added, “Every now and then, we revisit our documentation and look for ways to make it better. This is a docs-only change, no change in behavior.”
Why we care. While there were no changes to how Google Search behaves or handles URL with this document change, it is still important to review this document.
URL structures, ensuring your URLs are crawlable, handle fragments, special encoding and various parameters are all SEO 101. This document goes through URL requirements, easy to understand URLs and common issues and pitfalls around URLs and SEO.