Issue 15

This issue checks whether your URLs follow clean formatting conventions using lowercase letters and hyphens between words.

For a URL to pass this check:

• All letters in the URL path should be lowercase (e.g., /blog/post not /Blog/Post)
• Word separators should use hyphens (e.g., /my-page not /my_page or /my page)
• The URL should not contain encoded spaces or mixed separators

Example: A URL like https://example.com/Blog/My_Post would fail because it has uppercase letters and underscores. The preferred format would be https://example.com/blog/my-post.

Clean URL structure is important for:

• Crawlability: Consistent URLs prevent search engines from treating the same page as multiple different pages
• Duplicate content: Mixed casing and separators can create duplicate URL variants that split ranking signals
• User experience: Clean, readable URLs are easier for users to understand and share

When URLs don't follow consistent formatting, search engines may:

• Index multiple versions of the same page
• Split link equity across different URL variants
• Have difficulty understanding your site structure

Resolving this issue improves your SEO health score by ensuring search engines see a single, consistent version of each URL.

1. Adopt a URL policy: Decide on a standard format (lowercase + hyphens) and apply it consistently across your entire site.

2. Update your CMS or framework: Configure your content management system or web framework to automatically generate URLs in the correct format.

3. Set up redirects: Create permanent (301) redirects from old URL formats to the new clean format.

4. Update internal links: Ensure all internal links point to the clean URL format.

5. Update sitemaps: Make sure your XML sitemaps only include the clean URL versions.

6. Validate with crawling: Run a site crawl to identify any remaining URLs that don't follow the clean format.

Example 1: Clean URL structure

Scenario: A blog post with properly formatted URL.

Passes because:

• All letters are lowercase
• Words are separated with hyphens
• No encoded spaces or special characters

https://example.com/blog/seo-tips-for-beginners

Example 2: URL with uppercase letters

Scenario: A URL with inconsistent capitalization.

Fails because:

• Contains uppercase letters in the path
• Search engines may treat /Blog/Post and /blog/post as different pages

https://example.com/Blog/My-Post

Corrected version:

https://example.com/blog/my-post

Example 3: URL with underscores

Scenario: A URL using underscores instead of hyphens.

Fails because:

• Uses underscores as word separators
• Hyphens are the preferred separator for SEO

https://example.com/blog/my_post_title

Corrected version:

https://example.com/blog/my-post-title

PixyScan checks URL structure through these steps:

1. Analyzes the final URL: After following any redirects, PixyScan examines the final URL path (the part after the domain name).

2. Checks for lowercase: The system verifies that all letters in the path are lowercase.

3. Checks separators: PixyScan looks for hyphens between words rather than underscores, spaces, or other separators.

4. Identifies violations: The system flags URLs that have:

   • Uppercase letters in the path
   • Underscores or encoded spaces instead of hyphens
   • Mixed or inconsistent separator styles

5. Reports issues: PixyScan provides a list of URLs with formatting violations and suggests the corrected format.

The check is performed on the server-returned URL only—no client-side routing is considered.