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Follow URL standards

The URL standards ensure that GOV.UK URLs are user friendly and that they follow a consistent, predictable format.

These standards apply to GOV.UK and its subdomains, like ‘service.gov.uk’ and ‘campaign.gov.uk’.

You need to consider the URL standards if you’re:

If you’re creating content on GOV.UK through a publishing application like Whitehall Publisher, the URL will be created for you based on the page title. You do not need to consider these standards.

Make URLs clear and easy to use

URLs need to be:

  • clear and unambiguous
  • easy to read, easy to type and easy to share

That means they should:

  • be in lower case
  • use words and not acronyms, unless the acronym is very well known or it’s an acronym of an organisation with a long name
  • avoid using superfluous words like articles (a, an, the) – for example, /benefit-guide instead of /a-guide-to-benefits
  • use the verb stem when possible – for example, /apply insteading of /applying
  • use dashes to separate words within the URL – for example, /set-up-business

You can choose to create URLs without dashes if you’re making a:

  • campaign site URL
  • short URL that will be read aloud to users, like on the TV or radio – you can also ask for a version with dashes if it’ll be used in other places too

Keep URLs specific to the content

URLs should:

  • align with the title of the page
  • be based on user need rather than the current name of a policy, scheme or service, which might change – for example, www.gov.uk/advertise-job is for employers who want to use the ‘Find a job’ service
  • include the year when using a short URL for one-off promotion of an annual event – for example, /budget-2020 instead of /budget

Avoid trailing slashes in URLs

Trailing slashes should not be used when sharing or printing URLs as it’s bad for search engine optimisation (SEO).

For example, use www.gov.uk/your-url-here rather than www.gov.uk/your-url-here/

URLs must direct to government sites

You must not use a GOV.UK short URL to redirect a user to a non-government site.

Include organisation names or acronyms in short URLs

You may need to include the organisation’s name or acronym in short URLs.

You should usually use the organisation’s full name, like www.gov.uk/home-office for the Home Office.

You should only use an organisation’s acronym if either:

  • it is very well known, like www.gov.uk/dwp for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
  • the organisation has a long name, like www.gov.uk/ofdia for the Office for Digital Identities and Attributes (OfDIA)

Short URLs for guidance and policy content

Short URLs which redirect to Whitehall content should include the organisation name or acronym within the URL. For example, www.gov.uk/home-office/url or www.gov.uk/dwp/url.

You can ask for a short URL without an organisation name or acronym if the content:

  • is being promoted by more than one organisation
  • has a significant audience

Short URLs for organisation and group pages

Each government organisation on GOV.UK can have a single short URL for use when promoting its organisation page. For example, www.gov.uk/home-office or www.gov.uk/dwp.

You can also get short URLs for group pages. These should include the name of the parent organisation. For example, a group that is part of the Environment Agency (EA) takes the short URL: www.gov.uk/ea/clear-info.