URL Structure Audit
Check a list of URLs for the structural problems that are cheap to fix now and expensive later.
About this tool
Reads a list of URLs and reports what is wrong with their structure: uppercase letters, underscores, session and tracking parameters, excessive depth, stop words, file extensions, and length.
**None of these is a ranking factor**, and any tool telling you otherwise is selling something. What they are is expensive to change after publication. A URL is a promise: fixing one later means a redirect that lives forever, links elsewhere still pointing at the old one, and a window where both exist. The cost of an uppercase letter is zero before launch and a migration afterwards.
One finding here is a genuine correctness problem rather than a preference. **Paths are case-sensitive on most servers**, so `/About` and `/about` are two different URLs. Where both resolve, you have duplicate content nobody meant to create — and the tool flags any list containing both.
Common questions
Are hyphens really better than underscores?
Google treats a hyphen as a word separator and has historically treated an underscore as a joiner, so file_name reads as one word. The practical difference today is small; the convention is worth following because it costs nothing at the point of choosing.
Should I change existing URLs to fix these?
Almost never. Changing a URL means a permanent redirect, a period where both exist, and every external link pointing at the old one. Fix new URLs; leave working ones alone unless something is actually broken.
Why do uppercase letters matter?
Because most web servers treat paths as case-sensitive, so /About and /about are separate URLs. If both return a page, they are duplicate content. Lower case throughout removes the possibility.
Is there a maximum URL length?
Not one search engines enforce. Long URLs get truncated in search results and shared links, and are harder to read, which is a usability cost rather than a ranking one.