File Naming and Links
Filenames are important for relating the title of a document with its content. There are some key difference with files on a computer and files on a Web server. The files on a Web server are not just read by humans but also by search engines. We have compiled a few guidelines to effectively name files for the Web, promoting readability and maintainability for the future.
Keep the name short
Keeping the name to one-two words is best, it makes it easy to remember if someone is linking to it from an external source and it is easy to scan.
Correct: report-2007.pdf
Correct: students.jpg
Incorrect: wsu-annual-report-of-student-year-2007.pdf
Incorrect: Final_2007_report_on_students_at_WSU_University.pdf
Lowercase the filename and extension
Case sensitivity matters online and in order to keep the file names consistent and to avoid confusion if all the filenames are lowercase it takes the guess work out of figuring out not only the name but how someone else capitalized a few letters.
Correct: organization-chart.pdf
Correct: newsletter-july2007.pdf
Incorrect: OrganizationalChart.PDF
Incorrect: Newsletter_July2007.Pdf
Use a dash "-" instead of an underscore "_"
Dashes are easier to read by humans and search engines, it is also just a single keystroke instead of two in order to create an underscore
Correct: report-2007.pdf
Correct: students-outside.jpg
Incorrect: annual_report_2007.pdf
Incorrect: students_outside_UGL.jpg
Date files which could be overwritten by newer versions
Some files like reports, newsletters and even photos can sometimes be overwritten in the future by similar items. In order to prevent them from being overwritten or to keep a history of newsletters you should date the files that could potentially be overwritten in the future.
Correct: annual-report-2007.pdf
Correct: students-outside-200706.jpg
Incorrect: annual-report.pdf
Incorrect: students-outside.jpg
Place files in relevant folders
Folders with proper names can cut down on file name length and can group similar types of files without having to add more information to the file name.
Correct: /reports/annual-2007.pdf
Correct: /students/group-outside.jpg
Incorrect: annual-report-2007.pdf
Incorrect: students-outside-group.jpg