Hello,

After careful consideration, I am going to change all of our static url containing underscores to hypens. However, I am slightly worried that I am going to lose my high SERP ranking for many of my pages and lose considerable visit potential in the upcoming months. These are the steps we are going to take.

1. Create redirects on all legacy urls for bookmarking purposes.
Is this best practice, is this the suggested route?

2. Introduce the underscore to hypens changes to the Google site map and Yahoo directory.
Is this best practice?
Should I be doing something else?

Questions:
Once I set up the redirects and resubmit my "new" site maps, am I going to lose my top 5 position on my core pages/keywords?

If so, How far will I drop in the SERPS?

How long does the drop in the SERPS last?

If I eventually gain back my legacy positioning in a short time?

Should I not make changes to pages containing underscores that currently rank well?

Will the search engine i.e. Google reward me for creating more SE friendly links?

I know it is alot to ask, but I figured you guess are true experts and your opinions matter.

Forum moderators are welcomed to chime in.

Caugas

1. Make new pages and/or URLs (Don't change pages that rank well)
2. 301 redirect old URLs to new pages.
3. Make new Sitemap.

1. Create redirects on all legacy urls for bookmarking purposes.
Is this best practice, is this the suggested route?

- yes, in most cases.

2. Introduce the underscore to hypens changes to the Google site map and Yahoo directory.
Is this best practice?
Should I be doing something else?

- yes but delete "old" URLs that are not ranking well
- make more content

Questions:
Once I set up the redirects and resubmit my "new" site maps, am I going to lose my top 5 position on my core pages/keywords?

- maybe

If so, How far will I drop in the SERPS?

- no way to know for sure

How long does the drop in the SERPS last?

- no way to know for sure if you drop at all

If I eventually gain back my legacy positioning in a short time?

Should I not make changes to pages containing underscores that currently rank well?

- Don't change page URLs that rank well!

Will the search engine i.e. Google reward me for creating more SE friendly links?

- Yes, most of the time

I know it is alot to ask, but I figured you guess are true experts and your opinions matter.

- Good luck! Sorry if this seems vague but, answering some of these questions would require the ability to predict the future.

- Good luck! Sorry if this seems vague but, answering some of these questions would require the ability to predict the future.

Beu, thank you for taking the time to weigh in. I know that some of my questions where out there. I figured I would ask, due to the fact that I am sure people out there have done the same project, and was actually wondering how there expierence turned out.

caugas

Beu, thank you for taking the time to weigh in. I know that some of my questions where out there. I figured I would ask, due to the fact that I am sure people out there have done the same project, and was actually wondering how there expierence turned out.

caugas
I've done several such implementations and had lots of success! At the same time it would be wrong to tell you this is easy or that all will work out just fine. There is only one way to know for sure!

Hi Caugas,

Beu is spot on. There will be no way of knowing for sure how these changes will affect your pages in the SERP's. I have always had mixed results with this but the important thing is I have never had any drastic drops. With continued work, the few places I do lose will return in no time.

Let us know how you get on,

Ryan

Thanks Ryan. I appreciate the inpute. I will get started on the conversion process. :D

Hi please also see this sticky thread: http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/showthread.php?t=5496

Hi please also see this sticky thread: http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/showthread.php?t=5496

Chris,

i appreciate the fact that your dropped the link to the sticky thread. I was already aware of that thread, and used that as one of my baseline starting points. I was more intrested in finding out the ramifications, short term, long term, or no term, once your complete the underscore to hypen process.

I was also intrested in finding out best practice for current pages that have high legacy ranking through using underscore. I was very reluctant in changes those, due to the fact that I rank so high currently.

I think implementation would be the only way to gauge myself. Once I complete the process, I will be able to assist other through my experience.

Best,

caugas

Please keep us posted as to your results. Issues like this provide lots of good information for others.

indeed, please keep us posted on your results.

Personally, while I prefer hyphenated urls, I have tried to switch any underscored urls intentionally. In fact I wouldn't generally think it's worth the bother, but I'm interested to hear your results.

underscores and hypens weigh the same to SE's.

Where did you hear that? pure garbage

underscores and hypens weigh the same to SE's.

If there was no benefit to changing my underscores to hyhpens I would not be taking the time to switch all the urls out on the backend and risk a negative impact in the SERP's. From everything I have read the primary SE's do value hypens over underscores. I suggest testing you are a no believer.

Me, personally I will take all the SEO's words of advice. ;)

underscores and hypens weigh the same to SE's.
Consider Matt Cutts website as a good source for information. There you will see "hyphens are often better than underscores...".

Good luck