Cut Urls -

/2023/research/paper.pdf (Broken in 2025) CuT Approach: /research/latest/paper.pdf OR /research/url-theory-paper

Timelessness means removing temporal data from the URL structure. Avoid the urge to put the publish date, version number, or year in the path unless the content is strictly news-based. CuT URLs

The second example is a CuT URL. It requires no memory or guesswork. It is hierarchical ( products > winter-coats > merino-wool ), free of technical debt, and shares a semantic relationship with the content itself. Google’s John Mueller has stated multiple times that a descriptive URL is a ranking factor—not because of the characters in the string, but because of the user behavior it drives. CuT URLs directly influence Click-Through Rates (CTR). /2023/research/paper

https://www.example-store.com/products.php?cat=45&item=9823&ref=seasonal_23 free of technical debt