The presence of whitespace in a URL indicates that the path includes characters that are undesirable for proper URL structure.
Whitespace in URLs can lead to complications such as improper link sharing by users. This, in turn, could result in non-functioning links which may negatively impact the site's backlink profile and SEO value.
Why is this important?
Inclusion of whitespace in URLs is generally not supported by contemporary content management systems due to the potential for unsafe interactions in web environments.
Even though whitespace can be encoded in URLs for technical correctness, search engines and users may still experience problems with links featuring such spaces, which might compromise link integrity and SEO standing.
What does the Optimization check?
The internal URL examination this Optimization performs will activate if the system identifies one or more whitespace characters within any given URL.
Examples that trigger this Optimization
Below are sample URLs that would activate this Optimization, showcasing the use of a space character, or its encoded forms such as "+" or "%20":
https://loudinteractive.com/folder path/page.htmlhttps://loudinteractive.com/folder+path/page.htmlhttps://loudinteractive.com/folder%20path/page.html
How do you resolve this issue?
Loud Interactive's best practice advice is to eliminate spaces from URLs, favoring hyphens to link words. In scenarios where space removal is unfeasible, ensure proper encoding— using "+" or "%20" in query strings and "%20" for spaces elsewhere in your URL.