Filenames

Filenames (for document, images, etc.) must be short, meaningful and descriptive. This is both a technical requirement and as well as help with SEO.

Filenames (for document, images, etc.) must be short, meaningful and descriptive. No special characters and spaces.

Files must be named in a consistent way according to the guidelines below. This will ensure they are web safe.

  • You must use only lowercase letters (a-z), numerals (0-9), and hyphens (-)
  • You must not use special characters (e.g. á, ê, ï, õ, ù) or other punctuation marks, including underscores (_)
  • You must not use spaces; instead you must use hyphens in place of spaces to delimit words
  • You must not include dates or version numbers in filenames
  • Filenames must be short, meaningful and descriptive

Correct examples:

  • guidance-notes-for-direct-applicants.pdf
  • visiting-day-programme.pdf
  • william-and-mary-version.docx
  • ug-prospectus.pdf

Incorrect examples:

  • Guidance notes for direct applicants.pdf
  • VDprog.pdf
  • william-&-mary-version-2.1.docx
  • ug-prospectus-2016-2017.pdf

The Communications Team reserves the right to change filenames if they do not meet best practice.