4 Questions to Ask When Naming the Pages on Your Website

This post was updated on March 12, 2026 to reflect current best practices for naming website pages, including how AI tools and accessibility factor into page naming decisions.

Naming pages is hard. It may not seem like a tough task, but it can actually become pretty complex. You have to balance your various audiences and clearly explain what content is on a page using only a few words.

Naming the pages on your website is also one of the most important things you’ll do in the process of building a new site.

It impacts everything from user experience to design to search engine optimization. Even the most wonderful website can quickly become ineffective if the page names make no sense to your visitors.

Fear not woeful writer of website content. Asking the following key questions will help guide you in crafting those perfect page names.

Will my target audience know what these words mean?

It’s common (and tempting) to use jargon in page names. But unless you’re targeting those already well versed in your field, drop the insider lingo. Most people won’t know what it means.

In order to do this, you’ll first need to determine the target audience(s) for your website. There are a variety of ways knowing your audience impacts your website. Page names (and subsequently navigation) are definitely one such way.

The Nielsen Norman Group calls this concept information scent, which describes the cues that help visitors predict whether a page will have what they’re looking for. When your page names use words your audience actually uses, the scent is strong and people click with confidence. When the names are full of internal jargon, people hesitate or leave.

For nonprofits, this often means choosing everyday language over sector-specific terms. Say “Teaching Practice” instead of “Pedagogy.” Say “Get Involved” instead of “Engagement Opportunities.” If you’re unsure whether a label makes sense to your audience, try a quick test: ask a few people outside your organization what they’d expect to find on a page with that name.

Will visitors know what to expect on this page?

In addition to simply using understandable language, you need to make sure your visitors will know what content they’ll find if they visit a given page.

I’d recommend developing the page name and outlining the type of content you envision for the page. Then, circle back to the name and make sure it conveys the type of information you’re planning to tackle on the page.

If it does, great! You’re all set. If it misses the mark, revise either the name or the content (or both) to match. One great way to keep your website visitors happy is to ensure they know what content they’ll find on each of your pages.

Nielsen Norman Group’s research on link labels describes this quality as being “sincere”. That means setting expectations that are accurate and immediately fulfilled when someone clicks. A page named “Our Impact” should lead to measurable outcomes, not a general overview of your programs. A page called “Ways to Give” should show donation options, not a newsletter signup form.

This matters even more for visitors using screen readers. When a page loads, the screen reader announces the page title before anything else. It’s how users orient themselves. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) require that every page have a title that describes its topic or purpose, and it’s one of the most basic accessibility requirements (Level A). A clear, descriptive page name helps everyone, but it’s especially important for visitors using assistive technology.

Is there any way to be more succinct without sacrificing clarity?

When naming your pages, it’s important to get to the point. Don’t use unnecessary words. Keep your page names short and clear.

Limiting page names to a few words also helps with the design of your site. If a page is going to display in your navigation, a long name can look pretty awful. Cut those names as short as possible without sacrificing clarity.

Brevity also matters because your page names often become part of your URL. Google’s URL structure guidelines recommend using “readable words rather than long ID numbers” and keeping URLs simple and descriptive. A page named “Ways to Give” creates a clean URL like /ways-to-give/ that’s easy to read, share and understand at a glance. Research suggests that shorter URL slugs of roughly 3 to 5 words tend to perform better in search results.

Would someone type these words into a search engine or ask an AI tool?

This question applies to organizations looking to boost the traffic they get from search and AI tools, which is (or at least should be) most nonprofits.

Search engines and AI tools like ChatGPT use the content on your site to determine what each page is all about. One of the many important pieces of content they look at is the name of your page. Google’s own documentation on title links says the title link “is often the primary piece of information people use to decide which result to click.”

In order to drive more traffic from search, you’ll need to use words people are typing into search engines. Not only will this help with search rankings, but it also will appeal to your visitors since your page names reflect the information they’re seeking.

This is increasingly true as AI reshapes how people find information online. Over 25% of Google searches now feature AI Overviews, and AI tools pull from website content to generate answers. Using clear, descriptive page names helps both traditional search engines and AI tools understand and surface your content.

Key Takeaways

• Use language your audience understands. Drop internal jargon and use the words your visitors would actually use. If you’re unsure, test your labels with people outside your organization.
• Match page names to page content. Your page name should clearly and honestly signal what visitors will find. This is also an accessibility requirement under WCAG.
• Keep it short. Concise page names look better in navigation, create cleaner URLs and perform better in search results.
• Think like a searcher. Use words and phrases people are actually typing into search engines and asking AI tools. Clear, descriptive names help both search rankings and AI visibility.

Do you have any other questions you think can help nonprofits better name the pages on their websites? Or have you come across a site that does this particularly well (no shame in sharing your own here)? Let me know in the comments.