---
sourceDocument: Zurich ServiceNow AI Platform user interface
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/zurich/platform-user-interface

 Release :

    - zurich

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Zurich ServiceNow AI Platform user interface

ft:clusterId :

    - platux

bundleId :

    - platux

workflow :

    - Platform


---

# Add human readable keywords to page URLs

# Add human readable keywords to page URLs {#ariaid-title1}

* Release version: Zurich
* 
* Updated July 31, 2025
* 
* ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 4 minutes to read

Add human readable keywords to the URLs of portal pages to improve search engine
optimization (SEO) and click-through rates and help users understand what to expect on the
page.

## Before you begin

Role required: sp_admin or admin

## About this task

Human readable keywords are added to URLs in the following format:

https://\<instance\>/\<portal suffix\>/\<guest language\>/\<keywords\>?id=\<page id\>\&\<page parameters\>

Keywords can be populated using static content or dynamic page variables and can
include a single slash (/). Dynamic page variables load keywords that are based on
data in a record. The page parameters in the URL specify which record to use. In the
following examples, the category and short description of a knowledge article and
the category and name of a catalog item are added as keywords:

* https://\<instance\>/kb/en/faq/what-is-a-cookie?id=kb_article_view\&sysparm_article=KB0000007
* https://\<instance\>/sp/es/hardware/developer-laptop-mac?id=sc_cat_item\&sys_id=774906834fbb4200086eeed18110c737

Note:  
To turn off human readable URLs for an instance, add the glide.service_portal.enable_human_readable_urls property to the System Properties \[sys_properties\] table and set the value to <kbd class="ph userinput">false</kbd>.

## Procedure

1. Navigate to AllService PortalPages.
2. Select a page.
3. **Optional:** Use keywords that are dynamic based on the page content by adding a dynamic page variable to the page.
   1. Select the Dynamic page variables related list tab.
   2. Select New.
   3. On the form, fill in the fields.  
      {#add-human-readable-keywords-page-urls__table_acv_cff_51b__entry__2}

      | Field | Description |
      |-|-|
      | Name | The variable that loads keywords in the page URL from record data. The variable name must begin with <kbd class="ph userinput">%</kbd> and can't contain spaces. For example, <kbd class="ph userinput">%short_descr</kbd>. |
      | Order | The priority order from lowest to highest for when multiple dynamic page variables with the same name have different URL query parameters. |
      | Page | The page that uses the dynamic page variable to include keywords in the URL. |
      | URL query parameter | The parameter in the page URL that determines which record displays. |
      | Relevant table column | The column in the specified table that includes the values of the URL query parameter. The default value is Sys ID. |
      | Table | The table that includes the records used to populate keywords in the URL and the column with the values of the URL query parameter. |
      | Table field | A field from records in the specified table that populates the keywords in the URL. |
      | Query condition | Conditions that filter the records in the table. A record must meet the query conditions for the variable to apply. |
      [Table 1. Dynamic page variables form]

      {#add-human-readable-keywords-page-urls__table_acv_cff_51b}  
      This example shows the values for a variable that references the
      short description of a knowledge base article identified by its
      number for a published workflow.
      {#add-human-readable-keywords-page-urls__table_hqt_fdr_vvb__entry__2}

      | Field | Value |
      |-|-|
      | Name | %short_descr |
      | Page | kb_article_view |
      | Order | 100 |
      | URL query parameter | sysparm_article |
      | Relevant table column | Number |
      | Table | Knowledge\[kb_knowledge\] |
      | Table field | Short description |
      | Query condition | \[Workflow\]\[is\]\[Published\] |
      [Table 2. Dynamic page variable]

      {#add-human-readable-keywords-page-urls__table_hqt_fdr_vvb}
   {#add-human-readable-keywords-page-urls__substeps_grs_dxp_y5b}
4. Select Submit.
5. In the Human readable url structure field of the page record, specify the keywords to populate in the page URL using static content, dynamic page variables, or a combination.  
   Keywords can include alphanumeric characters, hyphens (‐), one slash (/), and
   percent signs (%) for variables.  
   {#add-human-readable-keywords-page-urls__table_h2h_dmj_v1b__entry__2}

   | Human readable url structure | Example value |
   |-|-|
   | Static content | <kbd class="ph userinput">faq/what-is-a-cookie</kbd> |
   | Dynamic page variables | <kbd class="ph userinput">%category/%short_descr</kbd> |
   | Static content and dynamic page variable | <kbd class="ph userinput">faq/%short_descr</kbd> |
   [ ]

   {#add-human-readable-keywords-page-urls__table_h2h_dmj_v1b}  
   Keywords are automatically formatted to use only lowercase letters, replace
   spaces with hyphens, and remove any disallowed special characters added by
   dynamic page variables. If the keywords in the URL exceed 75 characters,
   they're truncated to be less than or equal to 75 characters.
6. Select Update.

## Result

If users access the page using the URL without human readable keywords, the page URL
is updated in one of the following ways:

* On the initial page load by a guest user, the page redirects to the human readable URL.
* On the initial page load by an authenticated user, the URL is updated to include the human readable keywords without redirection.
* On subsequent page loads for all users, the URL is updated to include the human readable keywords without redirection.
{#add-human-readable-keywords-page-urls__ul_cqh_mfd_kvb}

## Knowledge article page with human readable keywords in the URL {#add-human-readable-keywords-page-urls__example_lxh_kvj_kvb}

In this example, the kb_article_view page displays knowledge article KB0000007. The
knowledge article record has the following fields and values:

* Category is FAQ
* Short description is <kbd class="ph userinput">What is a cookie?</kbd>

{#add-human-readable-keywords-page-urls__ul_d15_wzm_lvb}

The page has been configured to add keywords based on these field values to the URL
using dynamic page variables such as <kbd class="ph userinput">%category/%short_descr</kbd>.
The question mark in the short description isn't an allowed character in the URL
keywords so it's automatically removed from the URL. The question mark that is in
the URL is the query parameter that's always included before the page ID.

The URL that is displayed in the browser appears as:
http://\<instance\>.com/kb/en/faq/what-is-a-cookie?id=kb_article_view\&sysparm_article=KB0000007.

## What to do next

For pages that have canonical URLs, you must include the human readable keywords in
the canonical URL. In the SEO script include that returns canonical URLs for pages,
use one of the getHumanReadableUrl methods in the
SPSEOUtilsSNC class to return the human readable keywords in
page URLs and include them in the canonical URLs.

For more information about including human readable keywords in canonical URLs, refer
to the following resources:

* [Configure custom SEO
  tags for canonical URLs and localized knowledge articles](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=configure-seo-knowledge&version=zurich&pubname=zurich-servicenow-platform&ft:locale=en-US)
* SPSEOUtilsSNC - Global
{#add-human-readable-keywords-page-urls__ul_brb_ly3_kvb}
**Related concepts**   

* [Page navigation in Service Portal by URL](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/QQkImsfHPp2H5X_Sc0lPTA "You can navigate to a portal or a page in Service Portal using a URL.")  
**Related tasks**   

* [Create and edit a page using the Service Portal Designer](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/ebK6PCCHKfPMdqgLqr_8EA#t_ConfigureAPage "Create or edit a page and use layouts to organize the columns that house the widgets.")

*[\>]: and then