File Name Structure

Sometimes my suggestions may seem like I am just being fussy. But the details are important.

I suggest you establish a format for naming downloadable files that you put on your website. Using the same format for all of your downloads will help you find them in your files; this is especially useful if more than one person does the uploading.

More importantly, consistent naming protocols will help your customers locate the file they want once it is on their hard drive.

Magazine Articles: The general format I use is similar to the way a citation would be made in a footnote, if you consider the brand as the author:

Brand-Publication-ArticleName-Year-Month-REVISION OR VERSION IF APPLICABLE.format

For example:

Waterson-ConstructionSpecifier-DoorCloserHinges_ANewApproach-02021-06.pdf

Technical Documents:

Brand-DocumentType-ProductName-OtherInformation-Year-Month-Date.format

For Example:

Waterson-InstallationIInstructions-CloserHinges-SeriesK51-2021-05-23.docx

Alter these recommendations as you see fit. For some product lines, it may make more sense to list the product name before the document type. Just be consistent.

Keep your brand name visible at the front of the url. This way, when someone is looking for it in their hard drive, the first word they see is the brand you are promoting and they are looking for.

Do not use spaces in the file name. The computer can read them, but a person might not recognize where a url begins or ends.