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File naming will affect the quality of your website navigation and it will play a role in your placement on the search engines. The names you give your files and the format you use will have great impact on the site as a whole.

Before I go into the specifics of proper file naming I should explain some other ideas that lead up to the naming of files. When naming files we want to create an overall "Good website navigation" system. A good website navigation system allows users to find information quickly and easily. Users who are not finding information easily will go elsewhere. The easier and more straightforward your navigation is the more information users will find thus keeping them at your site longer.

Organization and structure are the most important aspects of site navigation, this is where files names come into play! Poor navigation on a website will confuse the user and it will make site maintenance / upkeep difficult. Furthermore, poor website navigation is the one biggest frustrations for online shoppers.

Before you name a new file make sure you understand what the user will be looking for when they need to find this page. Webmasters always understand their specific purpose of the particular page but they often do not think about what the user will be looking for or thinking about when they need to find the information contained on the page. This is where the confusion and poor navigation begins.

Once you understand what the user will be seeking you can begin to create informative and easily navigated file names.

Here are some general (technical) rules for naming files:
KEEP THE NAMES SIMPLE AND TO THE POINT
File names should be short, clear and should accurately describe the content of the file. Do not rely on the linked text to describe the purpose of the page.
Use unabbreviated words or common acronyms.
Do not use generic file names (example: file1.html, file2.html). File names should be based on the page title.

KEEP FILES LOGICALLY ORGANIZED
Use separate subdirectories or folders for major subsites or content categories linked from the main site. (example: http://www.craftedcustomgifts. com/images/easter-figurine-pil low-set.jpg)
Divide larger categories/ groups of files into subdirectories. (If you have multiple files in a directory called policy_uniform.html, policy_smoking.html, policy_sicktime.html, move them into a subdirectory called policy and then call them uniform.html, smoking.html, sicktime.html etc.)

OTHER BASIC RULES
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