diff --git a/lib/html.py b/lib/html.py
index 71b9b5a7e0e6b8..9d3fee06728258 100644
--- a/lib/html.py
+++ b/lib/html.py
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 
 from .url import (
     sanitize_stream,
-    sanitize_topic,
+    sanitize,
 )
 
 from .url import (
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ def format_message_html(
         site_url,
         html_root,
         sanitize_stream(stream_name, stream_id),
-        sanitize_topic(topic_name),
+        sanitize(topic_name),
         msg_id,
     )
     anchor_html = '<a name="{0}"></a>'.format(html.escape(msg_id))
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ def topic_list_html(topic_data):
     """
 
     def item_html(topic_name, message_data):
-        link_html = f'<a href="topic/{html.escape(sanitize_topic(topic_name))}.html">{html.escape(topic_name)}</a>'
+        link_html = f'<a href="topic/{html.escape(sanitize(topic_name))}.html">{html.escape(topic_name)}</a>'
         topic_info = topic_info_string(message_data)
         return f"<li> {link_html} ({html.escape(topic_info)}) </li>"
 
diff --git a/lib/populate.py b/lib/populate.py
index 1ab11f91ac8538..fcbbfecf12ba02 100644
--- a/lib/populate.py
+++ b/lib/populate.py
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@
 )
 from .url import (
     sanitize_stream,
-    sanitize_topic,
+    sanitize,
 )
 
 
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ def populate_incremental(
             p = (
                 json_root
                 / Path(sanitize_stream(s["name"], s["stream_id"]))
-                / Path(sanitize_topic(topic_name) + ".json")
+                / Path(sanitize(topic_name) + ".json")
             )
             topic_exists = p.exists()
             old = []
@@ -257,7 +257,7 @@ def dump_topic_messages(json_root, stream_data, topic_name, message_data):
     sanitized_stream_name = sanitize_stream(stream_name, stream_id)
     stream_dir = json_root / Path(sanitized_stream_name)
 
-    sanitized_topic_name = sanitize_topic(topic_name)
+    sanitized_topic_name = sanitize(topic_name)
     topic_fn = sanitized_topic_name + ".json"
 
     out = open_outfile(stream_dir, topic_fn, "w")
diff --git a/lib/url.py b/lib/url.py
index bee5c6853a2d6e..341b560956aaad 100644
--- a/lib/url.py
+++ b/lib/url.py
@@ -66,24 +66,15 @@ def archive_message_url(
 
 ## String cleaning functions
 
-# remove non-alnum ascii symbols from string
 def sanitize(s):
+    # Sanitize the string to a safe string that can be used as the URL
+    # It copies zulip's way of encoding stream and topic name to URL
     return (
-        "".join(
-            filter(
-                lambda x: x.isalnum or x == " ",
-                s.encode("ascii", "ignore").decode("utf-8"),
-            )
-        )
-        .replace(" ", "-")
-        .replace("?", "%3F")
-    )
-
-
-# create a unique sanitized identifier for a topic
-def sanitize_topic(topic_name):
-    return (
-        urllib.parse.quote(topic_name, safe="~()*!.'")
+        # We add a prefix of non-dot character so that the resulting string
+        # is safe to use as the filename especially for jekyll usecase
+        # where it ignores file that has dot prefix in its filename
+        "A-" +
+        urllib.parse.quote(s, safe=b"")
         .replace(".", "%2E")
         .replace("%", ".")
     )
diff --git a/lib/website.py b/lib/website.py
index 8b590d32885245..051d52bc1319a1 100644
--- a/lib/website.py
+++ b/lib/website.py
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
 
 from .url import (
     sanitize_stream,
-    sanitize_topic,
+    sanitize,
 )
 
 from .files import (
@@ -219,7 +219,7 @@ def write_topic_messages(
     stream_id = stream["id"]
 
     sanitized_stream_name = sanitize_stream(stream_name, stream_id)
-    sanitized_topic_name = sanitize_topic(topic_name)
+    sanitized_topic_name = sanitize(topic_name)
 
     messages = read_zulip_messages_for_topic(
         json_root, sanitized_stream_name, sanitized_topic_name
diff --git a/tests/testCommon.py b/tests/testCommon.py
index 296e798c0e0e47..4b85e7ed2dc626 100644
--- a/tests/testCommon.py
+++ b/tests/testCommon.py
@@ -24,11 +24,24 @@ def assert_equal(v1, v2):
 
 
 def test_sanitize():
-    assert_equal(url.sanitize_stream(stream_name="foo bar", stream_id=7), "7-foo-bar")
+    assert_equal(
+        url.sanitize_stream(stream_name="foo bar", stream_id=7),
+        "7-A-foo.20bar")
+    assert_equal(
+        url.sanitize_stream(stream_name="foo/bar/turtle[🐢]", stream_id=7),
+        "7-A-foo.2Fbar.2Fturtle.5B.F0.9F.90.A2.5D")
 
     assert_equal(
-        url.sanitize_topic(topic_name="pick a place for lunch"),
-        "pick.20a.20place.20for.20lunch",
+        url.sanitize("pick a place for lunch"),
+        "A-pick.20a.20place.20for.20lunch",
+    )
+    assert_equal(
+        url.sanitize("!!cute-turlte/tortoise (🐢)?"),
+        "A-.21.21cute-turlte.2Ftortoise.20.28.F0.9F.90.A2.29.3F",
+    )
+    assert_equal(
+        url.sanitize('"the mighty turtle 🐢"'),
+        "A-.22the.20mighty.20turtle.20.F0.9F.90.A2.22",
     )