Guide for an SEO Friendly URL Structure

seo friendly url structure

Guide for an SEO Friendly URL Structure

We will explain the benefits and best practices of SEO friendly URL structure in this post.

The Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is a fancy term for the website addresses. This is the address that you type into the search bar when you want to visit a certain webpage. That’s the simple definition of a “URL”. The more complex definition involves protocols, domain names, and paths, but for the sake of this article, we’re going to keep things simple – the URL is your webpage address.

By now, you probably know that having an SEO friendly website can help to boost your ranking on search engines such as Google. But did you know that your URL structure matters too? Here’s how to create an SEO friendly URL Structure.

Step 1: Keep your URL simple and relevant

Simple and relevant URLs are the easiest for Google to understand, and the easiest for people to remember. Let’s use a concrete example – which is easier to remember?

www.example.com/dogfood/grain-free

Or

www.example.com/125saf8-a37-32472.asp

Obviously, the first one is easier to remember. It’s simple, easy, and to the point.  The simpler and more relevant your URLs, the better optimized they will be.

Step 2: Keep it concise

Just as it is important to keep your URL simple, it’s also important to keep it relevant and concise. Your URL should tell people exactly what they will find on that page. Furthermore, concise and short URLs rank better than long URLs. Having three, four or maximum 5 words in your URL is optimal.

Step 3: Separate words using hyphens

Sometimes it’s not possible to have one word URLs. Maybe the URL is already in use, or perhaps it’s not descriptive enough.  When creating URLs with more than one word, use hyphens to separate them.

Example: www.example.com/wet-cat-food

Some other punctuation marks might be used, but hyphens are better.

Step 4: Avoid prepositions and conjunctions

Words like “and” and “the” are not necessary to add to your URL. All they do is add unnecessary “fluff” which makes it more difficult for Google to pick up.

Step 5: Avoid repeating keywords

Just as keywords are important with SEO on your webpage, they’re also important in your URL. The difference is that while you can add your keyword to your webpage multiple times, you only want it to appear in your URL once. Repeating your keyword more than once in a URL will increase the likelihood that it is labeled as “spam” by Google.

Why having an SEO friendly URL structure is important?

1) It improves your rankings

The main goal of SEO of any type is to improve your search engine rankings. While URLs only play a minor role in search engine rankings, they do still play a role. The main determinant in your ranking factor is your use of keywords, so be sure that you incorporate them into your URL appropriately.

2) Improve user experience

Not only does a good URL help to boost your search engine rankings, but it also helps to improve your user experience. When a URL is well constructed, users can better understand and recall it. This easy recall can lead to future visits by repeat customers.

3) Backlinks

Well written URLs look more reputable in backlinks and are more likely to be clicked. For example, which would you be more likely to click?:

www.example.com/hypoallergenic-dog-food
Or
www.example.com/title/ie87?763/?jfyst_slxt

The first link looks more legitimate, while the second one is more likely to be played off like spam.

As we are talking about SEO friendly URL structure, it is important to mention the benefits of using an SSL certificate. Having an SSL certificate positively affects your rankings which also helps you keep your website and customer’s info secure.

In conclusion, your URL matters. Though it is only one of the many factors for Google rankings, it may play a huge role in your legitimacy and consumer interest.

For all these reasons, we implement SEO friendly URL structures in all of the web design projects we undertake. If you manage the technical aspect of your website on your own our suggestion is to keep your URL simple, to the point, and concise. You will do just fine!

Share this post