SEO-Friendly URLs: A Mini Guide

Just as houses have street addresses to help us find them on the map, Uniform Resource Locators, aka URLs, are essentially unique addresses of web pages that help us find specific content on the internet.

These seemingly simple elements of your website’s structure play a crucial role in determining how both users and search engines perceive and interact with your content.

A well-crafted URL not only enhances user experience by providing clear and concise descriptions of what to expect on a page, but it also bolsters your SEO efforts, helping your pages rank higher in search engine results.

In this mini guide, let’s delve into the why and how of creating SEO-friendly URLs, getting into the technical nuances that can make a huge impact on your SEO success.

Understanding SEO-Friendly URLs

URLs are more than just web addresses — they are potent tools in the arsenal of any modern marketer or content creator. They offer a glimpse into the content of a web page, guiding both users and search engines through the hierarchy of your website and making it easier for search engines to index and understand your content.

When you add the phrase “SEO-friendly”, it means making your URLs more structured to meet the dual needs of users and search engines, enhancing site navigation while bolstering search engine optimization. These URLs are typically short, descriptive, and include relevant keywords without unnecessary characters or punctuation. They adhere to a clear, logical syntax that promotes ease of understanding and categorization by search engines, ultimately contributing to a website’s discoverability and UX.

Search engines use URLs as a fundamental component of web page indexing and ranking. A well-structured URL provides search engines with context for the content of the page, influencing how they interpret and store information about the site. For instance, including relevant keywords in the URL helps search engines determine the relevancy of a page to specific search queries, which can boost the page’s ranking for those terms. Additionally, a logical, hierarchical URL structure enables search engines to better understand the site architecture, which is crucial for indexing the site effectively.

From the user’s perspective, SEO-friendly URLs are crucial as they provide a clear indication of the content on the page before it’s even visited, enhancing user experience and trust. Descriptive URLs that reflect the subject matter or the title of the page can reassure users that they are on the right path, reducing bounce rates and increasing the likelihood of engagement. Moreover, clean and concise URLs are easier to remember, share, and type, which can enhance direct traffic and facilitate better interaction with the site.

By crafting URLs that serve both search engines and users effectively, you can improve your site’s usability and SEO performance, leading to better engagement, higher rankings, and increased traffic.

Best Practices for Creating SEO-Friendly URLs

Here are six tips to craft URLs that enable higher rankings for your site.

1. Use Keywords

Keywords in URLs play a critical role in SEO by signaling to search engines the content’s relevance to specific search queries. Choosing the right keywords for your URLs involves a strategic approach that can boost both your search engine rankings and user engagement.

Here are some tips to select the most effective keywords for your URLs:

• Start with thorough keyword research. Utilize tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMrush to identify keywords that are relevant to your content and have a decent search volume. Focus on keywords that are specific to the content of your page but also broad enough to attract a reasonable amount of search traffic.
• Choose keywords that clearly and accurately describe the content of the page. The keyword should give users a good idea of what to expect on the page without having to look at the content. This relevance is crucial not only for SEO but also for improving the click-through rate from search engine results pages.
• While keywords are important, overusing them can lead to penalties from search engines. Ideally, use only one or two keywords that are most relevant to the page’s content. Aim for no more than three to five keywords in your URL path.

Well-chosen keywords in URLs act as a direct signal to both users and search engines about the relevancy and content of your web page, making them an essential element of effective SEO practices.

2. Keep it Short and Simple

While it’s important to include relevant keywords, it’s also vital to keep your URLs concise.

Simplicity and brevity in URL structure are more than just aesthetic preferences; they are critical for both user experience and search engine optimization. Short and simple URLs are easier for users to read, understand, and remember, which enhances usability and increases the likelihood of the URL being shared.

From an SEO perspective, concise URLs are easier for search engines to crawl and index, and they tend to rank better than long, convoluted URLs. Moreover, a clean URL structure reduces the chance of errors during manual input and makes linking more reliable.

Here are some examples of good and bad URL structures:

• Good URL Examples:
  • Product Page:
    • Good: https://example.com/men/shoes
    • The URL is short, descriptive, and directly related to the page content. It clearly indicates that the user can expect to find men’s shoes on this page.
  • Blog Post:
    • Good: https://exampleblog.com/eco-friendly-home-tips
    • This URL efficiently uses keywords that reflect the blog’s content, making it SEO-friendly while still being concise and easy to understand.
• Bad URL Examples:
  • Product Page:
    • Bad: https://example.com/product/item1/cat134/pageid?=3987 
    • This URL is vague, uses numbers that mean nothing to the user or a search engine, and includes unnecessary parameters that complicate the URL.
  • Blog Post:
    • Bad: https://exampleblog.com/2024/08/post-title-article-about-the-environmental-impact-of-various-home-products 
    • This URL is overly long, includes a date (which could make the content seem outdated over time), and uses an excessively detailed phrase that could be simplified.

By focusing on clarity and brevity, you ensure that your URLs serve their purpose effectively as a user and search-engine-friendly gateway to your content.

3. Use Hyphens to Separate Words

Hyphens are recognized by search engines as spaces, effectively separating words within the URL. This clarity allows search engines to easily parse and understand the individual terms, which can enhance the page’s relevance in search results for those terms.

Underscores, on the other hand, are not recognized as spaces by search engines. Instead, they link words together into a single term. For example, a URL like example.com/green-tea is read by search engines as green tea, which is beneficial for relevant searches. Conversely, example.com/green_tea would be interpreted as greentea, which might not match search queries as effectively.

Besides, hyphens contribute to better readability for users. When users look at a URL, either in search results or when shared on social media, URLs with hyphens are easier to read and understand. This readability can influence click-through rates and overall user engagement.

Moreover, most web platforms and content management systems automatically use hyphens as word separators in URLs, ensuring consistency across different digital channels. This uniformity helps in maintaining a standard URL structure that is SEO-friendly and user-centric.

4. Exclude Unnecessary Parameters

URLs can be categorized into two types: dynamic and static. Static URLs are those that remain constant each time they are accessed; they do not change unless changes are made to the HTML code. They are straightforward and clean, making them easy for search engines to crawl and index. An example of a static URL is https://example.com/about-us.

Dynamic URLs, on the other hand, are generated from specific queries to a site’s database, often containing parameters that indicate how content is displayed or sorted. They can include question marks, ampersands, and equals signs, such as https://example.com/products?category=shoes&color=red. These URLs are typically used in e-commerce sites where the content changes based on user actions, such as applying filters or using search functions.

Here are strategies to achieve cleaner, more efficient URLs:

• Use URL Rewriting: Implement URL rewriting techniques to convert dynamic URLs into static-looking URLs. This can be done using server-side rules, which rewrite URL parameters into a clean, readable path. For example, instead of https://example.com/product.php?id=123, you can rewrite it to https://example.com/product/123.
• Employ SEO-Friendly CMS Settings: Most modern content management systems (CMS) like WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal offer options to customize URL structures in an SEO-friendly manner. Activating these settings can automatically eliminate unnecessary parameters and create cleaner URLs. If you’re undergoing a CMS transition, such as Drupal to WordPress migration, ensure to meticulously manage your URL structures and redirects so that SEO value already built is transferred to your new WordPress website, preserving your rankings and traffic.
• Limit the Use of Parameters: If parameters must be used, limit them to the most necessary ones. This reduces the complexity of URLs and helps keep them concise. Google Webmaster Tools also allows you to tell Google the purpose of your parameters, which can help Google crawl your site more effectively.
• Canonical URLs: Use canonical tags to point search engines to the primary version of a URL. If different parameters generate similar or duplicate content, a canonical tag can specify which version of the URL you prefer to be indexed. This helps prevent SEO issues related to duplicate content.
• Static URL Structure for Main Pages: Ensure that main pages, such as those for product categories or key articles, use static URLs. This makes them more likely to perform well in search engine rankings and be easier for users to remember.

By streamlining your URL structure and minimizing the use of unnecessary parameters, you can enhance the crawlability and indexability of your site, improve its ranking in search engines, and provide a better experience for your visitors.

5. Limit URL Depth

URL depth refers to the number of levels (or directories) a URL contains between the domain name and the actual page, indicated by slashes (/). For instance, in the URL https://example.com/men/shoes/casual, the depth is three levels deep: ‘men’, ‘shoes’, and ‘casual’.

Search engines can view deep URL structures as a sign of lower importance compared to pages closer to the root directory. This is because, traditionally, a page nested several layers deep might be considered less likely to be crucial or authoritative. Moreover, deeper URLs often involve more complex and longer paths, which can dilute the potential SEO strength provided by primary keywords.

From a user perspective, excessively deep URLs can be less intuitive and harder to remember. This complexity can negatively affect user experience, making it harder for visitors to navigate the site or guess the URL structure of other sections of the site.

So, here are a few ways to achieve an optimal URL structure:

• Logical Hierarchy: Design a logical site hierarchy that mirrors your URL structure. This helps both users and search engines understand the relationship and importance of pages on your site. Aim for a structure where important pages are placed higher in the hierarchy and are accessible with fewer clicks from the home page.
• Limit Subfolder Depth: As a best practice, try to limit the depth of your URLs to a maximum of two to three levels beyond the domain. For example, a good structure might look like https://example.com/category/product instead of extending into multiple subcategories like https://example.com/category/subcategory/subsubcategory/product.
• Keyword Optimization: Include relevant keywords in the first one or two levels of your URL to enhance its relevance to the content and improve SEO. Avoid pushing important keywords too deep into the URL structure.
• Use of Breadcrumbs: Implement breadcrumb navigation on your site to help users understand their location within the site hierarchy. Breadcrumbs also replicate the URL path, providing a visual aid that aligns with the URL structure, which enhances user navigation and benefits SEO.
• Consistent Naming Conventions: Use consistent, predictable naming conventions that align with your content hierarchy and keywords. This not only improves SEO but also aids users in navigating your website more effectively.

By optimizing the URL structure and keeping the depth of URLs reasonable, you can enhance site crawlability, improve user experience, and potentially boost your site’s SEO performance.

6. Use HTTPS

HTTPS (HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure) is an essential security protocol that ensures encrypted communication between a user’s browser and the server hosting a website. This encryption is critical for protecting sensitive information from interception or tampering during transmission. For any website that handles personal data, such as credit card information, login credentials, or personal identifiers, using HTTPS is not just a recommendation — it is a necessity to safeguard user privacy and build trust.

Transitioning from HTTP to HTTPS not only enhances security but also provides several SEO advantages:

• Improved Search Engine Ranking: Google has confirmed HTTPS as a ranking signal. This means websites secured with HTTPS may receive a ranking boost, albeit slight, compared to non-secure sites. The use of HTTPS contributes to the overall trust and credibility of a website, which are factors Google considers in its ranking algorithm.
• Increased User Trust: HTTPS indicates that a website is secure and that the website owner cares about users’ security. This increases user trust, which can lead to higher visitor retention rates and more interactions on the site. Users are more likely to engage with a site if they feel their information is secure, which can indirectly boost SEO through increased user engagement metrics like time on site and lower bounce rates.
• Referrer Data Preservation: HTTPS preserves secure referral information. When traffic passes from a secure HTTPS site to a non-secure HTTP site, referral data is stripped away, and the visit is classified as “direct” traffic in analytics programs. However, when traffic passes between HTTPS sites, the secure referral information is preserved. This can lead to more accurate data in analytics tools, helping SEOs and marketers better understand their traffic sources.
• Enhanced Mobile Performance: With the increasing importance of mobile browsing, Google has launched features like Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) that require HTTPS to function correctly. Using HTTPS can improve the performance and user experience of mobile sites, aligning with Google’s mobile-first indexing strategy.
• Future-Proofing: As technology evolves and the focus on user privacy intensifies, search engines and users alike favor more secure websites. Adopting HTTPS now prepares a website for future security standards and ensures compatibility with new web technologies that prioritize security.

All in all, migrating to HTTPS is a strategic move that not only secures a website but also aligns it with best practices in SEO, enhancing both the user experience and the site’s search engine visibility.

Tools and Resources for Managing URLs

There are several tools you can use to manage and optimize your URLs for SEO:

• Google Search Console: Essential for monitoring how Google perceives your site’s URLs and structure. It can highlight issues with crawling and indexing that you might need to address.
• JotURL: An all-in-one link management platform that offers branded links, custom link previews, QR codes, and conversion tracking. Ideal for enhancing user engagement and simplifying link management across various digital marketing channels.
• JetOctopus: This SEO crawler and log analyzer is particularly suited for large websites, offering deep insights into SEO and performance issues in terms of URLs and a host of other important factors, without limits on crawl size, making it ideal for extensive SEO campaigns.

JotURL offers a comprehensive suite of tools that make it a standout choice for managing and optimizing your marketing links. It’s designed to boost user engagement, increase conversion rates, and provide detailed insights into the performance of your digital marketing efforts. Here’s a deeper look at what JotURL offers:

• Link Management and Optimization: JotURL provides extensive features for creating and managing branded links, which include the ability to customize URL slugs and domains. This can help enhance brand authority and user trust.
• Advanced Tracking Capabilities: The platform supports detailed analytics and conversion tracking, allowing you to monitor clicks, social actions, and other key interactions with your links. This data can be invaluable for refining marketing strategies and improving campaign performance.
• Deep Linking: JotURL facilitates both easy and advanced deep linking, which means you can direct users into deeper, more targeted sections of your apps with a single click. This is especially useful for mobile user engagement.
• Retargeting and Remarketing: You can integrate remarketing pixels compliant with GDPR, enhancing your ability to engage previous visitors and convert abandoned efforts into sales.
• Dynamic QR Codes and Custom CTAs: These features allow you to engage with users more dynamically. QR codes can be customized for specific pages, and calls to action can be tailored to fit the context of the link, boosting interaction rates.
• Comprehensive Security and Reliability: Hosted on the Microsoft Azure Cloud, JotURL offers high reliability, with features like SSL certificate management, click fraud monitoring, and link health monitoring to ensure the security and effectiveness of your links.

Wrapping Up

From the right way to use keywords to the ideal structure of a URL, now you know everything you need to know in order to optimize your URLs for both search engines and human visitors. 

Creating and managing SEO-friendly URLs is not merely a technical necessity; it’s a strategic component of effective digital marketing that can significantly enhance site discoverability, user experience, and engagement.

JotURL, in particular, stands out as an all-encompassing platform designed for detailed tracking and optimization of marketing links. It offers advanced deep linking, custom QR codes, and robust analytics, making it an indispensable tool for marketers aiming to streamline their digital campaigns and boost conversions. Sign up for free today.

About Author

Lucy Manole is a creative content writer and strategist at Marketing Digest. She specializes in writing about social media, email marketing, technology, entrepreneurship, and much more. When she is not writing or editing, she spends time reading books, cooking, and traveling.