Whether you are looking for the best URL structure for SEO or want to create a website from scratch but do not know how this guide is for you.
URL structure might seem minor, but it is one of those little things that provides lots of weightages to the site and stays vital in SEO. Search Engine Optimisation, or what we commonly call SEO, has evolved greatly in the last few years. As of 2024, SEO URL best practices have revolutionized a lot, adopting ways to stay compatible with ever-evolving search engine algorithms and user behaviours.
Staying up-to-date with these practices is essential to improve and sustain high website rankings and reach the ultimate goal of business success online.
No matter the size of your website, the URL structure must be consistent and optimised to ensure more chances of sustainable rankings on SERPs. Moreover, it is also an excellent activity to attract users to your site.
Here in this blog, you will get to know what is URL, what is URL structure and best SEO practices for crafting URL structure. So, let’s get started:
What is a URL Structure for SEO?
URL is an acronym for Uniform Resource Locator. In simple words, it is the web page address. The URL usually consists of a phrase and keyword that describe the content that can be found on the specific page. The URL helps visitors easily find the relevant information they are searching for online.
Therefore, an optimised URL is the one that consist of words that match the content on the webpage and helpful for people. Before you start any blog or post you can think of its URL from the start.
Understanding URL structure:
Understanding URL structure is important so it can be appropriately optimized. Let’s have a look!
The first part of the URL consists of the domain name. For instance, it can be:
https://www.abcname.com
The second part of the URL is the slug or permalink. It identifies the specific web page address a user wants to visit.
For instance;
https://www.abcname.com/x-y-web-pageor
https://www.abcname.com/how-to-x-y-z-post
The permalink often consists of hyphens. It is because URLs cannot have spaces. So, the title or keyword requires a space in them. The URL automatically converts the space into hyphens.
Tips to create the best URL structure for SEO:
Let’s examine a few tips for creating the best URL structure for SEO.
Include Keywords:
Adding keyword in URL is best to make it relevant with users and signals search engine algorithms to make your page discover quickly. However, while adding keywords, beware of a few things, such as;
Do not stuff URL with keywords as it will only leave negative impression on your site. One or two keywords in the URL are enough to make it optimised and URL-friendly.
Special Characters are Big NO:
Using special characters such as punctuations, underscores, or symbols breaks the URL, and SEO experts avoid this practice at every level. Even if it does not break, the URL might leave a bad or confusing impression on readers.
Therefore, avoiding any of these characters in the URL is important. Make sure you stick to the numbers, meaningful words, and letters. Only hyphens are allowed to mention space.
Remove conjunctions and unnecessary words:
It is pertinent to remove any unnecessary words or conjunctions. For instance, ‘a, and, or, but, to’ etc. A concise URL leaves the best impression on search engine’s algorithms and users.
Avoid adding Dates:
Adding dates in the URL structure increases its length and also ruin the optimisation practices. Moreover, a date in the URL makes the content look outdated as well; for instance,
If you have written a blog on best SEO practices in 2024, you do not have to add the year to the URL. However, you can update your content from time to time. Changing the URL can lower the authenticity in the eyes of search engine algorithms.
Use lowercase only:
URLs are highly case-sensitive in the permalink, but they are not in the domain section. Still, any post requires to be typed into the URL in the proper case.
Moreover, almost everyone uses the lowercase in the URL permalinks. Therefore, the users are used to type in lowercases as well. So, it is important to use lowercases as due to a little mistake they can end up in 404 page.
Use HTTPs:
Using HTTP or HTTPs is a good SEO practice. HTTP or HTTPs are called protocol for the URLs.
HTTPs is considered more secure protocol for URL. It is critically an HTTP with ‘Secure Sockets Layer- SSL’ added on.
The SSL encrypts the website to save it from hackers and make it more reliable for the users to surf the webpage satisfactorily.
If your website is still HTTP, you can redirect to HTTPs. Many domains let the website owners do it automatically. The practice adds a little lock with your site to assure visitors that the website is safe to visit.
Conclusion:
That’s all for now about the best URL structure for SEO. By adopting strategies like keeping the URL concise and avoiding dates or special characters make it optimised and user-friendly. The practice, hence, ensures sustainable improvement in web ranking and drives business growth.
