When we talk about website SEO, some of the most common topics are onsite SEO, backlinks, etc. What most of us forget about are the URL structures of our websites. It may seem like an insignificant factor to you, but URL structures significantly impact your domain’s overall SEO.
The URL structure is part of the technical SEO and is not easy to master but not impossible. In this article, we will explain what URLs really are and why they are an important part of your SEO strategy. As a bonus, we have also included some of the best SEO practices for URL to boost organic traffic to your platforms.
Let’s get started.
What Are URLs?
A URL is a text designed to replace numbers that represented IP addresses so that human beings can read them easily. A URL also helps identify the file structure of a given website page. It includes protocol, domain name, and path. It looks somewhat like this:
Protocol: //domain-name. top-level-domain/path
The protocol is usually http:// or https://. The domain name is the name of the website, and top-level-domain (TLD) is like a category for website pages.
Why are URLs Important for SEO?
A lot of SEO experts say that URLs are an important component of your SEO strategy. But why? Let’s look at some reasons why URLs are essential for SEO of your websites.
1. Enhance UX
One of the main reasons why the URL structure is vital for SEO is that it improves user experience by telling humans what the destination page is about. For example, in the case below, the URL describes the destination page; thus, it is a Semantic (Clean) URL.
Even if you hide the title of the page, you would still know what the destination is about by looking at the URL structure and keywords. Therefore, good URLs improve the user experience by removing confusion, so the user is clear about the web page before clicking on the link.
If you have bulky and confusing URLs, consider approaching the website maintenance company in Dubai to restructure your URLs.
2. Google Ranking
A perfectly crafted URL doesn’t only help users understand the destination page, but also makes it easier for search engines to understand what the page is about. URLs are one of the factors that influence the way search engines determine a particular page according to its relevancy for SERPs.
While your domain’s authority matters a lot, URLs also affect your websites’ overall ranking. URL themselves don’t have a major impact on ranking, but if you embed your keywords in the URL, it can have a significant effect on Google ranking, because it improves site visibility. So, make sure to use semantic URLs.
3. Links
If you are thinking about using your website pages as links for social media, then structured URLs can be used as content in itself when you paste them as links in your social media posts and blogs. For instance, in the examples given below, you can tell what the linked page is about by just looking at the URLs. Thus it gives you an idea of what to expect when you click on that link.
The Two Types of URL
URLs are typically classified into two types: static URL and Dynamic URL.
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In the Static URL, the web page’s content remains the same as long as no changes are being made in the HTML code.
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Dynamic URL, on the other hand, is the one in which results of a search on a website is driven by some kind of database running on scripts. In this only, the data is changed while the HTML remains the same.
Websites, especially SaaS and online shopping sites, use both static and dynamic URLs. For Google, all URLs are “static.” With dynamic URLs, you have to be very careful as there are a lot of URLs involved, and if you’re not careful, you will fail to keep track of them.
So, do consider SEO services in Dubai to ensure that your URLs are structured, and there are no irrelevant filters and too many indexed pages.
URL Structure Best Practices for Improved SEO
Here are some of the best SEO practices for structuring URLs:
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Keep your URL as simple as possible, and make it compelling and relevant to your product. It is highly essential to make your URLs easy to understand by both your users and the search engine.
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When it comes to URLs, be concise and to the point. By looking at the URL, your user should be able to tell what to expect on the next page.
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Try to use keywords in URLs, they are also called semantic URLs, and it is very important for SEO.
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To keep your URLs in check and ordered, adopt canonicalization to fix duplicate pages and help search engines display your pages.
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Use hyphens to increase the readability of your URL. However, avoid using spaces, special characters, and underscore to separate the words in the URL.
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Upper case letters can often lead to duplicate pages, so make sure to use lowercase letters. For example, spiralclick.com/blog and spiralclick.com/Blog seem like two different URLs, which can create duplicate content issues in the future.
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Avoid using URL parameters, as they can create duplicate content issues. But, if you want to use them, then adopt canonicalization.
Ready to Upgrade Your URLs!
Now you know the importance of URL structure and how does URL structure affects SEO. When you are thinking about the maintenance and design of your website, URL structure might be the last thing that comes across your mind, but it is essential in determining your online platform’s success.
So, the URL structure of your online platform is fundamental. Don’t overlook URLs! Once you have structured them correctly, just follow these best practices, and you are good to go!
