What Is A URL Structure And How Does It Impact SEO?

Situation-Based Question

Imagine you’re working with Sarah, who runs an online store selling custom pet accessories. She’s recently added a range of new products to her site, and although she’s getting more traffic, Sarah notices that her product pages don’t seem to rank as well as her competitors. After chatting with an SEO expert, Sarah says, “I’ve noticed that my competitors’ pages rank higher, and their URLs look cleaner and more organized. Can the structure of my URLs really impact my SEO?”

Exact Answer

Yes, URL structure plays a crucial role in SEO. A well-structured URL is descriptive, easy to read, and contains relevant keywords, which helps both users and search engines understand the page content.

Explanation

Sarah’s question is a common one, and the answer is yes—URL structure can directly impact SEO. Here’s how it works:

1. Descriptive and Keyword-Rich URLs:
   • Search engines, like Google, use URLs to understand the content of a page. A well-structured, descriptive URL can give Google important clues about what the page is about. Including relevant keywords in the URL helps improve the chances of ranking higher for those keywords.
   • Example: Instead of a generic URL like www.sarahspets.com/product1, a more descriptive URL like www.sarahspets.com/custom-dog-collars tells both Google and users exactly what the page is about. It also helps the page show up when people search for “custom dog collars.”
2. User Experience and Click-Through Rates (CTR):
   • Clean, simple URLs are more user-friendly and easier to share. When people see an easy-to-understand URL, they’re more likely to click on it. This can improve your CTR, which is a ranking factor.
   • Example: If a potential customer is searching for a specific type of pet accessory and sees a URL like www.sarahspets.com/products/durable-leather-dog-harness, they instantly know what the page is about. It’s more likely to attract clicks than a confusing URL with random numbers or characters.
3. URL Length and Simplicity:
   • Shorter URLs tend to perform better because they are easier to read, share, and remember. While it’s important to include keywords, you don’t want to make the URL too long or stuffed with unnecessary information.
   • Example: Instead of a long and cluttered URL like www.sarahspets.com/collections/dog-accessories/leather-dog-collars-for-small-medium-and-large-dogs, Sarah could simplify it to www.sarahspets.com/dog-collars/leather-collars. This is clean, user-friendly, and still conveys what the page is about.
4. Use of Hyphens and Avoiding Underscores:
   • For better readability and SEO, always use hyphens (-) to separate words in a URL rather than underscores (_). Google treats hyphens as space, but underscores are often read as one continuous word.
   • Example: Instead of www.sarahspets.com/custom_dog_collars, Sarah should use www.sarahspets.com/custom-dog-collars. This improves readability for both users and search engines.
5. Avoiding Dynamic Parameters (When Possible):
   • URLs with dynamic parameters (like www.sarahspets.com/product?id=12345) can be harder for search engines to crawl and understand. Static URLs are often preferred for SEO purposes.
   • Example: A static URL like www.sarahspets.com/custom-dog-collars is better than www.sarahspets.com/product?id=12345. Static URLs are cleaner, easier for Google to index, and they often rank better.

Example

Let’s look at how Sarah’s site could improve its URL structure:

• Old URL: www.sarahspets.com/product?id=12345
• Optimized URL: www.sarahspets.com/dog-collars/custom-leather-collars

In this optimized version, the URL is descriptive, contains relevant keywords, and is much easier to read and remember.