Some people view a URL as just a unique location of a web page on the internet, but for an SEO expert, it is much, much more. It provides signals that help search engines understand page contents, the purpose of the website, and its intended audience. One of the most fundamental building blocks of search engine optimization is the structure of URLs.
Your URL should be meaningful - a visitor should be able to figure out the content of the page just by looking at the address bar. It should be descriptive, and serve as a preview of your products and services, without being too lengthy. Shorter URLs are easier to read, easier to copy and paste, and easier to share on social media.
You’ll never get people to like complicated URLs, and it’s people you’re depending on to share the links that get your pages ranking well. When pasted into forums, keywords in the URL let users know what to expect, and helps the blog post go viral via social media sites.
SEO-friendly URLs permit search engines to distinguish folder names and establish real links to keywords. The degree of relevance between the URL text and the content on the corresponding webpage determines page success in the search engine algorithms.
On a search engine results page, a clear URL reassures readers that a page will deliver what they are searching for. Having a semantically correct URL also means that webmasters are more likely to get search engine-referred traffic due to the keywords in the URL. When possible, exact target keywords should be included in your URL.
If you can’t read every word your URL contains, neither can the search engines. That’s a big problem, since search engines can’t unscramble dynamically generated URLs. It’s better to use static (prettier) URLs rather than dynamic (uglier) ones. Static URLs contain your keywords and are more user-friendly, since a visitor can determine what a page is about just by looking at the URL.
A well-structured URL increases the click through rate on search result pages. If a user can see from the URL that the link is relevant to their search, they are much more likely to click on it. The key to ranking well is to keep your URLs relevant, compelling, and accurate.
SEO-friendly URLs appeal to users and search engines alike, encouraging sharing of your website links and making your site more visible in the search results.
