How To Optimise An SEO Friendly URL Structure

Definition:  According to Moz.com – A URL (Uniform Resource Locator), more commonly called a “web address,” specifies the placement of a resource (such as a web page) on the web. The URL also defines a way to retrieve that resource, called the “protocol,” like HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, etc. URL structure is vital to SEO because it helps with URL rewrites, which help with URL canonicalisation, which helps with URL indexing.

Example – https://www.moveaheadmedia.co.th/

It is recommended that URLs must be shorter than 2,083 characters to render in website browsers to correctly render in all browsers.

What Is A URL?

An SEO Friendly URL is a human-readable text designed to interchange the numbers (IP addresses) that computers use to speak with website servers. It also helps in identifying the file structure on the website. A URL contains a protocol, domain name, and path (which includes the precise subfolder structure where a page is placed) and has the following basic format: protocol://domain-name.top-level-domain/path

An SEO friendly URL Structure could also be great for those who want to use a page’s URL as an identifier, but it doesn’t work well for search engines crawling a website. For them, a URL is simply a random string of characters that has got to be decoded to search out the page. URL structure should instead be designed to reflect how people might look for the URL, which can allow search engines to understand what this URL is about and list it appropriately in SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages).

An SEO friendly URL Structure may contain several URL Terms, separated by an internet URL (Uniform Resource Locator) delimiter. URL Terms are the online address components that frame a URL Structure and might be per these URL Patterns:

• http://example.com/
• https://example.com
• https://www.example.com/
• http://www.example.com

The www subdomain isn’t necessary for the URL Stunnecessaryit does affect how the search engine affects your website URL due to its popularity.

What Is A URL Structure?

1. The protocol shows how a browser should retrieve information from several resources. The website standard is HTTP:// or HTTPS:// (the “s” stands for “secure”), but it’s also going to include things like mailto: (to open your default mail client) or FTP: (to handle file transfers). Sample: protocol://domain-name.top-level-domain/path
2. The domain name (or hostname) is the user-readable name of the particular location where a resource (in most cases, a website) is found. Sample: protocol://domain-name.top-level-domain/path
3. Top-level domain (TLD) is a category for websites. While you’re likely accustomed to .com, there’s also .edu for educational sites, .gov for governmental sites, and many, many more. Sample: protocol://domain-name.top-level-domain/path
4. URLs also contain specific folders and subfolders on a given website, any parameters (like click tracking or session IDs) stored within the URL, and anchors that allow visitors to leap to a particular point within the resource. Sample: protocol://domain-name.top-level-domain/path

Why Does URL Structure Matter For SEO?

1. Improve User Experience

A well-designed URL provides both humans and search engines with an easy-to-understand indication of what the destination page is about. URL structure helps improve user experience by delivering the URL destination with accurate information.

For example, the URL below is what we call a “semantically accurate” URL (it accurately describes its destination): URLs-1.png?mtime=20170315125810#asset:4165:url

Looking at the sample URL absolve, the title tag of this page is a bit hidden. The human-readable, semantically correct URL should provide a transparent idea of the destination page. It should offer visitors an improved user experience by clarifying what they’ll see if they click the link. Also, It is worth noting that Google Algorithm has been changing the URL structure on the search result area with a site name and breadcrumb path, and it quickly appears on mobile searches.

2. Rankings

URLs are not a major ranking factor search engines use when determining a selected page or resource’s relevance to a search query. While they give weight to the authority of the public domain itself, keyword use in an exact URL can even act as a ranking factor.

While using a URL that features keywords can improve your site’s search visibility, URLs themselves generally don’t significantly impact a page’s ability to rank. So, while it’s worth considering, don’t create otherwise unuseful URLs to incorporate a keyword in them.

3. Links

A well-written URL can function the keyword when copied and pasted as links in forums, blogs, social media networks, or other online venues.

The benefit here is twofold:

For example, some websites (like Facebook) may leave shared links completely unformatted. Unoptimised, semantically inaccurate URLs can look unwieldy, and rather than garnering clicks, they deter them. Human-readable URLs provide users with an improved idea of what they’ll be getting once they click the link.

In the DPReview page mentioned above, search engines might see the URL as http://www.dpreview.com/review… and treat the page with the terms within the URL (dpreview domain name, reviews folder, product names like canon, eos, and 6d). Utilising keywords in your URL may improve the likelihood of your site ranking for the terms you select, too. If you’re curious about running a high-level anchor text analysis of your site, try link building research tool.

How To Optimise URL Structure Using SEO Best Practices?

• Keeping your URLs as simple, appropriate, clear, and precise as possible is essential to getting your users and search engines to grasp them (a requirement to Search Engine ranking). Though these URLs can include ID numbers and codes, the most effective practice is to use words that individuals can comprehend.
• URLs should be definitive but concise. A user (and search engine robots) should have a decent idea of what to expect on the page by seeing only the URL.
• When necessary for readability, use hyphens to separate words. URLs shouldn’t use underscores, spaces, or other characters to separate words.
• Use lowercase letters. In some cases, uppercase letters can cause issues with duplicate pages. For example, moveaheadmedia.co.th/Blog and moveaheadmedia.co.th/blog can result in two distinct URLs, creating issues with duplicate content.
• If possible, avoid using URL parameters, as they can create issues with tracking and duplicate content. Use them sparingly if parameters need to be used (UTM codes, e.g.).

Move Ahead Media is one of the leading Digital Marketing agencies in Thailand that offers a variety of Digital Marketing services for businesses. With our years of experience and expertise, we can take your business to new heights – and move ahead of the competition. Contact us now!