{"id":679,"date":"2024-05-10T13:54:40","date_gmt":"2024-05-10T13:54:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bellmarketingsolutions.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/10\/best-url-practices-for-seo-how-to-optimize-urls-for-search\/"},"modified":"2024-05-10T13:54:40","modified_gmt":"2024-05-10T13:54:40","slug":"best-url-practices-for-seo-how-to-optimize-urls-for-search","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bellmarketingsolutions.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/10\/best-url-practices-for-seo-how-to-optimize-urls-for-search\/","title":{"rendered":"Best URL Practices for SEO: How to Optimize URLs for Search"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"hs-featured-image-wrapper\">\n <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/marketing\/how-to-optimize-urls-for-search\" title=\"\" class=\"hs-featured-image-link\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/hubfs\/optimizeurl.webp\" alt=\"seo specialist optimizing url slugs on website for search\" class=\"hs-featured-image\" style=\"width:auto !important;max-width:50%;float:left;margin:0 15px 15px 0\"> <\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p>Back when I started playing the search engine optimization (SEO) game, keyword stuffing actually worked. Since then, algorithm updates have spared only a few SEO best practices, like URL optimization.<\/p>\n<p>Back when I started playing the search engine optimization (SEO) game, keyword stuffing actually worked. Since then, algorithm updates have spared only a few SEO best practices, like URL optimization.<\/p>\n<p>Google\u2019s algorithm updates have shaken up the scenery of SEO. However, URL optimization has stood the test of time. This is an essential element of on-page SEO that every content marketer should know.<\/p>\n<p>To get you up to speed, I\u2019ll share the ABCs of URL optimization and up-to-date best practices. I\u2019ll also share tips I\u2019ve learned from experts.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"cta_button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hubspot.com\/cs\/ci\/?pg=1d7211ac-7b1b-4405-b940-54b8acedb26e&amp;pid=53&amp;ecid=&amp;hseid=&amp;hsic=\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"hs-cta-img \" style=\"height: auto !important;width: auto !important;max-width: 100% !important;border-width: 0px\" alt=\"\u2192 Download Now: SEO Starter Pack [Free Kit]\" height=\"58\" width=\"413\" src=\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/53\/1d7211ac-7b1b-4405-b940-54b8acedb26e.png\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Table of Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#whatisaurl\">What is a URL?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#why\">Why URLs Are Important for SEO<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#bestpractices\">URL Best Practices for SEO<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a><\/a> <\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/hs-fs\/hubfs\/url.webp?width=650&amp;height=289&amp;name=url.webp\" width=\"650\" height=\"289\" alt=\"The making of an optimized URL. \" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;width: 650px;height: auto;max-width: 100%\"><\/p>\n<p>A typical <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/marketing\/parts-url\">URL consists of several parts<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/marketing\/parts-url\">: P<\/a>rotocol, subdomain, domain, subdirectory, and slug. A <strong>protocol<\/strong> can be <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/website\/http-vs-https\">HTTP or HTTPS<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/website\/http-vs-https\"> \u2014 the latter signaling an encrypted connection.<\/a> A <strong>subdomain<\/strong> is usually \u201cwww.\u201d (World Wide Web), but custom subdomains like \u201cshop.\u201d and \u201cblog.\u201d aren\u2019t uncommon.<\/p>\n<p>Afterward, there\u2019s the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/website\/what-is-a-domain\">domain name<\/a><\/strong>, which consists of a top-level domain like \u201c.com\u201d and a second-level domain, which is usually a brand or project name.<\/p>\n<p>The aforementioned parts will help you reach a home page. From there, you\u2019ll likely go to a <strong>subdirectory<\/strong> \u2014 a folder inside the main website \u2014 and a <strong>slug<\/strong>, which identifies singular pages.<\/p>\n<h3>URL Example<\/h3>\n<p>Consider the following URL: https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/marketing\/url-best-practices-for-seo. It has the following parts:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Protocol<\/strong>: HTTPS:\/\/<\/li>\n<li><strong>Subdomain<\/strong>: blog.<\/li>\n<li><strong>SLD<\/strong>: hubspot<\/li>\n<li><strong>TLD<\/strong>: .com<\/li>\n<li><strong>Subdirectory<\/strong>: \/marketing<\/li>\n<li><strong>Slug<\/strong>: \/url-best-practices-for-seo<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>From this URL, I can tell that I\u2019m on a blog about URL basics. It\u2019s published by HubSpot and hosted using an encrypted connection.<\/p>\n<p><a><\/a> <\/p>\n<p>These perks are only possible if we use SEO best practices for URLs. Let\u2019s dig further into the reasons why good URLs are so impactful.<\/p>\n<h3>Ranking Factor<\/h3>\n<p>URLs are on Google&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.searchenginejournal.com\/ranking-factors\/urls\/\">confirmed search ranking factors<\/a>, which help search engines decipher what each webpage contains. With that in mind, I add relevant keywords to my URLs to help Google understand my pages\u2019 content, why I made it, and which searches it should rank for.<\/p>\n<h3>User Experience<\/h3>\n<p>Keyword stuffing is a thing of the past. SEO is now a delicate dance of pleasing both algorithms and flesh-and-blood readers. I now aim for a descriptive URL so users know what to expect from the page.<\/p>\n<p>If someone sends my URL in a direct message, will the recipient feel confident they\u2019re clicking into a relevant and valuable page? Reaching this ideal gets me more backlinks and sales.<\/p>\n<h3>Accessible Links<\/h3>\n<p>If there\u2019s one thing I hate about LinkedIn, it\u2019s how it handles external URLs. You can\u2019t hyperlink an anchor text. Instead, you must add a bare link, which often appears ugly if you use non-descriptive links \u2014 like https:\/\/www.example.com\/post\/p123\/.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/hs-fs\/hubfs\/linkedin-May-09-2024-02-37-59-8346-PM.webp?width=650&amp;height=960&amp;name=linkedin-May-09-2024-02-37-59-8346-PM.webp\" width=\"650\" height=\"960\" alt=\"How external links look on LinkedIn. \" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;width: 650px;height: auto;max-width: 100%\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;font-size: 12px\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/linkedin_earthday-activity-7188259531607404545-onXQ\/\"><em>Image Source<\/em><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>While I could use a link shortener to make it prettier, that\u2019s an extra step. I avoid the issue altogether by using descriptive, well-formatted, and concise URLs.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve talked about the ideals, so let\u2019s go through the SEO best practices that will get you there.<\/p>\n<p>Crafting the perfect URL is only one part of ranking in search. Looking to learn more? Check out our complete guide <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/blog\/tabid\/6307\/bid\/33655\/a-step-by-step-guide-to-flawless-on-page-seo-free-template.aspx\">on-page SEO<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a><\/a> <\/p>\n<h3>1. Keep each URL as simple as possible.<\/h3>\n<p>SEO is a Rubik\u2019s Cube on steroids \u2014 complex and constantly shifting. Sometimes, my saving grace is <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/crawling-indexing\/url-structure\">Google\u2019s guidelines on URL optimization<\/a>. We\u2019re told to \u201ccreate a simple URL structure\u201d and use \u201csimple, descriptive words in the URL.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While \u201csimple\u201d varies from person to person, opt for one of the following good URL structures, depending on the business.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Content website<\/strong>: https:\/\/example.com\/category\/post-title<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ecommerce website<\/strong>: https:\/\/example.com\/product-category\/product-name<\/li>\n<li><strong>Service-based website<\/strong>: https:\/\/example.com\/service-category\/service-name<\/li>\n<li><strong>Local business website<\/strong>: https:\/\/example.com\/location\/service<\/li>\n<li><strong>Portfolio website<\/strong>: https:\/\/example.com\/portfolio\/project-name<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>2. Standardize your URL naming conventions.<\/h3>\n<p>While I recommend using one of the variations shared above, I occasionally brainstorm among my team members to see what works for us. As long as we have a standard and stick to it, we\u2019re good.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cURLs are a stable foundation. Once set, changing them can cause more harm than good, leading to broken links and lost SEO juice \u2014 unless properly managed with redirects,\u201d shares Ryan Ratkowski, founder of Cascade Interactive.<\/p>\n<p>I think of it like a building\u2019s plumbing system. I\u2019d focus on getting the configuration right during setup rather than ripping out the walls five years in. Incorporate SEO best practices for URLs during the initial build of your website.<\/p>\n<h3>3. Limit the URL structure to three hierarchical levels.<\/h3>\n<p>The first time I set up a URL structure, I debated diving deep into subfolders and subcategories for everything and anything. My more experienced stance is to keep it simple and keep it logical.<\/p>\n<p>Jacob Kettner, CEO of First Rank, recommends \u201ca maximum of three hierarchical levels, ensuring clarity without unnecessary complexity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Why? \u201cIt strikes the perfect balance, offering categorization without overwhelming users,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n<h3>4. Avoid adding dates.<\/h3>\n<p>I think twice before slamming time stamps onto my URLs. It\u2019s like adding an expiration date to my webpage. In contrast, users (and Google) prefer new content. Keep your URLs timeless, just like a classic black tee.<\/p>\n<p>Maddy Osman, founder of The Blogsmith, agrees and adds: \u201cIn most cases, articles take anywhere from three to six months to appear in the top 10 on SERPs. You don\u2019t want to restrict the potential of that ranking article by including the previous year in the URL slug.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I use WordPress, so I head to \u201c<strong>Settings<\/strong>\u201d &gt; \u201c<strong>Permalinks<\/strong>\u201d to make sure I haven\u2019t enabled a permalink structure involving time information.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/hs-fs\/hubfs\/wp.webp?width=650&amp;height=269&amp;name=wp.webp\" width=\"650\" height=\"269\" alt=\"wp\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;width: 650px;height: auto;max-width: 100%\"><\/p>\n<h3>5. Take out non-essential words in the slug.<\/h3>\n<p>Pop quiz. Which should you use?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\/how-to-optimize-your-urls-for-search-quick-tip<\/li>\n<li>\/how-to-optimize-urls-for-search<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Writers and editors often ask me about this. Personally, I remove words that add little or no meaning to the URL \u2014 like \u201ca,\u201d \u201cand,\u201d and \u201cthat.\u201d The latter URL without \u201cyour\u201d and \u201cquick-tip\u201d conveys the same meaning without looking like a word soup, so I prefer that variation.<\/p>\n<p>Plus, a 2023 Backlinko study found that <a href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/search-engine-ranking\">shorter URLs tend to rank above longer URLs<\/a>, so I use a limit of 60-70 characters to avoid long URLs.<\/p>\n<p>To get an even shorter URL, I could also remove the words \u201cto\u201d and \u201cfor,\u201d but I consider them better to keep since they make the URL more readable for humans. It\u2019s a balance that comes intuitively, but I know you\u2019ll get it with practice.<\/p>\n<h3>6. Handle dynamically generated URLs with care.<\/h3>\n<p>While a static URL remains consistent every time it\u2019s accessed, I\u2019ve run into website builders that automatically generate dynamic URL parameters when the webpage is loaded.<\/p>\n<p>In such cases, I don\u2019t have the complete customizability to change the URL, so I have to make do with URLs containing random symbols and numbers. Working with that can be a challenge, but I don\u2019t lose sleep over it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs long as you\u2018re aware of your website\u2019s limitations and can optimize the URL slugs you do have control over, you shouldn&#8217;t have to worry about parameterized URLs negatively impacting your SEO performance,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.laurengalvez.com\/\">Lauren Galvez<\/a>, an experienced SEO consultant, assured me.<\/p>\n<h3>7. Include relevant keywords.<\/h3>\n<p>Since the URL tells search crawlers what the webpage is about, I recommend <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/marketing\/how-to-do-keyword-research-ht\">including relevant keywords<\/a> to instantly convey everything there is to your webpage.<\/p>\n<p>This also improves my click-through rate (CTR) on the page. A 2023 Backlinko study found that webpages with URLs similar to search keywords <a href=\"https:\/\/backlinko.com\/google-ctr-stats\">enjoyed a higher CTR<\/a> compared to webpages with URLs different from search keywords.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, if users search for \u201cergonomic keyboards,\u201d I opt for an SEO-friendly URL slug that contains \u201cergonomic keyboards\u201d instead of \u201cflexible keyboards.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>8. No keyword stuffing.<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/hs-fs\/hubfs\/kw.webp?width=650&amp;height=395&amp;name=kw.webp\" width=\"650\" height=\"395\" alt=\"SEO URL best practices include avoiding keyword stuffing in URLs.\" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;width: 650px;height: auto;max-width: 100%\"><\/p>\n<p>When an article is relevant to multiple main keywords, I <em>don\u2019t<\/em> include all of them in the URL. Otherwise, I\u2019m left with a mess like this:<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/marketing\/url-best-practices-for-seo-friendly-structure-optimization.html<\/p>\n<p>Wow, that looks ugly. Plus, it would take readers a few tedious seconds to understand what the webpage is about. In contrast, SEO best practices for URLs prioritize usability over almost everything else.<\/p>\n<p>What I do is pick a single keyword for my URL and let my content do the talking.<\/p>\n<h3>9. Make it reader-friendly.<\/h3>\n<p>While I\u2019ve mentioned it before, it&#8217;s worth reiterating that URLs should be self-explanatory to internet users. People should be able to instantly tell what they might find based on your slug.<\/p>\n<p>With that in mind, sometimes I have to reorder my keywords. Other times, I have to omit words or add stop words. For instance, the URL slug \u201c\/google-algorithm-update-names\u201d may be a mouthful for readers, so I\u2019d change it to \u201c\/names-of-google-algorithm-updates.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>10. Separate words with hyphens.<\/h3>\n<p>URLs cannot contain spaces. So, to ensure I don\u2019t end up with slugs like \u201c\/googlealogrithmupdatenames,\u201d I use a separator. Google recommends that we use hyphens (-) instead of underscores (_).<\/p>\n<h3>11. Use lowercase letters.<\/h3>\n<p>While I\u2019m all about proper capitalization (even in text messages), I have to accept the triumph of lowercase letters in URLs. For starters, it keeps things consistent. Plus, it avoids compatibility hiccups with any case-sensitive web server since a user might enter a URL with lowercase instead of uppercase letters.<\/p>\n<h3>12. Don&#8217;t use slugs that belong to other pages.<\/h3>\n<p>URLs need a unique slug \u2014 or Google sees the pages as <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/marketing\/identify-remedy-duplicate-content-website-ht\">duplicate content on your website<\/a>, which can be penalized in some circumstances. To prevent my web pages from competing with each other in search engine results, I avoid similar URL slugs entirely.<\/p>\n<p>That being said, especially if you own an ecommerce store, you might realize you have two similar URLs like this:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>https:\/\/www.example.com\/product-category-one<\/li>\n<li>https:\/\/www.example.com\/product-category-directory\/product-category-one<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When that happens to me, I tell search crawlers which webpage I want to appear on Google Search. More specifically, I use <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/marketing\/canonical-url\">canonical tags<\/a>, a classic technical SEO practice.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/hs-fs\/hubfs\/tags.webp?width=650&amp;height=395&amp;name=tags.webp\" width=\"650\" height=\"395\" alt=\"SEO URL best practices include using canonical URLs to resolve duplicate content issues. \" style=\"margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;width: 650px;height: auto;max-width: 100%\"><\/p>\n<h2>Making the Most of URLs<\/h2>\n<p>When I\u2019m scrolling on my phone, I\u2019m not analyzing the URLs I click on. I just tap away. However, on the back end, great URLs lead to more traffic. While there\u2019s a laundry list of tips to keep in mind, these best practices become second nature over time.<\/p>\n<p>When you want to dig deeper into SEO essentials, such as link building, check out our SEO guide with all the juicy details.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"cta_button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hubspot.com\/cs\/ci\/?pg=05aa9467-4eda-4dd6-8b7f-ad9855abfe33&amp;pid=53&amp;ecid=&amp;hseid=&amp;hsic=\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"hs-cta-img \" style=\"height: auto !important;width: auto !important;max-width: 100% !important;border-width: 0px\" alt=\"marketing\" height=\"226\" width=\"646\" src=\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/53\/05aa9467-4eda-4dd6-8b7f-ad9855abfe33.png\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Editor&#8217;s note: This post was originally published in April 2014 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/track.hubspot.com\/__ptq.gif?a=53&amp;k=14&amp;r=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.hubspot.com%2Fmarketing%2Fhow-to-optimize-urls-for-search&amp;bu=https%253A%252F%252Fblog.hubspot.com%252Fmarketing&amp;bvt=rss\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" style=\"min-height:1px!important;width:1px!important;border-width:0!important;margin-top:0!important;margin-bottom:0!important;margin-right:0!important;margin-left:0!important;padding-top:0!important;padding-bottom:0!important;padding-right:0!important;padding-left:0!important\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Back when I started playing the search engine optimization (SEO) game, keyword stuffing actually worked. Since then, algorithm updates have spared only a few SEO best practices, like URL optimization. Back when I started playing the search engine optimization (SEO) game, keyword stuffing actually worked. Since then, algorithm updates have spared only a few SEO [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":678,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Best URL Practices for SEO: How to Optimize URLs for Search - Bell Marketing Solutions<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bellmarketingsolutions.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/10\/best-url-practices-for-seo-how-to-optimize-urls-for-search\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Best URL Practices for SEO: How to Optimize URLs for Search - Bell Marketing Solutions\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Back when I started playing the search engine optimization (SEO) game, keyword stuffing actually worked. 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