SEO friendly URLs are URLs that work well for both visitors and search engines.
Friendly URLs are a powerful tool and creating a well-formed and descriptive URL structure should be a fundamental aspect of any website SEO strategy.
The competition for search engine rankings has never been higher, and for good reason. Over 90% of consumers don’t even look past the first page of search engine results!
While everyone wants their website to be at the top of search engine results, most small business websites have small errors that are preventing them from reaching the first page of Google.
One of the main advantages of friendly URL structure is that they improve a website’s performance in search engine results by highlighting keywords in the URL itself. Having an SEO-friendly URL structure can help search engines and users alike navigate your website more easily, potentially giving you an edge over the competition.
They also create a more memorable address for the end user which in turn makes it easier to share your URL’s in promotion materials or campaigns.
Take it slowly
The key to better URLs is to design them properly from the start, don’t rush it’s important to really think about the URL.
Be Descriptive
Create a simple descriptive directory structure that relates to your content. Use the directory structure to describe the type of content to the end user and provide a structure. For example, if you have a website showcasing your web design work along with a blog where you discuss web design topics, we good URL structure would be www.mydomain.com/portfolio; www.mydomain.com/blog
Keywords are key
This is a significant benefit for SEO because keywords in URLs are highlighted in search engine results pages (SERPs) of Google and other search engines. For example, if you had a page displaying top mobile phones a good URL would be www.example.com/products/phones/best-mobile-phones.
It’s easy to go overboard but remember file names should be concise; if you’re creating very long ones then you need to rethink your directory stone structure.
Advanced Strategies
Once you’ve mastered the very basics, there are a number of advanced URL strategies that are worth investigating including 301 redirects, 404 handling, upper vs lower case URLs and XML sitemaps all of which should be added to any budding SEO consultants toolbox.
Need Some Help With Your Website’s URL structure?
We help business owners across Australia grow their businesses using progressive digital marketing and website design tactics. How can we help you do the same?
If you need help with your website URL structure please feel free to contact us today for a FREE SEO Consultation with one of our Sydney based SEO experts.