SEO On-Page
URL Structure

URL Structure

A well-structured URL is readable by both humans and search engines. It helps users understand what a page is about before clicking and provides context to search engines.

Anatomy of a URL

https://www.example.com/blog/seo-guide
Protocol
Domain
Path
Slug

SEO-Friendly URL Best Practices

Guideline Example
Use keywords /seo-tips-beginners not /post-12345
Keep it short /contact not /contact-us-for-more-information
Use hyphens /seo-guide not /seo_guide or /seoguide
Lowercase only /about-us not /About-Us
Avoid special characters /product-name not /product?id=123&ref=abc

URL Examples

Good URLs
  • /blog/on-page-seo-guide
  • /products/running-shoes
  • /services/web-design
  • /about
Bad URLs
  • /blog/post?id=12345
  • /p/SKU_8392847
  • /services/web_design_and_development_services_for_businesses
  • /About-Us-Page

URL Hierarchy

Organize URLs to reflect your site structure:

example.com/
├── /blog/
│ ├── /blog/seo-tips/
│ └── /blog/content-marketing/
├── /products/
│ ├── /products/shoes/
│ └── /products/accessories/
└── /about/

Common URL Issues

  • Dynamic parameters - URLs with ?id=, &ref=, etc.
  • Session IDs in URLs - Creates duplicate content issues
  • Too many subdirectories - /cat/subcat/subsubcat/page is too deep
  • Inconsistent trailing slashes - /page and /page/ should redirect to one
  • Mixed case - /Page and /page are different URLs on most servers

Changing URLs

If you need to change a URL:

  1. Set up a 301 redirect - Permanently redirect the old URL to the new one
  2. Update internal links - Change all links pointing to the old URL
  3. Update the sitemap - Remove old URL, add new one
  4. Update canonical tags - Point to the new URL
Pro Tip: Plan your URL structure before building your site. Changing URLs later requires careful redirect management to preserve SEO value.

External Resources