Do your URLs look like this:
www.yoursite.com/blog/random-blog-post
Or this?
www.yoursite.com//d/1mrSXWNhuvDxzio44Ky60o9Mbh6pvejmkYhqRniMtsyU/edit
If the answer is the latter, your URL structure needs some tightening up.
Long, complicated URLs like the one above are inconvenient for users and search engine algorithms.
For users, complicated URLs make it more difficult for them to reach the web pages they want. Imagine trying to memorize the garbled mess of letters and numbers in the example provided above!
Compare that with the first URL, which you can easily remember and type into a web browser.
For search engine crawler bots, concise, logical URLs make your website easier to crawl and index.
However, a URL structure optimized for SEO stretches beyond simplifying the web address.
You’ll also want to add target keywords, remain consistent with categories and page names, and use HTTPS protocol for ideal security.
There’s quite a bit to know about URL structure, including knowing the components of a URL, so it can seem a tad daunting for newcomers.
That’s why we’re here to teach you everything you need to know about creating and maintaining an SEO-friendly URL structure, so stick around!
What is a URL?
The internet is home to well over a billion websites (1.98 billion as of 2024), so it’s not exactly a place you can navigate on your own.
Instead, you need a way to reliably find the exact website, web page, or file you’re looking for – which is what URLs provide.
An acronym for Unique Resource Locator, a URL is an address that lets you directly access content on the internet. As the name implies, it’s a tool you use to locate a unique resource in the vastness of the internet.
URLs are most commonly used for accessing websites and web pages using HTTP protocols on web browsers, but that’s not their only use.
You can also use URLs to access your default email client (mailto) and upload and download files (file transfer protocol or FTP). We’ll discuss URL protocols more in a bit, but that covers the basics for now.
Web browsers work by letting users enter URLs into their address bar. If a user knows the URL for the website they want to visit, they can type it directly into the address bar.
If they don’t know what the exact URL is, they can use a search engine like Google to find what they’re looking for. An example would be searching for Netflix on Google because you aren’t sure what the URL is. In this case, clicking on Netflix’s search result will hyperlink you to their URL.
Here’s what that looks like:
Understanding the Components of a URL
Even the simplest URLs contain syntaxes like ‘://’ and prefixes like ‘.com’ or ‘.net,’ which may seem confusing if you don’t know what they mean.
Every URL follows a uniform structure consisting of at least three mandatory parts, but there can be up to 10.
Once you know what each part represents, URLs become much easier to understand.
Here’s a breakdown of all 10 URL components.
Component #1: Protocol (also called scheme)
The first building block of a URL is a protocol, also called a scheme.
What’s that?
In a nutshell, a protocol is a set of rules for how a connection between a web server and a browser should be established.
The most common protocols include:
- HTTP, which stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. You’ve seen this protocol in action whenever a website begins with http:// (although https has pretty much taken over at this point). The http protocol sends a request to your web browser to pull up the resource represented by the URL address. If the resource is available, it will appear on your screen. For many years, this was the most common way to access websites and web pages from browsers. The main flaw of this protocol is that it’s not secure, meaning anyone can access the data.
- HTTPS, which stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. This protocol works in the exact same way as http, but it has the added benefit of being encrypted (hence the secure part of the name). This makes it much more difficult for someone to intercept the data. Https has become the norm in recent years, and Google strongly recommends it for all websites to ensure users’ privacy and security. It’s also a must for e-commerce stores where users enter their personal financial information.
- Mailto. You can use this protocol to automatically open your default email browser and prep a message to a recipient that you specify in the URL. An example would be entering ‘mailto:recipient@gmail.com’ into Firefox. Once you press the Enter key, Gmail will open up with the subject line populated with the address you put in the URL (in this case, recipient@gmail.com).
- FTP (file transfer protocol). If you need to transfer files from one system to another, you can use FTP. It’s a protocol that enables file sharing between two servers. You can both download and upload files using FTP. In fact, most web browsers have FTP processes taking place in the background without you even knowing it. If you’ve ever downloaded anything from the internet, FTP was likely what made it happen.
The protocol always comes at the very beginning of a URL, regardless if it’s http, ftp, mailto, or something else.
Component #2: Subdomain
Not every URL will contain subdomains, as it’s not a mandatory component of a URL. A subdomain is a way of dividing your website into different sections.
It’s a unique choice that’s often made to manage a distinct part of your website that requires its own hierarchy of interconnected pages.
For example, it’s common to use subdomains if your website also has an online store or blog. By separating your online store away from the rest of your website with a subdomain, you can contain and manage all its inner pages in one location.
Also, users won’t have to visit a different website to purchase your merch or read your blog posts.
Here’s what a subdomain looks like in the context of a URL (highlighted in bold):
https://blog.yoursite.com/how-tos/gardening-tips
As you can see, the subdomain ‘blog’ appears before the primary domain name, and directly after the protocol.
Subdomains function as mini-websites that are connected to your main site via the URL.
So, it’s wise to subdomains for any part of your website that could function as its own site, such as:
- Online stores
- Blogs
- Offering separate services for business clients and consumers (starting a subdomain for B2B clients)
- Job boards
- Support platforms
- Data analytics platforms
- Versions of your site in a different language (or for a different geographical region)
You aren’t limited to just one subdomain, either. Websites can have up to 500 subdomains, so it’s entirely possible to have them set up for a blog, online store, customer support, and analytics platform all at the same time (with plenty of slots to spare, too).
Component #3: Second-level domain (SLD)
Moving down the chain, a URL’s second-level domain is the main name of your website.
Here’s what it looks like in a URL (the bolded text is the SLD):
https://www.yoursite.com
Your second-level domain lets people know that the website belongs to your brand, and is often a version of the brand name (although that’s not always the case).
It’s best to use a short, memorable SLD that your target audience can easily memorize and enter into a web browser.
For example, our URL is https://www.thehoth.com.
Our SLD is literally our brand name (The HOTH), making it extremely easy for our clients and prospects to find us online.
Component #4: Top-level domain (TLD)
Okay, now we’re on to the final domain-related URL component, which is the top-level domain.
Your TLD specifies the type of entity you’re registered as on the internet. The most well-known TLD is ‘.com,’ which is a shortened version of the word ‘commercial.’
An example would be:
https://www.yoursite.com
This is because the TLD .com represents commercial organizations in the United States, which is why most businesses register with the .com TLD.
Other popular top-level domains include:
- .net. Derived from the word ‘network,’ .net is a TLD that’s open to anyone to use (similar to .com). It’s a common choice for technology companies due to the connotations of the word network.
- .edu. The TLD .edu was developed in 1985 to provide a TLD for institutions focused on education. This TLD is NOT available to anyone, as the site owner must be a US post-secondary institution officially accredited by the US Department of Education.
- .gov. Another restricted TLD, .gov is only available for official government entities. To receive a .gov TLD, site owners must meet eligibility requirements and send in a letter for authorization.
There are lots of other TLDs, such as .co and .biz, but they’re far less common (and seem spammy).
Component #5: Subdirectory
Next, a subdirectory is a reference that lets search engine crawlers and users know where they are in the greater context of a site.
For instance, if you were browsing the Jackets section of an online clothing store, the subdirectory in the URL would most likely read ‘jackets.’
Here’s an example of a subdirectory in a URL (highlighted in bold):
https://shop.yoursite.com/jackets/red-jacket-large
The subdirectory lets you know that you’re in the Jackets section of the online store, which is A) a useful navigational resource for users and B) a way to keep the pages on your site organized.
Component #6: Port
The port in a URL is a number designating a specific gateway (which is why it’s called a port) that directs traffic to your website.
You can think of it as a door that lets users pass through to your website’s content.
Most of the time, ports don’t appear in URLs because they use standard ports assumed by the most commonly used protocols, like HTTP (port # 80) and HTTPS (port #443).
For reference, here’s a port number inside a URL (in bold):
https://shop.yoursite.com/jackets/443/jackets/red-jacket-large
This number signifies that the HTTPS protocol is the port being used. However, most of the time the port won’t show up in the URL.
Component #7: Path
By now, we’ve got a port to go through, but we don’t have a map to our specific destination online.
This is what the path component is for, as it maps out the route you need to take to reach your requested resource.
So, if the resource you want to access is a large red jacket, this is what the path would look like in a URL:
https://shop.yoursite.com/jackets/red-jacket-large
This lets the web browser know that you’re trying to navigate to the web page selling a large jacket in the color red.
Component #8: Query
You may notice question marks appearing in search URLs, but why are they there?
A question mark in a URL represents a query string that defines a set of parameters for the data you’re trying to retrieve from the website.
They most commonly appear in URLs for search queries on engines like Google and Bing.
We’ll move on to parameters next, but here’s what a query looks like:
https://shop.yoursite.com/jackets/red-jacket-large?
Remember, the question mark begins the query string (also called parameters), so everything you see after a question mark in a URL is a parameter.
Component #9: Parameters
Parameters modify the content of a page based on key and value designations. The key specifies what you want to change, and the value parameter sets the criteria for modifications.
Here’s a quick example:
https://www.yoursite.com/blog?category=gardening
Here, the key is ‘category’ and the value is ‘gardening,’ meaning the search will only display gardening articles from your blog.
Component #10: Fragments
Lastly, the final component is called fragments, which are special codes at the end of a URL that direct users to a specific part of a web page.
They’re marked with hashtags (#) and indicate an exact location on a web page, such as the header or footer.
Here’s an example (in bold):
https://www.yoursite.com/blog?category=gardening#footer
In this scenario, you would be directed to the very bottom of the page after clicking on the link.
Not every URL will contain all 10 components, but it’s useful to know what they mean.
Best Practices for SEO-Friendly URLs
Now that you know all the building blocks that comprise a URL, it’s time to learn how to make them SEO-friendly.
Google and other search engines have certain preferences for URLs, such as using the HTTPS protocol for enhanced security.
By adhering to what Google wants with your URL structure and hierarchy, it becomes SEO-friendly, and you may see better rankings as a result.
More importantly, maintaining SEO-friendly URLs will ensure that your website is easy for search engine bots to crawl and index, ensuring that your most important content continues to appear on the SERPs (search engine results pages).
To ensure you have an SEO-friendly URL structure, follow these best practices.
Implement a clear URL hierarchy
A URL hierarchy refers to the structure you use for naming web page URLs.
In order to appeal to both web users and search engines, you should employ a unanimous naming structure that follows the same rules across the board.
You also need to segment your content into categories to make your inner pages easier to navigate.
Here’s a quick example of what your URL hierarchy might look like:
- A user begins on your homepage, let’s say it’s www.yoursite.com.
- Next, they click on a hyperlink called Services which takes them to this subdirectory: www.yoursite.com/services
- They’re interested in consulting, which has its own series of pages. Clicking on Consulting takes them to www.yoursite.com/services/consulting.
- Finally, they go to a specific consulting page about developing a strategy. The last past they visit has a URL like this: www.yoursite.com/services/consulting/strategy.
As you can see, the naming device remains consistent, and each subcategory follows a logical structure (parent pages and child pages).
Avoid non-ASCII characters
When naming your URLs, it’s a good idea to avoid non-ASCII characters as much as possible.
What are those?
ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) characters include the alphabet from A – Z, numbers 0 – 9, and most basic punctuation characters.
Non-ASCII characters, then, refer to anything outside of those parameters.
This means you should avoid symbols, accented letters, and characters from other languages when naming your URLs, otherwise you could confuse users and crawler bots.
Use short, simple URLs
The more complicated a URL is, the more likely it is to cause confusion.
Even without considering web users and search engine crawlers, using a complicated naming structure has the potential to confuse you, too.
Also, Google can’t display long URLs in its search results, so it abbreviates them:
That’s why it’s best to keep your URLs short and sweet:
Include relevant keywords
It’s an SEO best practice to include target keywords inside URLs, although this has more of an impact on Bing than it does on Google.
Regardless, using keywords in your URLs still yields some SEO benefit on Google, and it helps users know what your content is about.
For example, if you have a blog post called Top 5 Digital Marketing Tips for This Year, and the target keyword is ‘digital marketing tips,’ you could use a URL like this:
www.yoursite.com/blog/digital-marketing-tips
Now you have the keyword working double duty, both in your blog’s title and the URL (don’t forget to include it in the title tag, too).
Use lowercase letters and hyphens to separate words
There’s a bit of an unwritten rule in URL structure, and it’s to use hyphens to separate words instead of underscores.
Good: www.yoursite.com/digital-marketing-tips
Bad: www.yoursite.com/digital_marketing_tips
Sure, underscores can work fine for your image gallery on your PC, but stick to hyphens when creating web page URLs.
This is because not every search engine recognizes underscores as word separators, but they all recognize hyphens.
Place redirects on any URL that you change
URL structure isn’t set in stone, and you’ll likely make some changes to it down the line. Reasons for this include:
- Redesigning or restructuring your website
- No longer offering a particular product or service
- Changing domains
Whatever the reason may be, you must use a 301 redirect to permanently direct users to the new, changed URL.
Otherwise, your website will start to get riddled with broken links, which is never a good thing.
However, bear in mind that using too many redirects will slow your website down, so do your best to use them sparingly.
Implement an SEO-Friendly URL Structure Today
To recap what we’ve covered so far:
- A URL is a unique resource locator that helps you find specific files, websites, and web pages online.
- URLs can have up to 10 components, but only 3 are essential, which are a protocol, domain name, and path.
- Implementing an SEO-friendly URL structure can help your site rank better and ensure stronger crawling and indexing.
URL structure is often overlooked by digital marketers and website owners, so don’t forget to optimize your URLs to achieve maximum SEO effectiveness.
Do you need help managing your website’s URL structure and other technical SEO factors?
If so, one of our Technical SEO Audits is exactly what the doctor ordered. We’ll give your site a soup-to-nuts audit and provide you with a detailed report of every issue that we find. If you don’t feel like handling the fix yourself, our experts will take the wheel, so don’t wait to try it out!
