When optimizing your website, every little detail counts: content creation, page performance, link building—these help build the framework of digital marketing. But did you know that your URL also plays a significant role in SEO?
Yes, your URL structure can contribute to your SEO! Not to mention, it can be one of the first things your customers will see besides your website’s design, content, and images. Every bit of effort counts when you’re optimizing your website, including your URL structure!
But first, let’s find out what makes URLs a fundamental component of SEO.
The Importance Of An SEO-Friendly URL
An SEO-friendly URL will impact your website’s first impressions, and there are three reasons why: readability, convenience, and relevance.
1. Readability
The solution is simple: If your URL is easy to read, it’s easier to remember. A readable URL will make sure your customers can retain brief yet essential information about your website.
The URL pictured above is short, simple, and easy to read.
2. Convenience
Once your URL structure is readable, it will be more convenient for users to navigate through your website. Plus, customers can find the page they’re looking for without any fuss.
For instance, check out this URL. It displays the category of the site at the end so users can immediately know they’re exploring the “blog” page.
3. Relevance
Lastly, a relevant URL will benefit users and search engines altogether. Users searching for certain websites on Google can find what they’re looking for if the URL structure is optimized with relevance in mind.
For example, a user is looking for a blog post about the types of SEM services in Singapore. If they search for it on Google, the website pictured above has a higher chance of appearing on the results page if its URL structure displays the keywords “types of SEM services”.
Overall, an SEO-friendly URL has better chances of ranking higher on search engines, especially Google. Optimizing your URL will make it easier to promote your page on other websites and platforms such as Facebook and Twitter!
How To Optimize Your URL Structure?
Now that we understand the importance of optimized URLs for search engine marketing campaigns, let’s get down to business. Here are some of the ways to create an SEO-friendly URL.
1. Keep It Simple
The shorter, the better. There’s no need to complicate your URL structure. Keep it brief and simple to improve the URL’s readability for users.
2. Utilize Keywords
It’s not enough to build your website from the ground up with no means of reaching out to your target audience. Other than social media marketing or blogging, you should use one of the most effective tools in your arsenal—keywords.
Research relevant keywords and utilize them in your URL to improve your website’s visibility and ranking. However, remember to avoid overstuffing keywords or else search engines will penalize your website, resulting in a lower ranking!
3. Hyphenate To Separate Keywords
Another rule of thumb is to use hyphens (instead of commas) when separating keywords. Google recommends using hyphens because the search engine treats hyphens as spaces.
4. Classify Url’s Based On Categories
To make your URL understandable at first sight, you can classify your URLs based on categories. Your categories will depend on the website’s features.
Step 1: Homepage
For example, OOm’s website displays a wide selection of services, including the “SEO” section.
Step 2: SEO services page.
Upon visiting the page, you see a short description titled “Improved Site Usability”, and you want to read more about it.
Step 3: “Improved Site Usability” page.
You click on the link, and now you’re on the page itself. Notice how the URL is classified based on categories, starting from Homepage > Services > Additional Information.
In short, you should categorize your URLs to make them more comprehensible so that users can indicate which page they’re currently using. Also, search engines possess the same human logic, so make sure your URLs and the categories are consistent with each other.
5. Avoid Spelling And Grammatical Errors
Most of the time, automated programs type the URLs themselves. However, no one (and nothing) is perfect, which is why spelling and grammatical errors are still common. Before you launch your website, check the URL for any spelling, formatting, and grammatical errors.
Summary
In general, creating an SEO-friendly URL structure will benefit users and search engines overall. Optimizing your URL is just as important as creating quality content or researching keywords. Here’s a summarised list of everything you need to know:
- A short and simple URL works best.
- Categorize your URL for improved readability.
- Use keywords to improve your search engine ranking.
- Avoid grammatical and spelling errors.
Follow these guidelines, and soon you’ll reap the rewards of creating an SEO-friendly URL structure!
Need extra help with your marketing campaign? Contact our SEO agency in Singapore at +65 6391 0930.
