How To Optimize Your Web URL Structure?

When you aim to optimize your website, every detail matters—including the address bar located at the top of your browser which displays the URL of the webpage you're viewing.

Your URL structure can directly impact the SEO efforts. Plus, it’s often one of the first elements visitors notice, alongside your site’s design, content, and visuals. Check out below to know more about why URLs are an essential part of SEO!

What Is a URL?

Uniform Resource Locator famously known as the URL is the web address that directs users to a specific page or resource on the internet. It works like an address for your website, helping browsers locate and display the right page. Every page, image, video, or document on the web has a unique URL.

URLs are one of the most crucial components as they can help people access the webpage they want to view. To help you understand better about what is URLs, below are some examples of URLs:

URLs can also be longer and more specific than the examples above. A well-crafted URL can be a powerful tool to improve SEO performance. Therefore, ensuring that you optimize your URLs is important to boost your website’s rankings.

There are two types of URLs that are important for you to know, absolute and relative. Absolute URL shows the full path to your website URL, from the protocol, subdomain (www), domain name, and URL slug. Here’s an example of an absolute URL: https://www.cardinaldigital.com/blog-article/how-to-become-an-seo-expert

Meanwhile, a relative URL specifically identifies the directory and URL slug without indicating the full path. Here’s an example of a relative URL: blog-article/how-to-become-an-SEO-expert

How Does URL Work?

A URL acts like a digital address that helps web browsers find and display the right content from the internet. When someone types a URL into their browser or clicks a link, the browser starts looking for that web address. The browser connects to a Domain Name System (DNS), which translates the domain name into an IP address (a series of numbers that identify the server).

After finding the correct IP address, the browser sends a request to the website’s server, asking for the specific page or resource linked to that URL. Afterward, the server will process the request and send the content back to the browser, allowing you as the user to see and interact with it.

Why SEO-Friendly URLs Important?

SEO-friendly URLs are designed to improve search engine rankings and enhance user experience. There are three ultimate reasons why SEO-friendly URLs are important!

Easy to Read

A simple, easy-to-read URL helps users know what to expect before they click.

This URL is short and easy to read. Allowing users to quickly recognize that it leads to the Cardinal Digital webpage.

Relevant

When URLs are clean and relevant, users are more likely to trust and click on them. Additionally, they also help search engines understand the page’s topic. This will help to boost traffic to your site and improve its chances of ranking higher.

For people who are searching for a blog post about “how to use the people also ask" feature, a website with a URL containing the keywords “how to use people also ask” is more likely to appear in Google search results.

Convenient

SEO-friendly can also improve site organization, making it easier for both users and search engines to navigate your site.

The webpage indicates the site's category at the end of the URL. This helps users interested in learning more about Cardinal Digital to easily identify that they are on the "about us" page.

How Is a URL Structured?

The structure of a URL contains multiple parts that can be broken down into some distinct parts.

Protocol

The protocol directs your browser on how to connect to a webpage, typically using either HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol) or HTTPS (HTTP secure). The difference is that HTTPS can encrypt and safeguard data exchanged between the server and browser much better. Consequently, when users engage with your site, their sensitive information, such as login credentials and credit card details, remains shielded from potential attackers.

This security measure significantly enhances a website's protection and plays a vital role in enhancing its search result rankings. The bold font indicates the protocol of these URLs:

From the example that we’ve shown above, you can see that all the sites are using protocol with HTTPS. This shows that reputable websites prioritize HTTPS as their site protocol, to emphasize user safety and security.

Subdomain

A subdomain comprises words or phrases preceding the first dot in a URL. Commonly, "www" is the most prevalent subdomain. But now, including "www" is an optional practice as its presence or absence doesn't hold much significance. Regarding SEO, using or excluding "www" doesn't notably impact rankings. But indeed, omitting "www" can result in shorter and more user-friendly URLs.

Additionally, you can use various words as subdomains to organize website sections, such as "blog" or "support," directing to specific directories within the primary domain. These aid in managing and structuring website segments based on specific functions.

The bold font indicates the subdomain of these URLs:

Domain

The domain is the core segment of a URL, it serves as the website's identifier. It's the term users input into their browser's address bar to navigate to a specific site. When seeking a domain name, it’s important to opt for short, catchy domain names. So it will be easier for people to recall, potentially prompting them to revisit your website.

The bold font indicates the domain of these URLs:

Top-Level Domain (TLD)

The top-level Domain (TLD), also known as the domain extension, follows the name of your website. The most commonly used TLDs are:

.com: Commercial websites - https://www.cardinaldigital.com/
.org: Nonprofit organizations - https://www.un.org/
.edu: Educational institutions - https://www.harvard.edu/
.gov: Government agencies - https://www.state.gov/

Furthermore, the utilization of country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs) is also another option you can choose. These ccTLDs consist of two-letter domain extensions that indicate a website's link to a particular country or region, such as .sg, .id, and .uk.

For those in the initial phases of acquiring a domain name, it is important to opt for a TLD that most accurately reflects the essence of your business. Choosing the right TLD is crucial for URLs due to several reasons:

Relevance: A relevant TLD can indicate the nature or purpose of the website, aiding users in understanding its content before visiting.
Trustworthiness: Certain TLDs, like .org, and .gov are more familiar and often associated with established trustworthy websites.
Geotargeting: Country code TLDs (.us, .uk, etc.) help in targeting specific geographical regions, which can be beneficial for local businesses or services targeting specific locations.
SEO Impact: While the impact might be minimal, search engines sometimes use the TLD as a factor for determining the relevance of a website to a particular region. It's one of the many factors they consider in local search rankings.

Choosing TLD that aligns with your website's purpose, audience, and trustworthiness can positively impact user trust, and potentially aid in search engine optimization efforts.

Subfolder

A subfolder is a folder inside the main folder of a website. It helps organize the site’s content into different sections. Subfolders make it easier for visitors to find what they need by clearly separating parts of the site and showing users where they are on the website.

The bold font indicates the subfolder of the URL:

Slug

A slug within a URL specifies a particular page or post on a website, offering insight into the content and context of that specific webpage. However, when URL slugs appear as strings of numbers like "/83451/" –this can be confusing for users and search engines.

Therefore, when crafting a slug, it's crucial to ensure it is descriptive and can convey meaningful information about the page's content.

The bold font indicates the slug of the URL:

URL Parameters

URL parameters, also known as query strings, are components of a URL appearing after a question mark (?). They consist of pairs of keys and values, delineated by an equal sign (=). The key indicates the type of information being conveyed, while the corresponding value represents the specific information being passed along within the URL.

The bold font indicates the parameter of the URL:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwj429LTxrGDAxWPSmwGHWbgD1gQFnoECBAQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2F

Do’s and Don’ts to Optimize URLs for SEO

Do’s	Don'ts
Be descriptive and use relevant keywords that reflect the content of the page.	Avoid using random characters.
Keep it simple, shorter URLs are easier to read and share.	Don’t make URLs too long, this can confuse users and search engines.
Stick to lowercase letters to avoid errors.	Don’t use uppercase, because mixed cases can lead to duplicate content issues.
Use hyphens to separate words.	Avoid using underscores or spaces, this can make URLs harder to read.
Use HTTPS protocol, as it helps protect your visitors’ sensitive information from attackers.	Don’t use HTTP as non-secure URLs can negatively impact SEO and user trust.
Choose the appropriate TLD, a relevant TLD can indicate the nature or purpose of your website.	Avoid complex folder paths, because too many subfolders can make URLs harder to manage.
Include target keywords in URL slugs to help the search engine understand what the page is about.

Conclusion

A URL is a full web address directing users to a particular file online. Understanding more about how URLs are created, and everything behind the URL is important if you want to improve your website SEO.

Looking to enhance your website's visibility and reach? Consider hiring our reliable team at Cardinal Digital!