URL: what it is, what it means, and what it is used for
It is the full address of a site, a string of text that takes on crucial significance for Internet navigation because it makes access to Web resources orderly and organized. Let’s talk about the URL, an acronym for Uniform Resource Locator and essentially we can think of it as the zip code of our digital home, the unique and unambiguous address that allows our site to be found among the billions of others that populate the Web. The URL is thus a fundamental element for navigation and orientation in the Web universe, but it is also a real signal we send to search engines and visitors to our site. Even a seemingly simple and technical element such as the Web address, which essentially serves to inform of the location of a resource such as a specific site, page or file within the Web, can therefore play a role in site optimization. In short, let’s try to understand what URLs are, how they are structured and why they are so important for SEO, and also why SEO friendly and well-designed URLs can (still) make the difference between a site that is easily found and one that remains hidden in the web’s meanders.
What a URL is
Let’s start with the definition of URL, which as mentioned is an acronym for Uniform Resource Locator.
From a practical point of view, URL is a unique address that distinctly and uniquely identifies a specific resource on the Internet, such as a web page, an image or a file, functioning similarly to the full address of a house, allowing it to be found among all the others.
But what exactly does URL mean? It is the string of text that we enter in the browser address bar to reach a particular web page and is one of the fundamental elements of the web, essential for navigating and accessing online resources.
Meaning and definition of URL
The concept of URL was first introduced by Tim Berners-Lee, the father of the World Wide Web, as part of the project to create a unique identification system for online resources.
In IETF document RFC 3986, URL is defined as the sequence the characters that uniquely identifies any online resource, such as a page, image, or file, and which by extension also identifies the file structure of any site, representing in this sense the complete address of a site.
The acronym URL is thus a technical term is used to describe the address that allows a specific resource to be uniquely located on the Internet. Specifically, the word “Uniform” indicates that the URL format is standardized, meaning that all URLs follow a common structure, making it easier for browsers and search engines to interpret and access resources.
What URLs are used for
As mentioned, a Uniform Resource Locator is essential for navigating and accessing resources on the Internet. In its essence, it serves as a unique address that allows users to locate and access specific Web pages, images, videos, documents, and other online resources. Without URLs, it would be impossible for users and search engines to find and access information available on the Web.
URLs also serve other key functions. First of all, they facilitate navigation, allowing users to move easily between different pages and websites. For example, by entering a URL in the browser address bar, we can directly access a specific page without having to go through a series of intermediate links.
In addition, URLs are critical for SEO: search engines use URLs to index and rank web pages. A well-structured URL containing relevant keywords can improve a page’s ranking in search results, making it more visible to users.
URLs are also crucial for sharing content. We can copy and paste a URL into an email, text message, social media post or document to easily share a resource with other users. This makes URLs powerful tools for disseminating information and promoting content online.
Finally, URLs are used for managing and organizing content within a website. They allow a logical and consistent structure to be created, facilitating internal navigation and enhancing the user experience. For example, a URL such as https://www.example.com/blog/seo-guide not only clearly indicates the content of the page, but also helps to organize the site in an intuitive and accessible way.
What does it mean to insert URLs?
Continuing the basic explanations, inserting a URL means adding a web address within a digital content, such as a web page, document, email, or social media post, to create a hyperlink that allows users to directly access a specific resource on the Internet. This process is critical for online browsing, as it allows different pages and resources to be linked, facilitating access to information and enhancing the user experience. For example, inserting a URL into a blog article allows readers to click on the link and visit a related page for further details or insights.
How do you insert the URL?
Inserting a URL is a simple operation that varies depending on the context we are in.
If we are working on a web page, we can use HTML code to create a hyperlink. For example, the code <a href=“https://www.example.com”>Visit Our Site</a> creates a link that, when clicked, takes the user to the specified site. In content management systems (CMS) such as WordPress, we can insert a URL using the visual editor: we select the text we want to turn into a link, click on the link icon, and enter the URL in the appropriate field. In an email, we can simply copy and paste the URL into the body of the message or use the formatting options to create a clickable link.
Even on social media, we can place a URL directly in the post or in the link field provided, allowing users to click and visit the linked resource. For example, on platforms such as Facebook or X we can paste the URL directly into the text field of the post, and the system will automatically generate a preview of the link, making it more attractive and clickable for users.
In all these cases, the goal is to make the link easily accessible and visible, thus improving navigation and user experience.
URL structure, the key to navigating the Web
The standardization of URLs has been crucial to the development of the Web, as it has made it possible to create a consistent and reliable system for online navigation. Without URLs, as mentioned, it would be impossible for users to find and access Web resources efficiently.
Moreover, as we will see in more detail, a well-structured and optimized URL can significantly improve a site’s visibility in search results, because it still remains an element that Google pays attention to in its evaluations.
Even the standard structure that can be used to set up this address was codified by Internet daddy Tim Berners-Lee. Even today, URLs are therefore composed of several parts, each of which has a specific function.
For example, in a URL such as https://www.example.com/path/page?parameter=value, https is the protocol, www.example.com is the domain, /path/page is the path, and parameter=value represents the query parameters. Each component helps to locate and access the desired resource.
How is a URL structured? The components of the standard structure
A URL is more than just a sequence of characters: it is a complex, well-defined structure that allows you to locate and access specific resources on the Internet.
There are essentially eight parts of which each URL is composed, between mandatory and optional elements, and each has a specific meaning.
Starting from the left, the first portion is the schema, which indicates the protocol used to access the resource located on the servers. The current standard is http:// or https://, but there can also be paths such as mailto: (which automatically routes to the e-mail client) or ftp: (to handle file transfers).
This is followed by the string :// which is a simple separator between the protocol and the remaining part of the URL, which is usually the host or, less frequently, the username. Until a few years ago, immediately following the protocol was the option of specifying authentication credentials for accessing the online resource: the username:password@ string, however, was gradually abandoned because it risked opening the way to phishing (credentials were sent in plain text to the server, without encryption, and the path could lead to pages other than those expected), and today that function is deactivated, although some browsers including Firefox keep it active, while still warning users of the potential dangers to which they are exposing themselves.
In the most common formulations, after protocol and :// is an indication of the domain name of the host, i.e., the address of the server on which the resource resides, which software automatically converts to an IP address by making use of the DNS service; in other cases, the numeric IP address may be displayed directly, but this solution is rarer. We can also consider the domain as the unique name of the website. In https://www.example.com, example.com is the domain.
Typically, the standard URL path stops at these parameters, but there are also four other optional elements that can be added to the Web address: the port (of the service to which the request is to be forwarded, usually omitted because standard ports associated with the protocol are referenced); the path (pathname) within the server’s file system to identify the requested resource; the query string, a string of characters, separated with a ? symbol, that allows one or more parameters to be transmitted to the server; and the fragment, which indicates a part or location within the resource. Il frammento è opzionale e viene utilizzato per puntare a una sezione specifica di una pagina; è preceduto da un simbolo #. Ad esempio, https://www.esempio.com/percorso/pagina#sezione punta direttamente alla sezione denominata “sezione” all’interno della pagina.
More precisely, the path specifies the location of the resource within the site. It begins with a single slash / and may include a number of directories and subdirectories. For example, in https://www.esempio.com/percorso/pagina, /path/page is the path leading to the specific resource. Some URLs also include as mentioned query parameters, which are key-value pairs added to the end of the URL to pass additional information to the server. These parameters are preceded by a question mark ? and separated by an & symbol. An example might be https://www.esempio.com/percorso/pagina?parametro=valore.
Summarizing the main parts, we have:
- Schema, which specifies the mode of access to the resource.
- Server, part that specifies the name of the computer where the resource is located.
- Path, specifies the sequence of directories leading to the destination. If resource/resource is omitted, the destination is the last directory in the path.
- Resource, is the destination, usually the name of a file. This can be a simple file, containing a single binary byte stream, or a structured document, containing one or more archives and binary byte streams.
Full address of a site: practical examples
To better understand how these components work together, let’s look at some practical examples of complete website addresses.
Let’s take the URL https://www.example.com/blog/article?tag=seo#comments. In this case, https is the protocol that guarantees a secure connection. www.example.com is the domain that identifies the website. The path /blog/article takes us to the specific blog page that contains the article. The query parameter tag=seo could be used to filter or categorize content based on the “seo” tag. Finally, the #comments snippet takes us directly to the comments section within the page.
Another example might be http://shop.example.com/products/category/product?id=12345. Here, http is the protocol, shop.example.com is the subdomain that identifies a specific section of the site dedicated to shopping. The path /products/category/product guides us through the directories to the specific product page. The query parameter id=12345 could be used to uniquely identify the product within the site’s database.
URLs: what relative, absolute and speaking addresses mean
As mentioned, URLs are the basis of all Web sites and represent in a standard way the location of a generic resource that a user can access; the location of a Web page can be done by providing an absolute or relative URL address.
This is another issue that often causes Hamletian doubts to SEO: absolute URLs versus relative URLs gives rise to opinions are more divided between those who promote the adoption of one structure versus those who emphasize the benefits of the other, often in relation to any preferences Google may have in crawling and indexing these addresses.
Absolute URLs and relative URLs: definitions, differences and use cases
When we talk about absolute and relative links, we are referring to two different ways of indicating the address of a resource within a website.
The absolute URL is a complete address, which includes all the data needed to access that page, file or resource – protocol, server, absolute path and document name. It is equivalent to providing someone with the full address of a place they are trying to reach. An absolute link includes the entire URL, including protocol, domain and full path. For example, https://www.example.com/path/page is an absolute link. This type of link is useful when we want to ensure that the user or search engine can access the resource from any context, regardless of what page it is on.
The relative URL is a partial address, related precisely to where the user is at that moment on the site, and they associate the code with the current directory structure or file. Taking the example of directions, it is like telling a person “go to the greenhouse straight down the street.” In computing, for example, if we are on https://www.example.com/path/ and want to link to a page within the same directory, we can use a relative link as the page.
Even more precisely, also following the guidance in this Microsoft guide, an absolute URL uses the format < schema://server/path/resource >, while “a relative URL locates a resource using an absolute URL as a starting point,” since the full URL of the destination “is specified by concatenating the absolute and relative URLs.”
The relative URL usually consists only of the path (path) and, optionally, the resource, while the schema and server are absent. In practice, with relative addresses everything seems to be missing except the filename, and the browser understands that to complete the URL and actually reach the page it must use the path to the current folder.
When to use relative URLs
Relative URLs are particularly useful in several scenarios. Basically, this type of link is useful for internal links because it makes it easier to manage and maintain links within the site. In addition, relative links are more flexible in case of domain or site structure changes.
One of their main advantages is precisely ease of management. When we use relative URLs, we can precisely move entire sections of the site without having to manually update each individual link. Put another way, in the case of migration, it will not be necessary to rewrite all page URLs or correct internal links between site pages, because these resources will always correctly function regardless of their location, without misdirection.
Another scenario in which relative URLs are preferable is during site development and testing. By using relative URLs, we can test the site in different environments (such as a local server or a staging server) without having to change link addresses. This makes the development process more efficient and less error-prone.
In addition, relative addresses are also recommended for sites organized in directories, because they make it easier to manage the multitude of pages registered and grouped in multiple folders, as they provide only the information strictly necessary to find the pages within the site.
However, it is important to note that relative URLs can cause problems if they are not used correctly. For example, if we are not careful about directory structure, we may create broken or incorrect links. Therefore, it is essential to have a clear understanding of the structure of the site and use relative URLs only when we are sure that they will not cause navigation problems.
Absolute or relative URLs: which is the best choice for the site
In practical terms, setting an absolute URL or a relative URL obviously generates a difference for the site.
In the former case, the address contains more information and refers precisely to a unique location and a unique file; moreover, the use of absolute URLs is mandatory for outbound links to other sites, which thus have a different domain name, because otherwise they cannot be correctly detected by the browser.
The problem with absolute URLs arises in the case of any site migration or relocation, because if we move the site to another server or domain, we necessarily have to rewrite all the addresses to enable resources to be reached effectively.
It is (also) for this reason that, usually, relative URLs, which are shorter and more portable, are considered more valuable and convenient – although, as pointed out, there are still various aspects to consider in order to run the processes without errors.
Which option to choose for SEO
The difference between absolute URL and relative URL thus has a technical and practical explanation; but what is Google’s position, and thus what is the best choice for SEO?
According to John Mueller, there is actually no preferred or perfect solution because, “when implemented correctly, both of these approaches lead to exactly the same position” and therefore for Google Search “it doesn’t matter at all which one you use on your site.”
In terms of optimization and ranking, therefore, “Google treats both exactly the same,” and indeed we can “even use both types of URLs within the same website, because there is absolutely no relative difference.”
What matters to Search and, more generally, to search engines is having a unique URL per content element, which then allows them to crawl and index that content in a way that presents it to users, but how we secure this requirement is up to us.
What talking URL means: definition and benefits
Returning then to the “URL dictionary” from an SEO perspective and beyond, there are two other expressions that return frequently, namely slug and talking URL.
A speaking URL is a web address that clearly describes the content of the page using relevant and easily understood keywords. Unlike generic or cryptic URLs, speaking URLs are designed to be intuitive for both users and search engines. For example, a URL such as https://www.example.com/seo-guide is much more informative and easy to remember than https://www.example.com/page?id=123.
The benefits of speaking URLs are many. First, they improve the user experience by making it easier to understand what the page is about simply by reading the URL. This can increase the likelihood that users will click on the link in search results. In addition, speaking URLs can improve a site’s SEO, as search engines use the keywords in the URL to index and rank pages. Therefore, a well-structured and descriptive URL can help improve ranking in search results.
What is the slug and what it means
The portion of the URL with the path is also called a slug.
From a technical point of view, slug is thus the final part of a URL, the string that identifies a specific page or resource within a site. It is therefore the element that makes the difference in making a URL speak.
For example, in the URL https://www.example.com/blog/my-first-post, the slug is my-first-post, and it is a unique identifier that is used to refer to that specific resource.
The term has its roots in journalism, where “slug” refers to a short string of words that identifies an article as it is being produced, and has since been adopted in the world of the Web.
How to create talking URLs: examples and tips for optimized slugs
The slug is thus the variable part of a URL, the one over which we have the most control and on which we generally need to act.
The choice of slug is important because it directly affects readability and search engine optimization. A well-designed slug can improve the page’s visibility in search results and make the URL more intuitive for users. Using relevant keywords in the slug helps search engines better understand the content of the page and rank it accordingly.
Effectively creating and managing a structured site with speaking URLs takes care and planning.
First, it is important to use relevant keywords that accurately describe the content of the page. This not only helps search engines index the page, but also makes the URL more intuitive for users. For example, if we are creating a page on how to optimize URLs, an effective speaking URL could be https://www.example.com/url-optimization.
Second, it is advisable to keep URLs short and concise. We avoid unnecessary or redundant words that can make the URL long and difficult to read. For example, instead of https://www.example.com/how-to-optimize-urls-for-seo, we can opt for https://www.example.com/url-seo-optimization. Always remember that a slug that is too long can be difficult to read and remember.
Another tip is to use hyphens to separate words within the URL. Hyphens are interpreted by search engines as spaces, making the URL more readable for both users and search engines. For example, https://www.example.com/seo-guide is preferable to https://www.example.com/seo_guide or https://www.example.com/seoguide.
It is also important to avoid the use of unnecessary special characters and numbers. These elements can make the URL less readable and more difficult to remember. For example, https://www.example.com/article-123 is less effective than https://www.example.com/seo-article.
Finally, we always test our slugs to make sure they are clear and descriptive. Let’s ask if a user who sees the slug for the first time can immediately understand what the page is about. If the answer is yes, then we have created an optimized and effective talking URL.
URLs and SEO: the importance for ranking and user experience
As we said in our in-depth discussion of the 200 ranking factors, page address structuring can also have an influence on search engine rankings, and therefore we need to evaluate various aspects when reasoning about the standard to apply to the pages of our site.
Defining an effective URL path can have 3 positive effects for SEO: it impacts ranking, improves user experience, and is a potential anchor text for page sharing.
- URL address and ranking on Google
Regarding ranking, leaving aside talk of a hypothetical and potential direct relationship between URL optimization and Google ranking, there is however one element that should not be overlooked, that of better readability.
The easier it is for Google to read and interpret the URL, the easier it will be to determine relevance and thus rankings for a search query.
In practical terms, then, it is believed that using URLs that contain keywords can be a system to improve the visibility of the site in searches, but we should not make the mistake of making useless paths just to put keywords in the string. In particular, we must not fall into trivial SEO mistakes, and therefore we must, for example, avoid keyword stuffing, which is the excessive insertion of keywords that can be counterproductive. A URL such as https://www.example.com/seo-tips is effective because it includes a relevant keyword without overdoing it.
- The relationship between URLs and UX
Similar is the talk about user experience, because a well-structured URL provides both search engines and humans with easy-to-understand pointers to the content of the landing page.
Therefore, it is preferable to make a human-readable and semantically accurate URL that gives a clear idea of the topic of the page and what the visitor who clicks on the link is expecting.
- The URL as anchor text
Finally, a well-written URL can be more easily copied and pasted as a link in forums, blogs, social media networks or other contexts, becoming an ideal anchor text.
SEO Friendly URLs: what they mean and what they look like
URL structures that meet the above parameters are precisely called SEO friendly. This definition covers all addresses that clearly and in true words describe the actual content of the referring page, allowing the user (and the search engine) to immediately know what kind of information to expect. For this reason, it is often summarized that speaking URLs are indeed SEO-friendly URLs.
Said another way, SEO friendly URLs are those web addresses designed to be easily readable by both users and search engines.
It is also a matter of approach and awareness that every part of the URL should be designed to provide important information to both site visitors and search engines. For example, the host field is like the street name in a physical address, while the path, which indicates the specific location of the resource within the site, is like the house number in a physical address. This is why it is said that a URL is not just an address, but a key element of our online presence.
It follows that a well-structured URL can help visitors understand where they are and what they are looking at, and it can help search engines understand what the page is about and how it should be indexed. It is as if we are giving directions to a friend who is visiting our home for the first time: a clear and precise address will help him find his way around smoothly.
To effectively set up such addresses, the directions given earlier roughly apply.
First, an SEO friendly URL is clear and descriptive, possibly short. It should provide a precise indication of the content of the page, using relevant keywords that we have identified as central to the topic or that otherwise refer specifically to the content of the page. This not only helps search engines better understand the content of the page, but also makes it easier for users to remember and share the URL. For example, a URL such as https://www.example.com/blog/how-to-optimize-url is much more effective than a generic, nondescript URL such as https://www.example.com/page?id=123.
The goal is to have a concise address – the recommended length of best practices is between 50 and 60 characters, avoiding exceeding 115 characters to avoid problems, clear and relevant, which can serve the user to immediately understand its correlation to the content they are interested in.
In addition, SEO friendly URLs avoid the use of unnecessary special characters and numbers, which can confuse both users and search engines. Using hyphens to separate words is a common and recommended practice, as search engines interpret hyphens as spaces. For example, https://www.example.com/seo-guide is preferable to https://www.example.com/seo_guide.
Again, our reference should be the user even before the search engine, trying to ensure easy accessibility and a good experience for those who discover the site among the results of a Google search. It is believed, in fact, that a URL composed very far from the on-page content or loaded with unreadable parameters and characters can worsen the bounce rate and discourage readers from staying on the pages.
From a strategic perspective, an SEO friendly URL structure can:
- greatly facilitate user research.
- contribute to higher ranking weight in Google’s SERPs
- optimize page traffic, driving increased visibility and click-through rates.
SEO best practices for URLs
So here we outline some SEO best practices for URL management:
- Keep addresses as simple, relevant, compelling and curated as possible-this is the key to convincing both users and search engines.
- Although, as mentioned, numbers and ID codes can be included in URLs, the best practice is to use words that people can understand, using semantically correct, user-readable paths.
- URLs should be definitive but concise: simply by reading the URL a user and a search engine should understand what to expect on the page.
- To facilitate readability use hyphens to separate words. It is recommended to avoid underscores, spaces or other characters to separate words: however, if all Urls on a site have underscores, it is not recommended to change them in progress.
- URLs are case sensitive, so it is best to use lowercase letters because in some cases uppercase letters can cause problems with duplicate pages (or in any case it is better to use a consistent line).
- If possible, avoid using URL parameters, which can create problems with tracking and duplicate content. In any case, even when it is not possible to do without them, it is good to use URL parameters sparingly.
URL’s maximum length: what Google says
Speaking of structure optimization, an in-depth discussion regarding the ideal URL length for SEO is necessary, an issue that has often been the focus of debate in the international community, prompting Google – and Search Advocate John Mueller in particular – to step in several times to offer clarifications and explanations on what is considered SEO friendly for the search engine.
Non esiste una lunghezza massima ufficiale per gli URL, ma è generalmente consigliabile mantenerli sotto i 100 caratteri. URL troppo lunghi possono essere troncati negli snippet dei risultati di ricerca, rendendo difficile per gli utenti comprendere il contenuto della pagina. Inoltre, URL più brevi tendono a essere più facili da leggere, ricordare e condividere.
Per mantenere gli URL brevi e concisi, è utile eliminare parole inutili e ridondanti. Ad esempio, anziché utilizzare un URL come https://www.esempio.com/i-nostri-servizi-di-web-design-professionale, possiamo optare per https://www.esempio.com/servizi-web-design. Questo non solo riduce la lunghezza dell’URL, ma lo rende anche più chiaro e diretto.
Inoltre, è importante evitare l’uso eccessivo di sottodirectory. Ogni livello aggiuntivo nella struttura dell’URL può aumentare la sua lunghezza e complessità. Un URL come https://www.esempio.com/blog/2023/ottobre/guida-seo può essere semplificato in https://www.esempio.com/blog/guida-seo, mantenendo comunque tutte le informazioni rilevanti.
The general advice is that even if URL management offers no direct effect in terms of ranking, it still has an impact on the type of experience provided to users, both in a good way and in a pejorative way: therefore, if we are considering options for managing the addresses of our content from an SEO perspective, it is advisable to pay (albeit minimal) attention to the actual length of the URLs, trying to avoid some mistakes that can prove harmful.
The revelation that comes from the Googler during a YouTube hangout is very clear, and then reiterated further in an appointment with #AskGooglebot: according to John Mueller, the ideal URL should never exceed 1,000 characters, although “I guess you have to work hard to create addresses that long,” he ironizes.
Google’s final advice is simple: although Web browsers can handle lengths up to a maximum of two thousand characters, a site’s URLs should be short and never exceed the 1,000-character threshold. It is clear that a more concise address tends to be preferable, partly for issues of shareability and readability by human users, but for search engines there is no problem as long as the four digits are not reached.
Google’s indication on the most effective URL structure
Within Google’s SEO guidelines there is a chapter dedicated to the most correct handling of web addresses, which gives some examples of recommended practices and potential mistakes in URL creation, also suggesting methods to solve the most common problems.
This guide, updated in English at the end of July 2023, first specifies which characters Google Search supports in URLs, clarifying that “Google supports URLs as defined by RFC 3986.” In addition, characters defined by the standard as reserved must be percentage-encoded; non-reserved ASCII characters can be left in the unencoded form, while, characters in the non-ASCII range must be encoded in UTF-8.
Also as a rough guideline, then, Google urges, whenever possible, to use readable words rather than long ID numbers in URLs.
On the practical side, these are some of the specific cases analyzed by the paper:
- Recommended forms
- Simple, descriptive words in the URL – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviation
- Localized words in the URL, if applicable – https://www.example.com/lebensmittel/pfefferminz
- Use of UTF-8 encoding as needed.
In the examples in the image above, we see respectively the use of UTF-8 encoding for Arabic characters, for Chinese characters, for umlaut (the two dots above vowels found in some languages, such as German, and which technically are a diacritical mark indicating a variation in the pronunciation of that vowel), and for emoji in the URL.
Again, if the site is multi-regional it might be best to use a URL structure that simplifies geographic targeting, and in particular the use of:
- Country-specific domain – https://example.de
- Country-specific subdirectory with gTLD – https://example.com/de/
In addition, Google suggests preferring the use of hyphens instead of underscores to separate words in URLs, which allows users and search engines to more easily identify the concepts contained in the URL.
- Use of hyphens (-) – https://www.example.com/summer-clothing/filter?color-profile=dark-grey
- Forms that are not recommended
- Use of non-ASCII characters in the URL, as in the image below (which is basically the opposite choice from those suggested above)
- Long, unreadable ID numbers in URL – https://www.example.com/index.php?id_sezione=360&sid=3a5ebc944f41daa6f849f730f1
- Use of underscores, underscores (_) – https://www.example.com/summer_clothing/filter?color_profile=dark_grey
- Use of merged words in URLs – https://www.example.com/greendress
How to manage URL structure well
These best practices apply to all types of URLs and all choices. Although some sites use parameters, others use folders with filenames, and each handles URLs slightly differently, in general there is no ideal or Google-preferred solution.
More specifically, Google uses “URLs as identifiers” and does not place particular importance on elements such as length or nor the number of slashes in the address, as long as it does not overdo it and unnecessarily complicate crawler scans.
There is only one part of Google’s systems in which URL length plays a role: canonicalization, the mechanism that comes into play when the search engine finds multiple versions of a page on the same website and must choose a URL to use for indexing. Indeed, in such cases, Google tends to select “a shorter, cleaner URL” over a longer, more complex address. This is not something that affects the page’s ranking, but “is purely a matter of which URL is shown in Search,” he further clarifies.
Ultimately, what is needed for SEO and site usability is for Google to be able to “take that URL you have, scan it, collect the present on that address, and index it.” That is, that the character string is readable, interpretable by Googlebot, and points back to an indexable resource. All other matters are left to the site owner, webmaster and possibly the SEO consultants working on it!
How to use SEOZoom to optimize SEO URLs
In SEOZoom there is an advanced tool designed specifically to optimize our site’s URLs for SEO. URL Inspector performs an in-depth scan of all the pages of the project site, analyzing the keywords placed on Google, to help us quickly understand whether we have properly optimized the titles and URLs with respect to the main competitors and the main keywords for which we have positioned ourselves, those with the highest estimated traffic.
The detailed analysis allows us to identify pages that are not perfectly optimized, on which we should take action to improve our SEO strategy. In particular, we find information on the level of optimization achieved by competitors, showing the number of pages that have used the keyword in the title: this helps us assess our chances of reaching Google’s top 10 with adequate content. The TM (Title Match) and PM (Partial Match) columns in the table inform us about the number of pages in the top 10 that have adopted the exact match or partial match of the keyword in the title.
SEOZoom’s algorithm not only identifies pages to be optimized, but also offers insights for creating new content: by analyzing optimized and unoptimized URLs, we can in fact get ideas for new content, with suggestions on which keywords to use and focus on. For example, we can create specific new pages to compete for keywords not fully covered by existing content, so as to avoid cannibalization of content and to improve our editorial strategy.
There is one crucial caveat, however: it is critical to verify that the tool’s automated suggestions are in line with the intent of the content and the strategic goals set. This is especially important because Google may rank pages for keywords other than those intended, which may not be functional for our business interests. For this reason, URL Inspector is designed for experienced users and business professionals and is not immediately suitable for SEO beginners: it is not enough to automatically apply the suggestions provided, but a thorough evaluation is required that takes into account the characteristics of the site, the level of competitors, and business choices.
URL and SEO: common problems for handling URLs
The support resource also looks at some common critical situations we can encounter when managing our site’s addresses.
In particular, Google points out how extremely complex URLs, and especially those containing multiple parameters, can cause problems for crawlers by creating unnecessarily large numbers of URLs pointing to identical or similar content on the site. As a result, Googlebot may use much more bandwidth than necessary or not be able to fully index all the content on the site-in short, problems even with the crawl budget.
This unwarranted excess of URLs can be caused by a number of problems, including:
- Additional filters of a set of items. Many sites provide different views of the same set of items or search results, such as when they allow the user to filter this set using defined criteria (e.g., show me hotels on the beach). When filters can be combined by addition (e.g., hotels on the beach and with a fitness center), the number of URLs (data visualizations) across sites increases dramatically. Creating a large number of hotel listings with slight differences is redundant, because Googlebot needs to see only a few listings to reach each hotel page, as in the examples in the image.
- Dynamic document generation: this operation may result in slight changes, due to counters, timestamps or presence of advertisements.
- Problematic parameters in the URL: session IDs, for example, can create huge amounts of duplicates and a very large number of URLs.
- Sorting parameters: some large shopping sites provide multiple ways of sorting the same items, resulting in a large increase in the number of URLs.
- Irrelevant parameters in the URL, e.g., referral parameters.
- Calendar issues: A dynamically generated calendar can create links to past and future dates without restrictions on start and end dates.
- Inaccessible relative links: inaccessible and broken relative links are often the cause of infinite space. This problem occurs especially when there are repeated path elements.
How to solve the main problems with URLs
Also in light of the situations just described, the guide concludes with a number of practical tips to avoid potential problems related to URL structure.
- Create a simple URL structure. In principle, the ideal solution would be to organize content in such a way that URLs are constructed logically and in the way most understandable to humans.
- Use a robots.txt file to block Googlebot access to problematic URLs. Consider especially blocking dynamic URLs, such as URLs that generate search results or URLs that can create infinite space, such as calendars; using regular expressions in the robots.txt file can allow us to easily block a large number of URLs.
- Where possible, do not use session IDs in URLs, replacing them with cookies.
- If the web server is not case sensitive–and therefore treats upper and lower case text in a URL the same way–you should convert all text to the same format so that it is easier for Google to determine that the URLs refer to the same page.
- Reduce the length of URLs if possible by removing unnecessary parameters.
- If the site includes an infinite calendar, add a nofollow attribute to links pointing to future dynamically created calendar pages.
- Check for inaccessible relative links on the site.
The value of URLs for SEO and site usability
For SEO and site usability there are certain standards to be met with respect to URLs, as mentioned, starting with the criteria of readability, possibility of making the address interpretable by Googlebot, and referral to an equally accessible resource for search engine indexing.
That being said, there are situations in which one can consider transforming the structure used for URLs and opting for a more SEO-friendly solution (at least in appearance): technically, one can proceed with a site URL migration intervention, which is useful especially when there are problems and is performed with rewriting rules.
As a general rule, however, one should try to avoid resorting to these techniques because there are so many mistakes that can jeopardize the health of the project, and above all, one should always do them by relying on experienced professionals because losing or leaving something behind in the URL structure renewal phase can cost rankings and traffic to the site.
So, it is a case of weighing the situation carefully and asking yourself why you are thinking of changing site URLs. There are times when such a change is inevitable: among the most common reasons are rebranding, site migration or deep redesign of the site and some basic elements (the domain name, product types, topic focus), CMS platform changes that no longer allow the same addresses to be retained, or presence of problems such as outdated dates in addresses, unnecessary elements, moving entire directories.
However, according to experts in other less urgent circumstances it would always be better to avoid changing the URL structure, even regardless of SEO reasoning. Just to give examples, a change might stop working the bookmarks that users have saved in their browsers from visiting the site or from previous email marketing campaigns or newsletters: any disruption of the URL structure removes the direct relationship that the user has with a site.
No less complex is the handling of 301 redirects: if the site has undergone a complete redesign, there may be no direct page to redirect the user to, and so in the process you risk losing that traffic (and previously gained ranking).
The SEO dangers of URL twisting
And so we come to the SEO-related dangers that these changes can cause (and which should therefore invite at least some lengthy thought before launching into the operation): the main ones are the management of links and previous backlinks received and the time it takes Google to rediscover the site’s pages through the new URLs.
- Risk of losing backlinks
Regarding the first point, we know that links are still one of the main ranking factors and that the quality and quantity of links are a signal and one of the measures by which Google estimates the potential relevance and reliability of a site. In this process, therefore, one should not forget all the external links to the Web site, which one should try to modify and update: an operation that is not always possible and not always easy, because it may be necessary to contact the various webmasters to ask for changes to the addresses. More generally, then, one should also change paid campaigns, social platforms, and off-site advertising.
- Taking good care of internal links
When carrying out a site redesign, there is a risk of neglecting then internal links, thus reducing the SEO value of the new design: it is therefore crucial to create a “before and after” sitemap, making sure to redirect pages to be abandoned (but still useful for traffic as well) via a permanent 301 to a new page that matches the previous one in terms of topic.
On the other hand, if you redirect to a page with content that is not similar to the previous one, you may lose PageRank, because Google may remove the value of such links. Similarly, you should never redirect all pages to the home page or to a top-level page, because those backlinks could be devalued as irrelevant.
- Google needs time to rediscover new URLs
The other problematic front concerns the time it takes Google to properly rediscover and process the new URLs on the site, and during this period it is possible to experience a drop in rankings and thus in organic traffic. Of course, this is a contingency and a temporary situation (if you perform the migration process correctly), but nonetheless it is a factor to take into account when considering whether you should change your Url structure. For this reason, it might be useful to plan these actions during the least busy time of the year and to follow all the appropriate protocols to avoid mistakes.
Google’s advice: do not change URLs if you don’t have to
In conclusion, let’s remember what our John Mueller says (in a comment on reddit) about changing URL structure, because it sums up everything we’ve written so far:
“I’d avoid changing URLs unless you have a really good reason to do so, and you’re sure that they’ll remain like that in the long run.“
