How to Create a Good URL Structure

Learn the importance and how to create a user-friendly URL structure for your website. Get practical tips to optimize navigation and improve the SEO of your website.

Search engine optimization (SEO) for a website is not solely dependent on keywords. There are other elements that support web SEO, and one of them is the URL or web page address. As a web manager, it is crucial to create a URL structure that is user-friendly.

Unfortunately, many bloggers tend to overlook the significance of URLs. They often consider the default address provided by the web platform as sufficient. However, it’s important to note that URLs can be customized and enhanced, ultimately contributing to a better website reputation.

So, how can you create a good URL structure? Before diving into that, let’s understand the benefits of organizing URLs according to established standards:

The Importance of Creating a Well-Structured URL

A well-structured URL is incredibly helpful for the growth of a website. There are plenty of benefits to adopting a standard URL structure, and here are a few of them:

Boosting Search Engine Ranking

Search engines can easily find your website when the URL accurately reflects its content. This means your website will rank well in search results, making it more discoverable to users.

Making Blog Indexing Easier

URLs don’t immediately show up in search engines. First, web crawlers need to index them.

By having a well-structured URL, you speed up the indexing process. Web crawlers will gather and identify your URLs, ensuring that the most relevant ones are included. Once indexed, search engines will display them based on visitor requests.

Increasing Blog Traffic

With the benefits mentioned above, it’s no surprise that a good URL structure can drive more traffic to your website. Your URL will appear frequently, potentially ranking high in search results. This increased visibility will attract more visitors, resulting in a boost in traffic.

Tips for Creating a Good URL Structure

Creating a user-friendly URL structure is essential for your website. Here are some steps to follow:

Edit Page URLs to Make Them Relevant

Many websites automatically generate URLs, but they often lack organization and clarity. This can confuse visitors and harm your website’s SEO performance over time.

To improve this, take a moment to consider the content of each web page, including the main page and blog posts. Then, craft a URL that reflects the page’s content in a clear and concise manner.

For example, if you’re publishing an article titled “How to Create a Good URL,” incorporate a relevant phrase like “good-URL” into the URL structure.

Follow Standard URL Structure Guidelines

While there are no strict rules for URLs, adhering to standard guidelines will help maintain a positive web reputation and ensure a better user experience.

Remember that URLs play a significant role in your website’s overall content and SEO. It’s wise to follow the URL structures commonly used by bloggers, avoiding overly complex or lengthy URLs. Keep it simple, meaningful, and easy to understand.

For instance, consider the following examples:

www.yourdomain.com/hijabers/veils/nameofspecificveil
www.yourdomain.com/hijabers/veils/long-wide/black/motive/plain/nameofspecificveil

The first URL is intuitive and user-friendly, while the second one appears long and complicated. This demonstrates the difference between a good and a not-so-good URL structure.

Simple URLs

When creating URLs, prioritize simplicity over uniqueness. Overly intricate URLs can confuse visitors and make them difficult to comprehend.

While visitors don’t necessarily need to memorize or manually type URLs, providing them with easily understandable URLs offers additional benefits. It allows for easier copying of link addresses and enhances the overall user experience.

So, keep your URLs short, straightforward, and friendly. By doing so, you’ll make it easier for visitors to navigate your website and engage with its content.

Remember, creating a user-friendly URL structure contributes to better SEO and a positive impression on your audience.

Using the Right Keywords

When it comes to web pages, it’s important to know what you want to show up in search engines. This is where the primary keyword comes into play, forming a crucial part of a well-structured URL.

To achieve this, take a moment to carefully assess each web page’s specific purpose. It’s best to do this before publishing the content on your website.

From this specific purpose, you can determine the appropriate keywords. These keywords can then be incorporated into the URL structure. For example, let’s say your website is www.websitename.com and your primary keyword is “winter jackets.” A suitable URL could be www.websitename.com/winter-jackets-tips.

The same approach applies to URLs for blog posts or articles. You can extract the keywords from the article title itself, as they often provide a concise summary of the content. For instance, if your article is titled “5 Tips for Making Stylish Winter Jackets,” your URL could be www.websitename.com/make-stylish-winter-jackets

Using Hyphens for Word Separation

Website URLs typically consist of more than one word, usually ranging from three to five words, depending on the chosen keywords.

It’s important to note that spaces are not allowed in URLs. So, how do you separate the words? Instead of directly combining them, you can make use of punctuation marks, particularly hyphens.

Let’s consider the following examples:

www.websitename.com/tips/creatingprofessionalblog
www.websitename.com/tips/creating-professional-blog

Which one seems easier to understand? Undoubtedly, the second example. Hyphens play a valuable role in URLs by making them readable and comprehensible for both search engines and visitors.

Avoiding Stopwords

A good URL should steer clear of stopwords, which are essentially words that serve a grammatical function but lack substantial meaning. Examples of stopwords include common conjunctions like “and,” “but,” “or,” and others.

While this guideline isn’t absolute, adhering to it can greatly enhance your URL’s visibility to search engines. As a result, your URL stands a better chance of obtaining a higher ranking in search results.

Removing the Date from Your URL

Usually, when you look at a web address (URL), you’ll see a bunch of numbers representing the date and some words. But let’s be honest, those dates can make the URL look a bit dull, even though it’s still relevant.

But guess what? You can easily get rid of those dates! Don’t worry, your blog URL will still make sense and be totally relevant.

By removing the date from your website’s URL, you can actually make things better and increase your website’s traffic. Plus, it’ll be so much easier for people to find your website through search engines.

Here’s an example: Let’s say your website’s original URL is www.blogname.com/category/2023/06/02/tips-for-creating-a-blog. Now, all you have to do is delete the date and year. Ta-da! Your new URL will be www.blogname.com/category/tips-for-creating-a-blog.

As a blogger, especially if you’re just starting out, it’s important to take care of your website’s reputation. Don’t just publish your content and forget about it. Try different techniques to improve your website’s visibility and attract more visitors.

From now on, pay attention to your URLs and make sure they have a good structure. This will help your website grow and succeed.

Good luck !