{"id":17019,"date":"2020-11-09T15:54:32","date_gmt":"2020-11-09T15:54:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.improvemysearchranking.com\/?p=13993"},"modified":"2024-10-31T12:12:48","modified_gmt":"2024-10-31T12:12:48","slug":"6-best-practices-for-making-urls-search-engine-friendly-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.improvemysearchranking.com\/6-best-practices-for-making-urls-search-engine-friendly-2\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Create SEO Friendly URLs"},"content":{"rendered":"

URLs are important. In the search engine optimisation world, URLs can not only contain important keywords, but they also help search engines and users quickly understand what a page is about.<\/span>
\nBy making URLs more search engine friendly, you may improve search engine visibility of your page, organic rankings, and traffic.<\/span>
\nBut how do you make your website\u2019s URL more search engine friendly? Here are six best practices to guide you:<\/span>
\n<\/p>\n

1. Plan ahead<\/b><\/h2>\n

Before we start, it is crucial to reiterate that URL structures should be planned carefully before you start publishing web pages.<\/span>
\nIt is because although URLs can be changed later, it is not considered a best practice. Changing URLs \u2014 depending on how it is done \u2014 may lead to broken pages, 404 errors, and a loss in SEO value, keyword rankings for web pages, and organic traffic.<\/span>
\nTherefore, it is ideal to create a URL plan before kicking off your website.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Pick a single version of your domain<\/b><\/h2>\n

Your website may have an http version and an https version. Similarly, there could be a version that starts with www and another version without it.<\/span>
\nFor example,\u00a0<\/span>http:\/\/www.yoursite.com<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>https:\/\/yoursite.com<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>
\nWhile both these versions may look the same to you, Google will likely treat them differently. There should only be\u00a0<\/span>one<\/b>\u00a0root version of your domain.<\/span>
\nAll the other versions should be 301-redirected to that main version. For instance, the http version of your site should redirect itself to the https version. So instead of having two different versions of your web pages \u2014 because of separate domain versions \u2014 you just have one powerful version.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Permalink structure<\/b><\/h2>\n

When you start your website, it is highly recommended to set on a permalink structure. If you have a WordPress website, you can find multiple permalink options in\u00a0<\/span>WordPress Dashboard > Settings > Permalinks<\/span><\/i>.<\/span>
\n\"Permalink<\/a>
\nFor most websites and business types, the\u00a0<\/span>post name<\/b>\u00a0structure is recommended. If you have a news website where the timing of the content is very important, you can go with the\u00a0<\/span>day and name<\/b>\u00a0or\u00a0<\/span>month and name<\/b>\u00a0options, but we suggest keeping it simple.<\/span>
\nYou can also opt for a more custom structure. However, under no circumstances should you go with\u00a0<\/span>plain<\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>numeric<\/b>\u00a0options.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Stick with a URL convention<\/b><\/h2>\n

Once you have identified how you want your URLs to appear, make sure to stick with it.<\/span>
\nEven minor things can make a huge difference. For example, trailing slashes can result in completely different versions of web pages \u2014 causing issues like duplicate content and lower organic rankings in the SERPs.<\/span>
\nThe trailing slash issue means that the following two posts might be treated as different versions by search engines:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. https:\/\/yoursite.com\/blog-post<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
  2. https:\/\/yoursite.com\/blog-post<\/span><\/a>\/<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    If you run into this issue, redirect one link to the other one to avoid duplication problems.<\/span><\/p>\n

    5. Keep URLs short<\/b><\/h2>\n

    We also highly recommend keeping URLs short, descriptive, and self-explanatory. And this is exactly why we suggest avoiding the\u00a0<\/span>day and name<\/b>\u00a0or\u00a0<\/span>month and name<\/b>\u00a0URL conventions earlier.<\/span>
    \nOther than keeping URLs short, you should also avoid any special characters in the URL.<\/span>
    \nHere is a very good example of how short URLs should look like:<\/span>
    \n    \"Optimised<\/a><\/p>\n

    6. Keyword optimisation<\/b><\/h2>\n

    Last but not least, keyword optimisation in URLs is, of course, a crucial aspect of making them more search engine friendly.<\/span>
    \nThe idea is to include at least the primary keyword in the URL. The primary keyword refers to the keyword or keyword phrase that you are trying to optimise a web page for.<\/span>
    \nWe have noticed that having an exact search term in the URL can provide a competitive edge in the search engine results pages. However, keyword optimisation should not come at the cost of clarity, transparency, and accuracy.<\/span>
    \nIdeally, you should have a descriptive, high-quality web page that covers one topic in detail. That topic should have a high-volume keyword phrase that you can also use in the URL of that web page.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n

    URLs are still an integral part of basic on-page search engine optimisation. By optimising URLs and following best SEO practices regarding URL structures, you can give your website a better chance to rank higher in the SERPs.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    URLs are important. In the search engine optimisation world, URLs can not only contain important keywords, but they also help search engines and users quickly understand what a page is about. By making URLs more search engine friendly, you may improve search engine visibility of your page, organic rankings, and traffic. But how do you […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23318,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oct_exclude_from_cache":false,"inline_featured_image":false},"categories":[33,38],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Create SEO Friendly URLs | IMSR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover how to create SEO-friendly URLs with tips on domain versions, permalink structures, and avoiding common issues for better visibility.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.improvemysearchranking.com\/6-best-practices-for-making-urls-search-engine-friendly-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Create SEO Friendly URLs | IMSR\" \/>\n<meta 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