URL Slugs: Tips To Create SEO-Friendly URLs Structure For eCommerce Website
In the world of eCommerce, having a website with a great URL structure can make all the difference in boosting your search engine rankings.
There is an immense need for the SEO-Friendly URL structure to be clear, concise, and easily comprehensible for humans and search engines simultaneously.
Instead of using lengthy and confusing URLS, focus on creating a short yet descriptive URL slug that includes relevant keywords and product names.
This will not only improve the user experience of the website but will also make it easier for search engines to crawl and index your pages.
By optimizing your eCommerce website SEO URL structure, you will get higher search engine rankings, increased organic traffic, and ultimately more sales.
The Anatomy Of URL
For an eCommerce website, the anatomy of the URL is consistent with various components, including the protocol, domain, subdomain, subfolder, top-level domain ( TLD ), and most importantly slug.
The protocol is usually http:// or https://, depending on whether or not the website is using SSL ( Secure Sockets Layer ) encryption.
The domain is the main address of the website, while the subdomain is an optional part that can be used for organizing different sections of the website.
However, the path refers to the specific location of the page on a resource on the website, while the slug is the last part of the URL that identifies the individual page or post.
For an eCommerce website, a search engine-friendly URL is primarily important but it should be optimized with appropriate keywords to improve search engine rankings and increase traffic.
It should be concise, easy to understand, and accurately reflect the content of the page or product being sold. At Digital Gravity, we specialize in creating search engine-optimized websites. By optimizing URL structure and slugs, we can make all the difference in driving traffic to your website and improving your overall online visibility.
How To Create Search Engine-Friendly URLs for eCommerce Websites?
Search engine-friendly URLs improve the overall user experience by making it easy for visitors to understand the content and concept of the pages they have landed on.
It leads to longer dwell times, lower bounce rates, and ultimately, higher conversion rates.
1. Start With The Title Of Your Page
Whether you write the title of a page at the first or save it for the last, your eCommerce business is entirely reliant on an engaging yet catchy headline.
A strong title on the page can improve the search engine optimization of your website and enhance the user experience due to its prominence on the page.
It helps your users know what area of the subject you are talking about and draw their attention toward reading your article.
Find a primary keyword that you need to target in the title, then look for the long-tail variations for those keywords, and draft a unique title tag.
2. Avoid Using Special Characters
Removing special characters from URL tags is a critical step in creating search engine-friendly URLs for an eCommerce website.
Special characters like %, #,@,* can confuse search engines and lead to indexing errors, resulting in lower visibility on SERPs.
These characters can also make it difficult for humans to read and remember, negatively impacting the user experience.
By avoiding using such characters from URL tags, businesses can create cleaner, more concise URLs that are easy for search engines to crawl and index.
3. Remove Numbers
A clean URL is free from unnecessary numbers and parameters, making it easy for users to read the content.
One common issue with URLs is the inclusion of numbers that makes them long, confusing, and difficult for users to remember.
Removing numbers from URLs can help in improving the user experience by making it easy to share and understand.
Let’s take an example: a URL like www.example.com/products/12345 is less user-friendly than www.example.com/products/red-shoes. Additionally, removing numbers can make URLs more aesthetically pleasing, which can have a positive impact on user engagement and brand perception.
In addition to that, using descriptive words and phrases in the URL can make it exceedingly easier for search engines to comprehend the content of the page and rank it accordingly.
4. Do Not Add Unnecessary Information In The URL
It is important to keep URLs concise and relevant to the content of the page, as search engines use them to understand the topic of the page and determine its relevance to user queries.
Adding unnecessary information to the URL such as irrelevant words or parameters, can make it harder for search engines to accurately determine the relevance of the content and may negatively impact the page’s ranking in search results.
Shorter and concise URLs are generally easier for users to remember and share. Therefore, it is recommended to use clear, descriptive, and concise URLs that accurately reflect the content of the page, without adding unnecessary information.
5. Make Use Of Keyword Modifiers
By adding keyword modifiers in the URL, you can have a significant impact on your eCommerce website’s search engine rankings. Keyword modifiers are the words that are added to the main keywords in a search query to refine it and make it more specific.
The inclusion of these modifiers in the URL can help the users of your website better understand the content of the page and match it to relevant search queries.
It leads to higher visibility in SERPs and drives more organic traffic to the website. Additionally, keyword modifiers can also improve the user experience by providing a clear indication of what the page is about, making it more likely that users will click through the page.
Focus On URL Readability
The structure of your eCommerce website should be as simple as possible. Organize your content in a certain manner so that URLs are constructed in a logical manner that is understood by humans.
When possible, make use of readable words instead of long numbers and phrases in your URL.
Use Lower Case
The usage of lowercase letters for URLs is a common convention and best practice when it comes to eCommerce web development.
When URLs are written with lowercase letters, it helps in maintaining consistency in the way URLs are displayed and accessed on different platforms and browsers.
In addition to that, they are easy to read and remember. They also look cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing than URLs with a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters.
Using lowercase URLs can improve search engine optimization (SEO) by helping search engines better understand the content and structure of your website. Search engines typically treat uppercase and lowercase URLs as different pages, which can lead to duplicate content issues and hurt your SEO rankings.
What Other Things To Consider In URL?
When creating or evaluating a URL, there are several other things to consider beyond just the structure of the URL itself.
Make Use Of HTTPS
It is used for transferring data between a web server and a web browser. HTTPS uses encryption to protect the data in transit, making it more secure than HTTP, where the data transmitted is encrypted to prevent unauthorized access or tampering.
Make Use Of Subdomains If Required
They are primarily used for creating separate web addresses under the same domain name. They are added to the left of the main domain name and are separated by a dot.
Let’s take an example. In the URL, the “ https://blog.example.com” blog is the subdomain, however, example.com is the main domain.
Avoid Using Parameters
Avoiding parameters in the URL can improve the usability, security, and search engine optimization of a website.
They are most commonly used for passing information to a web application, such as search queries or user preferences.
Wrapping Up!
A clear and consistent URL structure is essential for creating a user-friendly and search-engine-optimized website.
A well-structured URL not only helps users navigate a website more easily, but also provides search engines with important information about the content of the page.
Digital Gravity’s team of experts understands the significance of including relevant keywords in URL slugs and structuring URLs logically and consistently. By providing comprehensive SEO services, we help our clients improve their search engine rankings and attract more traffic to their websites.
