URL structure checklist

Don’t repeat words in your URLs, for example:

• ❌ /armchairs/leather-armchars/
• ✅ /armchairs/leather/

 

Stick to a maximum of 2/3 directories within your URLs. URL directories should indicate site structure, but they should not be used to show your full site structure. For example:

• ✅ /mens/white-trainers/
• ❌ /mens/clothing/shoes/trainers/white/

• ✅ https://www.example.com/products?category=clothing&color=blue
• ❌ https://www.example.com/products?category

In the first example, the URL includes the key (category) and the value (clothing) for the category parameter. In the second example, only the key or the value is used.

• ✅ https://www.example.com/keyword-rich-url
• ❌ https://www.example.com/keywordrichurl
• ❌ https://www.example.com/keyword_rich_url

The first example uses hyphens to separate words in the URL. This helps search engines and users understand the page’s content from the URL and can boost its ranking. In contrast, the second and third examples do not use hyphens, making it harder for search engines and users to comprehend the page. Using underscores, as in the third example, has the same effect as not separating the words.

• ✅ https://www.example.com/blue-widgets
• ❌ https://www.example.com/widgets-12345

The first example’s URL is relevant to the content. It explains the page is about “blue widgets”, helping search engines and users understand the content better and improving its ranking. The second example’s URL is not as relevant. It uses a numeric identifier instead of describing the page’s content. This makes it harder for search engines and users to comprehend the content.

Use lowercase letters

• ✅ https://www.example.com/lowercase-url
• ❌ https://www.example.com/MixedCaseURL

The norm for URLs is to use only lowercase letters, as seen in the first example. This helps prevent potential problems with some servers. However, the second example uses mixed-case letters. This can lead to issues with specific servers, which may consider URLs with different case letters as different pages. To avoid this, using only lowercase letters in URLs is best.

• ✅ https://www.example.com/widgets-blue
• ❌ https://www.example.com/the-blue-widgets

In the first example, the URL omits stop words like “the”, “a” and “an”. These words make URLs longer and more complicated, so it’s best to avoid them.

• ✅ https://www.example.com/static-page
• ❌ https://www.example.com/page.php?id=12345

The first example shows a static URL. It does not change. The second example uses a dynamic URL. It has a query string with a parameter and value (id=12345). Dynamic URLs are more likely to alter. For instance, if the page ID changes, the content of the page will be found on a different URL. It is best for users and SEO to use a URL that won’t change often.

• ✅ https://www.example.com/blue-widgets
• ❌ https://www.example.com/widgets#blue

In the first example, the URL uses a static, or non-changing URL. The second example includes a URL with a hash (#). This can make it harder for search engines to discover the page content. Google usually ignores content hidden behind hashes. To make sure search engines can index the content, it’s best to avoid using hashes in URLs.

• ✅ https://www.example.com/de/produkte
• ❌ https://www.example.com/de/products

The first example includes the language (de) in the URL, and the rest of the URL is written in German. This helps search engines and users understand the language and content of the page and can boost its ranking for users searching for content in German. In contrast, the second example includes the language in the URL, but the rest of the URL is in English. This makes it harder for search engines and users to understand the language and content of the page and can lower its ranking for users searching for content in German. Therefore, it is best to use localized URLs that include the language and use the language for the rest of the URL whenever possible.

• ✅ https://www.example.com/caf%C3%A9
• ❌ https://www.example.com/café

The first example uses UTF-8 encoding for the non-ASCII character é. It is represented as %C3%A9 in the URL. This helps search engines and users understand it correctly. In the second example, the URL uses the non-ASCII character directly. This can cause problems with how it is displayed and interpreted. Therefore, it is best to use UTF-8 encoding for non-ASCII characters in URLs. This avoids any potential issues.

• ✅ https://de.example.com/products
• ✅ https://example.de/products
• ✅ https://www.example.com/de/products
• ❌ https://www.example.com/products?locale=de

In these examples, the URL uses different structures to indicate the language of the page. The first three examples use a subdomain, TLD, or sub-directory to indicate the language, which can help search engines and users understand the language of the page and can improve its ranking for users searching for content in that language. The fourth example uses a parameter (locale=de) to indicate the language, which can make it more difficult for search engines and users to understand the language of the page and can reduce its ranking for users searching for content in that language.

• ✅ https://www.example.com/products
• ❌ https://www.example.com/products?jsessionid=1234567890

The first example omits a session ID in the URL and uses cookies to track the user’s session. This helps keep the URL static, improving its ranking and accessibility. However, the second example includes a session ID as a parameter, making the URL change for each user and making it hard for search engines and users to access the page. It’s best to avoid using session IDs in URLs and use cookies instead.