Six URL SEO tips

Beginning with http, https or www, a URL is the most efficient way for users to reach your website. As URLs are displayed beneath the page title in search engine results pages (SERPs), they are hyper-visible to your audience and should therefore be easy to read and immediately understandable.

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URLs also play an important role in successful search engine optimisation (SEO) and are a key ranking factor. If the time has come to select a URL for your business, here are six top tips to keep in mind.

Use a typical URL structure

As soon as you have settled on a URL structure, it is wise not to deviate from it. To keep your structure as simple as possible, you should avoid creating too many categories and sub-categories. This will ensure your URLs are consistently simple, which will help both users and search engines to navigate your site.

Select an appropriate top-level domain (TLD)

When it comes to selecting a domain name, it will be beneficial to select a TLD that your audience is going to trust. In practice, this means avoiding .net or .biz TLDs in favour of .com or .co.uk. You can search the availability of your preferred URL on the websites of providers such as https://www.names.co.uk/domain-names.

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Include a keyword

A good SEO strategy will ensure that a primary keyword is present in a selection of key areas, including your URL. The keyword you include should be a search term that is used frequently by your target audience; however, you should avoid repeating the keyword used in the page’s H1 tag. This can be interpreted poorly by search engine algorithms and negatively impact your rankings.

Consider URL protocol

Digital crime is increasing and users are now becoming much savvier when browsing and shopping online. It is therefore a good idea to use https, which is more secure than http.

Base each URL on the page

Many website builders will generate URLs for the pages you want to create; however, it is essential to customise each URL to reflect the content and context of the page it represents.

Keep it concise

Trying to incorporate too many keywords or descriptors can result in an over-complicated URL that will lead to unnecessary confusion. Aim for brevity and you should end up with URLs that benefit and do not damage your digital strategy.