A URL is more than a web address; it’s the front door to your content. When it’s clean, descriptive, and easy to read, search engines understand the page instantly, and visitors feel confident clicking through. Following SEO URL best practices is essential for boosting your site’s rankings and increasing click-through rates. However, when URLs are cluttered with numbers, mixed-case letters, or endless subfolders, even great content can get buried. This blog helps you explore best practices for crafting SEO-friendly URLs, ensuring your website is user-centric, search engine- and generative engine-optimized, which helps pages rank higher and earn more clicks.
Understanding URL structure
A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is the web address used to locate and access resources on the Internet. It provides both humans and search engines with a clear roadmap to where specific content lives on a website. A well-structured URL improves both usability and SEO.
Just for beginners who are new to understanding URLs, a URL is made up of the following components:
Example URL:
https://www.example.com/services/digital-marketing/seo/saas-seo
- Protocol: Indicates the method of access and security protocol used.
Example: https:// (secure) or http:// (not secure) - Domain name: The primary web address or hostname of the website.
Example: www.example.com
Note on using “www” in URLs
In this blog, all example URLs include the www. prefix (e.g., https://www.example.com). However, using www is not mandatory for SEO. You can structure your site with or without it - both are valid from a ranking perspective. The key is consistency. Pick one version and stick to it across all pages. Also, configure redirects and set your preferred version in tools like Google Search Console to avoid duplicate content issues and preserve ranking authority. - Top-level domain (TLD): The domain suffix that identifies the domain category or geographic area.
Example: .com, .net, .edu, .org, .gov, .in, .info, etc. - Category: The first directory level that groups broad content types.
Example: services, resources, products, solutions, blog, etc. - Sub-category: A narrower directory that further organizes content within the category.
Example: digital-marketing - Pillar page: The immediate higher-level page to which the current content belongs.
Example: seo - Slug: The specific identifier for the content or page, typically written in a descriptive and keyword-rich format.
Example: saas-seo
Top 16 SEO URL best practices for better rankings
Below is an explanation of the top 16 best practices to create SEO-friendly URLs that enhance search visibility, improve user experience, and align with modern ranking signals. Following these tips will help ensure your URLs are clean, relevant, and optimized.
1. Keep URLs simple and descriptive
Use clear, readable words that reflect the page content. Avoid unnecessary jargon or complex terms. Aim for slugs of 3–5 meaningful words (25 - 30 characters). Pages with short, concise slugs rank slightly higher across 11.8 million SERPs.
Example:
- Good: https://www.example.com/seo-tips
- Bad: https://www.example.com/page?id=12345
2. Use hyphens to separate words
Hyphens enhance readability for search and generative engines. Avoid using underscores or spaces. Google’s own guidelines recommend hyphens over underscores in URLs.
Example:
- Preferred: https://www.example.com/seo-best-practices
- Avoid: https://www.example.com/seo_best_practices
3. Incorporate relevant keywords
Including primary keywords in URLs signals to search engines and generative engines the relevance of the content. However, a big NO to keyword stuffing. URLs that repeat (or closely match) the query earn 45 % more clicks on average (4 million-result CTR study). Not just focusing on keywords, create URLs that reflect both user intent and content context, as search and generative engines improve in understanding natural language.
Example:
- Good: https://www.example.com/seo-url-structure
- Bad: https://www.example.com/seo-url-structure-seo-url-structure
4. Maintain a consistent structure
Follow a logical hierarchy that reflects the site's architecture. Use subdirectories to organize content, and keep URL depth shallow so users and crawlers immediately understand the page’s context. Stay within 1–2 subfolders; deeper paths show no ranking benefit and clutter crawl paths. In fact, Gartner client tests found that websites with shallow paths achieved up to 18% faster time-to-content.
Example:
- Structured: https://www.example.com/blog/seo-tips
- Unstructured: https://www.example.com/seo-tips
5. Avoid dynamic parameters when possible
Static URLs are preferred for clarity and SEO, Google AIO (Artificial Intelligence Optimization), AEO (Answer Engine Optimization), and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization). If dynamic URLs are necessary, keep parameters short and relevant. If you must use them, keep it to two key-value pairs or fewer; more than two often triggers “too many parameters” warnings in large-site audits.
Example:
- Static: https://www.example.com/product/seo-guide
- Dynamic: https://www.example.com/product?id=seo-guide
6. Use lowercase letters in URLs
Consistently use lowercase (preferably - you can use either case, but maintain the same structure throughout the site) letters to prevent duplicate content issues due to case sensitivity. Tip: /About-Us and /about-us may be treated differently by some of the old web servers, which can split ranking signals and dilute authority.
Example:
- Preferred: https://www.example.com/about-us
- Avoid: https://www.example.com/About-Us
7. Avoid stop words
Remove common words like “and,” “the,” or “of” to shorten URLs. Doing so keeps the slug focused on your primary keyword and instantly signals topic relevance to users, search engines, and generative engines.
Example:
- Concise: https://www.example.com/seo-guide
- Lengthy: https://www.example.com/the-complete-guide-to-seo
8. Ensure URLs are short and concise
Shorter URLs are easier to read, remember, and share. There isn’t a hard technical limit (modern browsers and Google can process thousands of characters), but for SEO and user experience, the sweet spot is to keep the entire URL, including the domain under about 50-60 characters. Large-scale SERP analysis in Stan Venture’s 2025 URL study shows click-through drops 15 % once a URL exceeds 60 chars; shorter strings also index 12 % faster.
Example:
- Short: https://www.example.com/seo-basics
- Long: https://www.example.com/learn/everything-you-need-to-know-about-seo-basics
9. Implement HTTPS
Secure URLs are favored by search engines and users. Ensure your website uses HTTPS. 90.4 % of all Firefox desktop page loads now start on HTTPS; only 2.4 % remain plain-HTTP.
Example:
- Secure: https://www.example.com/seo-basics
- Not secure: http://www.example.com/seo-basics
10. Avoid using dates in URLs
Including dates in URLs can make your content appear outdated over time, even if it’s still relevant. It also limits your ability to update and repurpose content without changing the URL, which can harm SEO through broken links or loss of page authority.
However, if dates are essential, place them in a structured and consistent format - ideally as a subfolder (/2025/news-title/) instead of embedding it in the slug (/news-title-2025). This keeps URLs clean and simplifies future updates or content refreshes without extensive redirect chains.
Example:
- Evergreen: https://www.example.com/seo-tips
- Dated: https://www.example.com/seo-tips-2021
11. Use UTF-8 encoding for non-ASCII characters
Browsers and crawlers rely on percent-encoded UTF-8 to interpret accents, symbols, or non-Latin scripts without errors.
Example:
- Good: https://www.example.com/%D8%AA%D8%B3%D9%88%D9%8A%D9%82 (Arabic for “marketing”)
- Bad: https://www.example.com/????
12. Use a geotarget-friendly structure for multi-regional sites
Add country/language codes for multilingual sites. Clearly marked country or language folders (or subdomains/ccTLDs) help Google serve the right version in each market.
Example:
- Structured: https://www.example.com/de/seo-tipps or https://de.example.com/seo-tips
- Unstructured: https://www.example.com/seo-tips
13. Write URLs in your audience’s language
Matching the user’s search language improves click-through rates and signals stronger topical relevance to search and generative engines. Gartner’s CX research shows card-sorting with real users cuts bounce rates by 22 % when folder names echo the way customers think.
Example:
- Preferred (Spanish audience): https://www.ejemplo.com/consejos-seo
- Avoid: https://www.ejemplo.com/seo-tips
14. Omit file-type extensions (.html, .php, etc.)
Dropping extensions keeps URLs technology-agnostic, shorter, and easier to refactor without mass redirects later.
Example:
- Good: https://www.example.com/seo-guide
- Avoid: https://www.example.com/seo-guide.html
15. Keep URL parameters clean and predictable
When specifying URL parameters, stick to the encoding conventions browsers and crawlers expect:
- Use an equal sign (=) to separate each key from its value.
- Use an ampersand (&) to join additional key-value pairs.
- If a single key needs more than one value, separate those values with a comma (,) or another character that doesn’t clash with IETF STD 66.
Recommended
- Listing multiple values for one key with commas
Example:
https://www.example.com/category?category=dresses&color=purple,pink,salmon&sort=low-to-high&sid=789 - Standard key-value pairs with = and &
Example:
https://www.example.com/category?category=dresses&sort=low-to-high&sid=789
Not recommended
- Using colons and brackets to mimic parameters
Example:
https://www.example.com/category?[category:dresses][sort:price-low-to-high][sid:789] - Mixing punctuation rules (single comma for pairs, double commas for extras)
Example:
https://www.example.com/category?category,dresses,,sort,price-low-to-high
16. Use a parent-child hierarchy when scaling content
Structure URLs into parent–child hierarchies when you plan to scale content, organize related topics, or improve breadcrumb clarity. This approach is ideal for websites with multiple silos, subtopics, or long-term growth plans.
Clean hierarchical URLs also improve contextual internal linking and reflect topical relationships, helping both search engines and users.
| When to use | When to avoid |
|---|---|
|
You plan to scale content from dozens to thousands of pages. |
Your site has fewer than 50–100 pages with no content silos.
|
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Clear topic grouping or keyword clusters exist (e.g., /services/design/ui-ux/). |
You’re creating landing pages that need to live at the root level for branding (e.g., /pricing).
|
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You want to reflect topical relationships in internal links and breadcrumbs.
|
You’re creating short-lived promotional URLs (e.g., /summer-sale/). |
|
Your CMS supports automatic breadcrumbs, canonical tags, and structured data for nested paths.
|
Your dev stack doesn’t support dynamic 301 redirects easily when the structure changes.
|
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You want to optimize for SEO-friendly anchor context and nested search snippets.
|
You’re optimizing for very fast-loading microsites or single-scroll product pages.
|
Common mistakes to avoid
These are some common URL mistakes that can negatively affect SEO and user experience. Avoid them to maintain clean, efficient, and search-friendly URLs.
- Using non-ASCII characters or special symbols: Stick to standard characters to ensure compatibility
- Including session IDs in URLs: Use cookies instead to maintain cleaner URLs
- Overusing subfolders leading to deep URL structures: Keep the URL hierarchy shallow for better crawlability
- Changing URLs without proper redirects: Always implement 301 redirects when altering URLs to preserve SEO value
- Not using canonical tags to prevent duplicate content issues: Indicate the preferred version of a page to search engines.
| Mistake type | Bad URL example | Good URL example | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Non-ASCII characters or special symbols |
example.com/ seo%20guide#intro |
example.com/seo-guide |
Use standard characters and hyphens; avoid encoded or special characters. |
|
Including session IDs |
example.com/ product?id=123& sessionid=abc123 |
example.com/product/seo-toolkit |
Avoid session IDs; use cookies or cleaner URLs with relevant paths. |
|
Overusing subfolders |
example.com/ store/products/2025/tools/ seo/guide/basics |
example.com/tools/seo-guide |
Keep the hierarchy shallow and readable. |
|
No 301 redirects after URL change |
example.com/ old-seo-page (404 error if not redirected) |
Redirect to → example.com/seo-guide |
Always redirect outdated URLs to retain SEO value and avoid broken links. |
|
Not using canonical tags |
example.com/ seo-guide?ref=newsletter |
example.com/seo-guide → add
in the page head.
|
Set rel=”canonical” on the preferred URL to merge duplicates. |
SEO URL optimization checklist
Use this checklist to quickly audit and improve your site’s URL structure:
- Are URLs short, clean, and keyword-rich?
- Are hyphens used instead of underscores?
- Are stop words like “and,” “the,” or “of” avoided?
- Do all URLs use lowercase letters?
- Are dynamic parameters minimized or removed?
- Are URLs free of dates and unnecessary numbers?
- Is the URL structure consistent with the site’s hierarchy?
- Are there any duplicate, broken, or overly long URLs?
- Do all redirects use proper 301 status codes?
- Are non-ASCII characters properly UTF-8 encoded?
- Are file extensions like .html or .php omitted?
- Are clean, predictable URL parameters used?
- Is geotargeting implemented for multilingual or regional pages?
- Are URLs written in the user’s native language?
Analysis of URL structures across different sites
Using SEMrush, we looked at how websites of different sizes perform in U.S.-based search results for competitive keywords. We grouped sites into three categories - small, medium and large, and analyzed what URL best practices help them rank. Our analysis considered domain authority, backlinks, and search traffic to understand how each factor contributes to organic visibility across site sizes.
1. Small sites (1–50 Pages)
A small website typically consists of up to 50 pages and is often owned by individuals, local businesses, personal brands, or niche service providers.
Keyword: Business coaching website
Keyword difficulty: 69
Search intent: Commercial/Informational - users looking for examples or inspiration for coaching websites.
Key highlights
thegoodalliance.org - despite having low domain authority, backlinks, and referring domains, it ranks due to precise keyword usage, URL clarity, and high content relevance.
simply.coach - ranks well due to a clear topical relevance, keyword-rich URL.
katra.com - ranks due to being well structured under folders like /blog/ with long-tail keyword slugs that perform well.
reddit.com - ranks because of high domain authority but ranks last due to poor URL structure, content type, and weaker intent match.
vistage.com, betterup.com, coachhub.com, coaching.com, strategiccoach.com, helloezra.com - ranks due to high authority, broad relevance, and domains with brand trust.
2. Medium sites (50–200 Pages)
A small website typically consists of up to 50 pages and is often owned by individuals, local businesses, personal brands, or niche service providers.
Keyword: e-commerce SEO guide
Keyword difficulty: 81
Search intent: Informational - users want strategies, steps, or tutorials on eCommerce SEO.
Key highlights
backlinko.com, semrush.com, ahrefs.com, salesforce.com - rank well due to keyword-rich slugs, clear folder structure, and strong content relevance.
shopify.com, bigcommerce.com - use descriptive folders and guide-style slugs that align well with informational search intent and improve crawlability.
reddit.com - ranks mainly due to very high authority and engagement, but the long and noisy URL structure weakens SEO clarity and intent targeting.
google.com - ranks at the top due to unmatched authority and trust, despite a deep folder structure that would otherwise be too long for ideal SEO.
neilpatel.com - uses a well-organized folder structure with a shallow, descriptive path that balances clarity and inventory depth, supporting both SEO and user experience.
3. Large sites (200+ Pages)
A large website typically includes more than 200 pages and can scale into thousands or even millions of indexed pages. Examples include enterprise eCommerce platforms, global news portals, marketplaces, and documentation-heavy SaaS platforms.
Keyword: mobile phone
Keyword difficulty: 100
Search intent: Commercial - users are looking to browse, compare, or buy mobile phones.
Key highlights
simplemobile.com - ranks well despite low domain authority and backlinks due to a clean, keyword-rich URL structure and strong intent match for mobile phone queries.
t-mobile.com, verizon.com, att.com - rank effectively using flat and descriptive URLs that align with product-focused searches, enhancing crawlability and relevance.
samsung.com - uses a well-organized folder structure with a shallow, descriptive path that balances clarity and inventory depth, supporting both SEO and user experience.
bestbuy.com and amazon.com - Rank due to high authority and backlinks, but their parameterized URLs lack clarity and keyword relevance, weakening SEO URL structure.
wikipedia.org, amazon.com, walmart.com, apple.com - dominate rankings based on exceptional domain authority and trust, even when URL structures are less than ideal.
Comparative SEO analysis: Small, medium & large sites
This table presents a comparative SEO analysis of small, medium, and large websites based on their URL structures and optimization strategies. .
| Sites | Example URL | URL structure type | Strategies they used |
|---|---|---|---|
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Small sites |
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Medium sites |
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Large sites |
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Recommendations for dynamic URLs
When using dynamic URLs, it’s important to make them more user-friendly, readable, and SEO-friendly. Here are some recommendations:
- Replace parameters with descriptive keywords
Replace query parameters like ?id=12345&category=tech with descriptive, readable keywords.
Example: example.com/products/smartphones/12345 instead of example.com/products?id=12345&category=tech. - Use URL rewrite rules to remove parameters
Use server-side rewrite rules to remove or replace unnecessary query parameters in URLs. - Avoid excessive parameters
Keep URLs clean by limiting the number of parameters or consolidating them into meaningful, descriptive URLs.
Example: example.com/products/red-large-smartphone-500 instead of example.com/products?id=12345&color=red&size=large&price=500. - Ensure mobile-friendly URLs
Make sure the URLs are easy to read and type on mobile devices by keeping them short and descriptive.
Example: example.com/products/smartphones instead of example.com/products.php?id=12345.
Conclusion
These SEO URL best practices aren’t just technical - each one shapes how search engines interpret your page's purpose, turns your URLs from simple web addresses into silent amplifiers of every SEO win. When each link is short, intent-rich, padlock-secure, and blazing fast on HTTP/3, you create pathways that search and generative engines love to crawl and visitors love to click. The payoff is immediate: higher CTRs, smoother Core Web Vitals, stronger trust signals, and rankings that keep rising long after the latest algorithm tweak.
How each “pay-off” is backed by 2025 data
| Pay-off | |
|---|---|
|
Higher CTRs |
URLs that repeat or closely match the query drive 45 % more clicks (4 M-result Backlinko CTR study) backlinko.com |
|
Smoother Core Web Vitals |
Cloudflare measured a 116 ms faster P95 connect time when HTTP-3 is enabled blog.cloudflare.com |
|
Stronger trust signals |
Chrome users now spend 93.2 % of their browsing time on HTTPS pages; plain-HTTP sticks out as unsafe sci-tech-today.com |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between dynamic and static URLs?
Should I include the date in my blog post URLs?
How do keywords in URLs affect SEO?
What makes a good URL for SEO?
What is the best URL length for SEO?
How do I know if my URL is SEO friendly?
How does URL structure affect SEO?
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