URL Structure
How your page URLs are organised and formatted. Clean, descriptive URLs (e.g., /services/seo) are better for users and search engines than messy ones (e.g., /page?id=42&ref=3).
Why It Matters
URLs are a minor ranking signal, but their impact goes beyond direct SEO. Clean URLs improve user experience, make analytics easier to read, and create better-looking links when shared. A URL like /blog/technical-seo-guide tells everyone - users, search engines, and link builders - exactly what the page is about.
Good URL structure also reflects good site architecture. A logical hierarchy (domain.com/category/subcategory/page) helps search engines understand the relationship between pages and reinforces your site's topical organisation.
In Practice
Keep URLs short, descriptive, and keyword-relevant. Use hyphens to separate words. Avoid parameters, session IDs, and unnecessary numbers. Lower case only.
Reflect your site hierarchy in your URL structure. /services/seo/ is better than /seo/ if SEO is a subcategory of services. But don't go too deep - domain.com/a/b/c/d/e/page is excessive.
Once a URL is established and indexed, don't change it without a 301 redirect. URL changes without redirects create broken links and lose any authority the old URL had accumulated.
Common Mistakes
Using auto-generated URLs with IDs and parameters. Changing URL structures without implementing redirects. Creating URLs that are too long or deeply nested. Using underscores instead of hyphens (Google treats them differently).
Related Terms
Glossary
Technical SEO
Optimising your site's infrastructure so search engines can crawl, render, and index it.
Glossary
Redirect (301 vs 302)
301 is permanent (transfers ranking signals), 302 is temporary - use the right one.
Glossary
Breadcrumbs
Navigation showing a page's position in your site hierarchy - useful for users and Google.
Glossary
Internal Link
Links between pages on your own site - the most underrated SEO lever available.
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