Originally designed to replace IP Addresses, URLs are text stings (and sometimes numbers) that serve as a way for computers to communicate with servers. They also are able to identify a site’s file structure. URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator. A URL is comprised of three elements: a protocol, a domain name, and a path.

Now that you know what a URL is, you may be wondering what does it have to do with SEO? Well, there are ways a well-crafted URL can improve your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) efforts.

  –  They can improve user experience (UX). With URLs, both users and search engines can easily understand what the destination page is all about. This allows readers to decide whether that specific page is relevant to them or not.

  –  They provide opportunities to use keywords. Although a site’s URL doesn’t play a significant role when it comes to ranking, placing specifics keyword in them could. Search engines use URLs to identify relevancy when it comes to users’ queries.

  –  Your link building strategy can benefit from a well-written URL, as they can serve as their own anchor text. This will also provide crawlers a sense of what a page is about when they are scanning your site.

What are the best SEO practices for URLs?

Focusing on your site’s URL could seem like a trivial task. Nevertheless, if you want your website to succeed in today’s world, you can’t take anything for granted when it comes to SEO.

  –  Keep your URLs concise and straightforward. They need to be as accurate as possible so users and search engines can understand them. Make them relevant and defining of the content of a page.

  –  If necessary, use hyphens to separate words. This will increase its readability. Avoid using underscores, spaces, or any other different character that may compromise its purpose.

  –  Similarly, abstain from using uppercase letters. Try to use lowercase letters to avoid problems with duplicate content.