What is URL Structure?

A well-designed URL structure serves multiple purposes: it helps users understand where they are on your site, provides search engines with contextual clues about page content, and creates a logical hierarchy that distributes authority throughout your site. Clean, descriptive URLs are both user-friendly and SEO-friendly.

Optimize URLs by: Keeping them short and descriptive, Using hyphens to separate words, Including relevant keywords naturally, Maintaining lowercase consistency, Avoiding special characters and spaces, Using HTTPS for security, Creating logical folder hierarchies, and Removing unnecessary parameters when possible.

URL paths should reflect site structure: Homepage: domain.com, Category: domain.com/category/, Subcategory: domain.com/category/subcategory/, Product/Post: domain.com/category/product-name/. This hierarchy helps crawlers understand relationships and distributes page authority logically.

Avoid these URL problems: Dynamic parameters creating duplicate content, Session IDs in URLs, Overly long URLs (aim for under 75 characters), Keyword stuffing in paths, Mixed case causing duplicates, Inconsistent trailing slashes, Date-based URLs for evergreen content, and Category changes breaking old URLs.

When changing URLs: Implement 301 redirects from old to new, Update internal links to point to new URLs, Update sitemaps with new URLs, Request re-crawl in Search Console, Monitor for 404 errors, and Avoid redirect chains. URL changes should be planned carefully to minimize SEO disruption.