URL best practices, use folders or not ?
-
Hi
I have a question about URLs. Client have all URL written after domain and have only one / slash in all URLs. Is this best practice or i need to use categories,folders?
Thanks
-
It's a trade-off, for both SEO and users, and I don't think there's one answer that fits every situation. The category level can add information, but it also makes URLs longer, which can be bad for both bots and people. If you have short, descriptive categories that aren't repeated in the product/page names, and those categories mimic your site structure, then I think it can be positive.
My argument was mostly against people adding categories just for SEO benefit (it's probably minimal, at best) or repeating every category, sub-category, etc. to the point of absurdity, causing keyword cannibalization and massive URLs. For example:
www.bobscamerashop.com/cameras/digital-cameras/canon-cameras/eos-cameras/camera-canon-eos-rebel-t3
Of course, that's also keyword stuffed, but I'm exaggerating to prove a point. You can go too far in either direction.
In general, though, I don't think categories in the URL are necessarily bad. In some cases, as Woj said, they could be a positive for users and possible even SEO.
-
Think about it from the user's point of view. What would work best for them? Maybe even get some feedback from some site users if possible
-
Will the site categories/products grow? If so, then the slash could be used to organise the structure & prepare for the future
In the example, you presented:
- www.example.com/accounts-titanium
- www.example.com**/**accounts/titanium
These are the same length & make no real difference
When we compare these 2, however:
You can see that #1 is shorter, doesn't repeat keyword (even though they are plural) & would be more likely clicked in the SERPs
Does that help some more?
-
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/should-i-change-my-urls-for-seo
In this article point 2 is saying that the unstructured is better
so i`m confused.
-
the site is small about 60 pages and max depth level is 3
-
I'd use folders or categories if the amount of products/items is large and/or going to expand
If it's a small amount & finite then make the URLs as short as possible
-
Information architecture is important from a usability and search engine prospective.
I'd say go for the categories divided by the /
www.example.com**/**accounts/titanium
www.example.com/accounts/open-demo-accountThis makes more sense and lends itself to scalability etc.
hope this helps.
there are some really good articles on information architecture on the seomoz and the web
-
URL is without any category or folder
www.example.com/accounts-titanium
www.example.com/open-demo-account
is this right or i need to use:
www.example.com**/**accounts/titanium
-
not quite sure what you mean exactly - can you expand with and example?
Thanks
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
What does Appropriate Use of Rel Canonical mean?
I'm a newb and see this on my report and I don't understand what it means. Any help?
On-Page Optimization | | smartapps0 -
What is the Best Way to Translate a Website?
What is the best way? Using a different domain Using a subdomain of the main site Using a folder of the main site What's your take?
On-Page Optimization | | sbrault740 -
Title Attribute Length + Use
Hi, Is there an optimum character limit for attribute titles like there is for meta titles? On my ecommerce site I am adding about 280 characters product category page headers to succinctly describe what the page is such as in the example below; MENS BRIEFS + TANGAS We stock a range of mens briefs from leading designer brands that offer popular cuts and fabrics such as mens cotton briefs. You will also discover styles that are a little more risqué for those looking for something more daring in sexy mens briefs and tangas. I have added the following [title attribute] to this header text (MENS BRIEFS + TANGAS)so it displays the following title attribute text when you hover over it. My intention behind this is so that it enables me to provide visitors with access (via assistive reading software or hovering their cursor over the header text) to a bit more information, which they my find useful [title attribute text] - Mens briefs and tangas. These are possibly the most common and long established style of mens underwear, yet they still come in a variety of cuts and styles. The common feature amongst all men’s briefs is that they have a full rear panel that partly or entirely covers the bottom. They will have cut away legs, a pouch at the front and are supported with an elasticated waistband. Briefs and tangas can vary in the amount coverage in the side panels around the hips and top of the legs and the rear. The more revealing and skimpier tanga style usually consists of only a pouch at the front that is supported with an elasticated waistband and a minimalist rear, with no side panels that exposes the hips.[title attribute text] Is this too much? Can search engines penalise me for it? Am I using/misusing title attributes? Thanks
On-Page Optimization | | UnderMe0 -
How do I remove a Canonical URL Tag?
Some of my report cards say I have too many canonical URL tags. However, there is no information no how to delete one. Can someone give me a link or explain? Thanks.
On-Page Optimization | | dealblogger0 -
Is rel=canonical used only for duplicate content
Can the rel-canonical be used to tell the search engines which page is "preferred" when there are similar pages? For instance, I have an internal page that Google is showing on the first page of the SERPs that I would prefer the home page be ranked for. Both the home and internal page have been optimized for the same keyword. What is interesting is that the internal page has very few backlinks compared to the home page but Google seems to favor it since the keyword is in the URL. I am afraid a 301 will drop us from the first page of the SERPs.
On-Page Optimization | | surveygizmo0 -
What is the best out-of-the-box optimized WordPress Theme?
I've reviewed other answers on this forum and searched the web. Still looking for a good answer that's actually specific and can explain why. I've looked at studiopress.com themes, pagelines.com which I love but doesn't appear to have much optimization out of the box, http://themeforest.net/item/udesign-wordpress-theme/253220 http://www.vklabx.com/wordpress-themes/wordpress-theme-ad-flex-niche.php PS - not looking for answers that involve the use of SEO plugins, but if there's a theme you know of that takes minimal editing to improve optimization I'd be interested as well. Thanks in advance, hope this can help someone else as well
On-Page Optimization | | Aqua0 -
Using new domain in existing website
We have already a site and we want to make business in another country. We don't want to make a copy of our site because it requires more resources, but we want to use a different domain because the business will be run by a partner in that country. The idea is to make a folder in our site, www.mysite.com/countryname/ and associate a new domain www.newdomain.com, so when users go to the new domain they see the content under www.mysite.com/country/. Since de www.newdomain.com will use DNS redirection, the current domain won't be seen. Is this correct from a SEO perspective? Thanks!
On-Page Optimization | | Xopie1 -
Duplicate Content using templates
Hi, Our web site is designed using a template, which means the header and footer is consistent across all pages. Only the body content is unique on each page. Is the google bot able to see that the header and footer content is defined by the common template? Will this have any impact in terms of duplicate content? For example, we have a two line text in the footer that summarize the services we provide. Because the same text is in the footer of all pages, i am concerned about creating duplicate content. Finally, does it make sense to include keywords in header and footer of the template? Will it have any positive or negative SEO impact?
On-Page Optimization | | petersen0