URL Structure & Best Practice when Facing 4+ Sub-levels

[Dan-Louis]

Hi.

I've spent the last day fiddling with the setup of a new URL structure for a site, and I can't "pull the trigger" on it.

• Example: - domain.com/games/type-of-game/provider-name/name-of-game/
• Specific example: - arcade.com/games/pinball/deckerballs/starshooter2k/

The example is a good description of the content that I have to organize. The aim is to a) define url structure, b) facilitate good ux, **c) **create a good starting point for content marketing and SEO, avoiding multiple / stuffing keywords in urls'.

The problem? Not all providers have the same type of game. Meaning, that once I get past the /type-of-game/, I must write a new category / page / content for /provider-name/.

No matter how I switch the different "sub-levels" around in the url, at one point, the provider-name doesn't fit as its in need of new content, multiple times.

The solution? I can skip "provider-name". The caveat though is that I lose out on ranking for provider keywords as I don't have a cornerstone content page for them.

Question: Using the URL structure as outlined above in WordPress, would you A) go with "Pages", or B) use "Posts"

[Seenlyst]

I'm not quite sure if I'm correct since I'm not in the gaming industry, but I don't think there would be many benefits in terms of SEO for having provider name in URL. There are a few reasons that I wouldn't add provider name in URL:

• Your URL will be much longer, Moz suggests to keep it within 75 words, including https://www.
• I'm guessing the more important keyword here is the game name, by having publisher name you're moving your important keyword further from the root domain
• It cost more time and effort to manage and create content for each provider page/content
• Provider name is a branded keyword, and it would be hard for you to outrank them in their brand name
• doesn't give much SEO value

When I search for "Battlefield 1", almost all the top results have "Battlefield 1" close to their root domain.
https://www.windowscentral.com/battlefield-1-2018
https://www.gamespot.com/battlefield-1/
https://www.g2a.com/en/battlefield-1-origin-key-global-i10000016618004
https://www.origin.com/sgp/en-us/store/battlefield/battlefield-1#store-page-section-criticalacclaim

I think at the end it depends on what keyword you're trying to rank for and does having the publisher name helps.

[Dan-Louis]

Thank you for both your time and effort in response to my thread, Joseph.

The reason I do not want to use WordPress and its Tags-function, is that it is a WP-function, and not something beneficial to SEO at all. On the contrary, tags create new URLs, duplicate content, and thin content as well.

Continuing on your stating that "relevant content to the keywords", does this mean I can skip the "provider-name" in the url?

I've seen competitors that includes the provider in URL, and they outrank others that do not. I recognize the fact that the URL is not the only signal / factor here, but I'm seeing a trend, hence my question.

[Seenlyst]

Hey Dan,

though keyword in URL can be helpful it wasn't that much of a factor in ranking. If your page has relevant content to the keywords Google will be able to tell. Alternatively, since you're using Wordpress, will "tag" be another solution?

Regards,
Joseph Yap