URL Structure

The format and organisation of web page addresses, with keyword-rich, readable, hierarchical URLs preferred for SEO.

URL structure affects SEO through crawlability, user experience (recognisable URLs get higher CTR), and keyword signals. Google has confirmed URLs are a lightweight ranking signal — having the target keyword in the URL helps but is minor compared to content quality.

Best practices: use hyphens to separate words (not underscores), keep URLs short and descriptive (avoid ID numbers and long parameter strings in canonical URLs), use lowercase letters, reflect your site's information architecture (breadcrumbs → URL structure), and avoid unnecessary parameters and session IDs in canonical URLs.

Changing URLs is costly — it requires 301 redirects, updates to internal links, and re-establishment of PageRank at the new URL. Pick a logical URL structure when you launch and stick to it. If you must change URLs, implement 301 redirects immediately and update internal links to point directly to the new URLs (avoiding redirect chains).