URL slugs, also known as URL fragments or permalinks, are the human-readable part of a URL that comes after the domain name. They play an essential role in search engine optimization (SEO) as they can affect the visibility and ranking of your web pages. Here’s an overview of URL slugs and some tips on optimizing them for SEO:
1. Use descriptive keywords: Include relevant keywords in your URL slug that accurately describe the content of the web page. This helps search engines understand the topic and improves the chances of ranking for those keywords.
Example:
– Bad URL slug: example.com/p=123
– Good URL slug: example.com/ultimate-guide-seo-url-slugs
2. Keep it concise: While descriptive, avoid making your URL slugs too long. Aim for a length that is easy to read and remember. Shorter URLs are generally preferred by users and search engines.
Example:
– Bad URL slug: example.com/this-is-a-very-long-url-slug-with-lots-of-words
– Good URL slug: example.com/short-url-slug
3. Use hyphens to separate words: Instead of using spaces or underscores, use hyphens (-) to separate words within your URL slug. Hyphens are more readable to both users and search engines, and they are considered word separators.
Example:
– Bad URL slug: example.com/this_is_a_bad_slug
– Good URL slug: example.com/good-slug-with-hyphens
4. Avoid stop words and unnecessary words: Stop words are common words like “and,” “the,” “of,” etc., that don’t add much value to the meaning of the URL slug. Eliminate them to make the URL more concise and focused on the essential keywords.
Example:
– Bad URL slug: example.com/a-guide-to-the-best-seo-practices
– Good URL slug: example.com/guide-best-seo-practices
5. Use lowercase letters: Keep your URL slugs in lowercase to maintain consistency. Capital letters may lead to confusion, as URLs are case-sensitive. Using lowercase URLs also helps with readability and compatibility across different platforms.
Example:
– Bad URL slug: example.com/Great-Article-About-SEO
– Good URL slug: example.com/great-article-about-seo
6. Avoid keyword stuffing: While it’s important to include relevant keywords, avoid overloading your URL slug with too many keywords. This can appear spammy and may harm your SEO efforts. Maintain a balance and ensure the URL still sounds natural and user-friendly.
Example:
– Bad URL slug: example.com/seo-guide-tips-tricks-best-practices-keyword-research-backlinks
– Good URL slug: example.com/seo-guide-best-practices
7. Use canonical URLs: If you have similar or duplicate content on your website, it’s crucial to use canonical URLs to indicate the preferred version to search engines. Canonical tags help avoid content duplication issues and consolidate ranking signals.
Example:
– Original URL slug: example.com/product/smartphone
– Duplicate URL slug: example.com/products/smartphone
– Canonical URL: example.com/product/smartphone
Remember that optimizing your URL slugs alone won’t guarantee high rankings or SEO success. It’s crucial to focus on overall website quality, valuable content, proper on-page optimization, and other SEO best practices to improve your website’s visibility in search engine results.
Why is URL slug important for SEO?
Although it looks simple enough, the URL the counter It has become one of the important elements that friends need to pay attention to when running SEO.
Some of the main reasons why friends need to optimize URLs the counter Because:
1. The URL slug is one of Google’s ranking factors (albeit a minor one)
The text you use in the URL the counter Can help Google understand page content, Web Friend.
like this, serving the url the counter Those that are descriptive and relevant to the content of the content are important to help Google more easily recognize the content of your web page.
Furthermore, in 2016 John Mueller who is a Google search analyst also confirmed that the use of keywords in URLs is a factor. ranking Used in determining search position in the Google SERP, even though the weight assigned is relatively small.
Other information about the URL slug, which is a ranking factor, can be read in the following Search Engine Journal article.
However, if you want to get maximum SEO performance, optimize the URL the counter Be one of those things friends can’t ignore.
2. Can help improve URL slug user experience
Apart from helping search engines, URL slugs are also friendly that help too the user Humans recognize the content of the web pages of friends.
Imagine your content being shared through social media or WhatsApp groups. By looking at the URL of the content shared there, users can guess what the content is about before deciding to click on it
can friends see this the counter The first URL includes brief information about the content contained on the web page.
On the other hand, section the counter URLs that are just a series of numbers contain no information that describes the page’s content Web,
If you get both URLs, of course, you would prefer to click on the web page with the first URL, regardless of the content.
This is an important reason why friends are required to submit URLs. the counter Descriptive and relevant to the content of your web page.
How to create URL slug?
how to create or edit the counter URL will depend on CMS (content management system) that website friends use.
In this guide, we will discuss how to build the counter 2 CMS URLs Website The most popular are WordPress (popular among bloggers) and Shopify (popular with online store owners).
Creating URL Slug in WordPress
Friends can be changed for those who use WordPress the counter Post URL in column permanent link Like the image below when posting or editing pages Web,
Also make sure friends have access settings permanent link in the right manner. Arrangement permanent link In wordpress you can find friends in the section Adjustment , permanent link,
As a recommendation, use the settings permanent link Include words that are relevant to the content of your web page.
Creating URL slugs in Shopify
for friends who have website e,Business And using CMS Shopify, friends can set URL the counter In search engine listing when creating or editing a page Web,
Location, Column Edit URL the counter can be found in the friends section url handle Like the picture below.
Tips to optimize slug for SEO
Indeed, URL optimization the counter SEO doesn’t require a deep or complicated strategy. guys just need to make sure the url the counter from page Web friends can be easily understood either Search engine as well as visitors Website,
To achieve this, here are some main things that friends need to pay attention to while making URL the counter for pages Web,
1. Include Relevant Keywords
SEO practice will always be with keywords, and handling URLs is no exception. the counter, So, include keywords that are relevant to the page content Web on friends the counter URL.
if page Web is a blog article post, so be sure the counter Friends’ URLs contain keywords that describe the topic of the article’s content.
if page Web Have a business product or service page so friends can add product names or service names to it the counter URL of the page.
2. Create a short and concise slug
A good URL is a short URL as it will be easier for users to read. Furthermore, the display of very long URLs will also be truncated in Google SERP.
As rule of thumbTry to keep the URL slug under 5 words.
- recommended:/best-digital-marketing-strategy
- not recommended:/some-best-digital-marketing-strategies-for-big-and-small-businesses
3. Use hyphens to separate words
Splitting the words in the URL will create the counter Friends become more readable for users.
In addition, Google also recommends using a hyphen “-” and avoiding using other characters such as To insist “_” as word separator the counter URL.
- recommended:/gayo-best-coffee
- not recommended: /best_gyo_copy
- not recommended: /copygayoterbike
Google treats URLs as case sensitive, So guys, you should be consistent in using only lowercase letters to avoid various issues like duplicate content emerging the counter,
- recommended: /South Jakarta
- not recommended: /South Jakarta
5. Avoid Using Non-ASCII Characters
Google recommends not using non-ASCII characters (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) But the counter So that there is no problem in reading the URL.
- not recommended: /mint
- not recommended: /Grocery/Mint
- not recommended: /
6. Avoid using dates in slugs
the counter Your web page URL should be permanent. friends if you change the url search engine bot To do crawling And indexing Repeat for friends of the new URL address. This will definitely affect SEO performance.
For this reason friends should avoid using dates or years the counter URL. That way, friends don’t have to change the counter URL when friends need to update page content Web,
- recommended:/how-to-analyze-stocks
- not recommended: /how-how-to-analyze-stock-in-year-2023
ending
From the above review, it can be concluded that optimizing the URL the counter from every page Web Friends, it should not be ignored while running SEO.
By making just a few changes, friends may be able to gain SEO performance Website better. If you have more questions about URLs or other optimization tips the counterFriends can submit it in the comment column Yes!
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