On Page SEO – URLs

All websites have URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) which are simply an address for documents and other resources on the internet. However, when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO), some URLs are better than others. Old websites used to have URLs that made little to no sense when reading them. Some URLs would include special characters, question marks, and other “gibberish.” Today’s websites are significantly more sophisticated. In today’s competitive landscape, having good URLs only keeps you up with your competition, not ahead of it. Here are some examples of good and bad URLs:

Good

• www.domainname.com/Specific-Service-We-Provide
• www.domainname.com/Our-Best-Product-That-Solves-Your-Problem

Bad

• http://www.samplecompany.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=0s88ccbf-4c22-4347-aa71-87184a13ac1c&DisplayLang=en
• http://www.anothersamplecompany.com/Area84/Zone/6338/

Notice the difference? URLs that clearly state the purpose or content of the page are much friendlier to search engines than pages that are meaningless to the average reader. Remember, search engine optimization is powered by computers looking for certain criteria including ease of use for the end-user. If the robot can’t tell what the page is about, how will the end-user be able to?

We suggest using readable URLs on your website to rank better with search engines. Since most business these days is conducted via email, there is less concern about having a URL that is easy to read or remember like many years ago. Long URLs can also be easily embedded in code on a page such as a “Click Here” text that actually links the end-user to a very long URL.