Developing The Best URL Structure for Ecommerce Websites: Things to Consider
Establishing a successful ecommerce website involves many steps. With so many elements to consider, URL structure can often get overlooked. However, we’re here to encourage you to give it the attention it deserves.
Here we’ll discuss the best URL structure for ecommerce sites to improve SEO so that your business can drive forward without needing to take a pit stop or shift into reverse down the road! URL structure directly influences your SEO and user experience. Getting it right the first time allows you to avoid doubling back and making changes, further hurting your ranking and user experience.
1. User Readability
Creating URLs that are easily understandable by your average user increases the trustworthiness of your website and makes users more inclined to choose your site over another.
When URLs appear clean and concise and accurately reflect the content that a user will find on the page, it automatically paints your website and, thus, your business in a better light. Compare that to a URL that is a series of jumbled characters without much meaning, which might cause users to be wary of the site and its content.
2. Keep it Simple
Search engines are advanced and are capable of handling many technical challenges in URLs, but as you increase technicality, you also increase the potential for error. Smaller sites typically don’t require complex URLs to function, and introducing special characters does little more than increase the likelihood of users encountering mistakes, which prevents sales for your business.
Dynamic URLs with complexities don’t inherently produce errors, though they are more likely. To keep your website cruising along like a well-oiled machine, keep it simple until your site is large enough to require more complexity. Speak to the experts at WEB ROI to ensure your URL structure is ready to roll.
3. Include Keywords
We’ve talked a lot about the value of keywords in various contexts, and URLs are no different. Integrating your target keywords into your URL helps your rankings within search engines, and it allows users to find your site more easily when searching for relevant terms and products.
Try to use your keywords naturally in URLs, without forcing keywords that don’t fit or by trying to add too many. Include just a few keywords to produce a concise, descriptive URL that will drive your SEO and funnel high-quality traffic to your website.
4. Manage URL Length
For ecommerce websites, in particular, it can be challenging to keep your URLs both short and unique. Of course, all of your products require individual, unique URLs, making it somewhat difficult to manage the length and keep them concise.
If you find yourself struggling to keep URLs short without duplication, consider including the product number in the URL to distinguish similar products without introducing much length. Try your best to steer your URLs to stay beneath 100 characters!
Get the Professional Sitemap Assistance Today
Looking for more guidance to help you navigate the world of URLs? Reach out to the team at WEB ROI. We can help you create effective URLs that will help drive your ecommerce business forward!
