Webpage URLs
Webpage URL’s created correctly will help your SEO Efforts
Websites Require Webpage URLs
So, you started a business, and you have begun developing a website. Now you are researching how to make sure your company has a solid online presence because you want to see it grow in popularity. You are probably looking into several different methods. Maybe you’ve started putting out ads, or perhaps you are looking to social media as a platform. You have probably seen the word SEO at some point. SEO, which stands for Search Engine Optimization, can cause your website to swarm with visitors. An essential part of SEO has to do with your website URL. Yes, the best and top websites have solid online campaigns, and adding the proper URLs help! It is not just another way to gain publicity, though.
Why Webpage URLs?
You might be wondering why anyone would use a URL when you can type in the website name? First of all, a URL is just as much a command to the browser as it is a tool for you. A URL tells the browser where to go, and without it, there would not be a way to locate the correct file. Computers need to be given particular commands because they only do whatever you tell them to do. Also, often a URL lets you know, in understandable words, how to get to a specific web location manually, as explained in the path example. Another great feature of a URL is that they are unique to single locations, so you would not have to worry about someone else stealing your intended visitors.
What are Webpage URLs
A URL (Uniform Resource Locater) is essentially the location of a web page used to direct users. For example, http://www.examplert4911.com/resources/contacts could be a URL for a page on some company’s website. As you can see, there are several parts to a URL.
Webpage URLs Scheme
- A scheme tells the browser what protocol it is using to exchange information. In this example, there is “HTTP”, which is the scheme. Other typical schemes include “HTTPS” (secure), “FTP” (for transferring files), and “mailto” (for email).
Authority
- The authority includes the domain name, which you can usually type in by itself to reach the website’s home page.
Webpage URLs Path
- This shows how to get from the home page to the desired location on the website. In the example URL, “/resources/contacts” show the path to the company’s “contacts” page. It is accessed by going from the home page to the “resources” page and then clicking a link to the “contacts” page. You can even locate sections within a page using a URL, such as https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States#Geography, which links to the “Geography” section of the United States Wikipedia page.
What is SEO
If you are want to make your website pop up in more search engine results, SEO can help. SEO is the art of making sites appear to more people in search results. There are many ways you can do this. For instance, you could improve your website’s design, which will lead to a smaller number of customers “bouncing” and looking for another website instead.
Evidence
There is evidence that Google makes it so that websites with a lower “bouncing” rate benefit more in SEO. SEO experts know that using keywords help increase ranking and search results. Having a keyword and repeating it several times throughout your document will improve your standings in search results.
There are other methods to gain followers and customers, such as word of mouth, advertisements, and social media. However, unless someone happens to see or hear about you, SEO is the best option. Even if you do not have the best prices, most information, or whatever else would help you compete, SEO can get the most traffic to your website!
How to Create Parts of the Webpage URLs
SEO and URLs are not merely two isolated topics. You can use your URL to increase SEO for your website. The first thing that comes up in a URL is the scheme.
Primary Protocols in Webpage URLs
The two primary protocols used are HTTP and HTTPS. These are very similar, but there is one crucial difference. This difference is encryption. Because HTTP and HTTPS deal with sending and receiving information, you probably want the more secure one. Conveniently, the “s” in HTTPS stands for secure! Information you send over HTTP is seen word-for-word by anyone monitoring what you are doing. HTTPS encrypts that information and makes it impossible to understand by an outsider. Having HTTPS in your scheme will attract more security-conscious users also. Google expects this. Knowing that there is less of a risk visiting a website gives them peace of mind.
Authority & URL
The authority is also essential in SEO. People are more likely to click on a website that has certain domains in the URL. For example, it would be better to have a “.com” domain than a “.online.” Users will gravitate towards domains that they are comfortable and familiar with. The web is too uncertain of a place to click on just any URL.
Your URL should tell people that your website is safe and that it just might have what they want. It should be noted that a relevant domain name is also essential. If your domain name was something like www.iamsohappytoday.com, but you were a custodial company, people might not click on your website just because they do not even know that you are a custodian. The domain name should resemble the name of your company. For example, the URL www.seattlewebsitedesign.us helps the viewer understand that the website is for a web design company in Seattle.
Webpage URLs Path
The last part of your URL, the path, can also be adjusted to help you obtain maximum SEO. The path must be as short as possible. If someone wanted to find a specific page on your website, they might want to type in the path in the search bar instead of clicking on links from the home page. To make it easy on them, you should create a short, simple path, like “/about/meet-the-team.” Backlinko has researched to show that shorter URLs are better than longer ones, as they improve your search ranking. If there is a way to condense your URL, it is in your best interest to do it.
This graph demonstrates the effect of a short URL on SEO:
Shorter Webpage URLs
The highest-ranked websites usually have shorter URLs than the lower-ranked websites. Just twelve extra characters result in a jump from first to tenth! This highlights the importance of shortening URLs. This may be the most critical piece of a URL in SEO. As a guideline, neilpatel.com suggests using three to five words, which will keep it nice and short.
Keep Webpage URLs Easy to Understand
When writing a URL with SEO in mind, focus on readability. Keep in mind that the average web user may only understand URLs containing clear, readable words. According to moz.com, several good practices take place URLs should be easy to understand and have wording relevant to their use. They should include total English words, not obscure abbreviations. URLs should be condensed and to the point. Spaces should be replaced with hyphens, not underscores, which is Google’s preference. All letters should be lowercase since uppercase letters can confuse the browser. Finally, it is good to avoid displaying parameters in the URL, which are gibberish to the average user. A guide to the best SEO practices are shown in this image:
These are all ways in which URLs influence SEO, but do they influence search rankings? After all, while a user might care about the security of HTTPS or the readability of a short URL, the webserver does not. URLs do not have a significant effect on search rankings. Simply put, there are just other more critical aspects that weigh heavier in these rankings. Keywords can also affect rankings, but if adding one takes away from one of the more important attributes, do not bother them. Still, it should not be assumed that URLs are useless in terms of SEO. The previous recommendations mentioned previously still hold.
Webpage URLs Examples
For emphasis, let’s look at a good and a bad example of a URL. First, what is wrong with the following?
http://www.001Seattwebdescompanywebsites.net/abt/cntcs/quality webdevelopersavailablein seattle
- Does not have an HTTPS protocol.
- The domain name is not specific, and it is not clear.
- Abbreviations, uppercase letters, and underscores are used. Instead, there should be complete, easy-to-read words and hyphens in place of spaces.
- The URL path is lengthy and not clear in terms of keywords.
A URL with these factors addressed may look something like this: https://www.seattleswebsitedesign.us/about/web-developer-james. This new URL is obviously for a specific contact (James) at a Seattle Web Design Agency website.
Takeaway on Webpage URLs
To recap, your website should include specific URLs. It is proven that URLs can have a positive or negative effect on searches.
If you have a business competing with other websites for the top spots in search results, consider changing the URL. Your website’s URL is only a single line of text, a few dozen characters long. Do not let just a few words keep you from seeing your business grow. Instead, take these few helpful online marketing tips and improve the presence of your website.
Originally published at https://visualwebz.com on May 25, 2021.
