In a blog’s On-Page SEO, one of the most important factors is the URL, also known as a permalink. From a search engine’s point of view, URLs are extremely important. The good thing is that we can customize these URLs across different CMS platforms.
Many bloggers, either to make their URLs look attractive or due to a lack of proper knowledge about SEO friendly URLs, end up customizing their permalinks in a way that is not SEO-friendly at all.
In this article, I have explained how you can avoid making this mistake. Through this article, I have shared what an SEO-friendly URL is, why URLs are important from a search engine perspective, the benefits of SEO-friendly URLs, and how to create them.
I am confident that after reading this article, you too will learn how to create an SEO-friendly URL. So, without any delay, let’s begin and first understand what a URL is.
What is a URL?
A URL, also known as a permalink or link, is the address of any page or post on a website. Through a URL, we can access a specific page or post on a website.
To explain in simple words: just like your house has an address that allows someone to reach it, every website or blog page/post also has an address — this is called a URL.
Every URL is unique, meaning that each webpage on the internet has its own distinct URL. Just as no two families can have the same address, no two webpages can have the same URL.
For example: The URL of this post is –https://rotontips.com/what-is-search-engine-optimization-seo/
What is the Full Form of URL?
The full form of URL is Uniform Resource Locator.
Who Created the URL?
The concept of URL was introduced by Tim Berners-Lee in 1994.
What is an SEO Friendly URL?
An SEO-friendly URL is a URL that is customized and optimized from the perspective of search engines. In simple terms, it is a URL structured in such a way that it improves your content’s SEO, making it easier for your webpage to rank higher in search results.
How to Create an SEO Friendly URL?
Now, let’s come to the main point of this article and learn how to create an SEO-friendly URL.
Making a URL SEO friendly is very simple. By following the tips below, you can easily optimize your URLs:
Use Keywords
Add your focus keyword in the URL, preferably at the beginning. Avoid keyword stuffing (don’t repeat the same keyword 2–3 times in the URL).
Avoid Special Characters
Never use special characters such as @, $, #, etc., in your URL. These are not SEO-friendly.
Use Dash (-) as Word Separator
Always use a dash (-) to separate words. Do not use underscores (_), as search engines treat underscored words as one word.
Use the Title in the URL
Create your URL based on your blog post’s title. It doesn’t need to be exactly the same, but it should be connected to the title.
Keep URLs Short
Avoid unnecessary words and keep the URL short and simple. Ideally, limit it to 3–5 words.
Use Lowercase Letters
Always write URLs in lowercase letters. They are more search-engine-friendly.
Use English Only
Avoid writing URLs in Hindi, as they become unnecessarily long and confusing. Hindi URLs are not SEO friendly because users and search engines struggle to understand them.
Avoid Too Many Folders/Categories
Do not add multiple folders or categories in your URL. URLs with too many categories are not search-engine-friendly.
Good URL:https://www.example.com/post-url
Bad URL:https://www.example.com/category/subcategory/sub-sub-category/post-url
Example of an SEO Friendly URL Structure
Here’s an example of an SEO-friendly URL:
https://rotontips.com/what-is-search-engine-optimization-seo/
This URL follows all the best practices mentioned above:
- It includes the focus keyword.
- It does not contain any special characters.
- It uses dashes (-) to separate words.
- It is connected to the post title.
- It is short and simple.
- It is written in lowercase.
- It is written in English, not Hindi.
- It avoids unnecessary folders or categories.
Creating an SEO-friendly URL is not a difficult task. By keeping these tips in mind, you can easily optimize your URLs.
Now that you understand how to create SEO friendly URLs, let’s move on and see how you can implement them in Blogger and WordPress.
How to Create SEO Friendly URLs in Blogger.com
On Blogger.com, the default permalink or URL format looks like this:https://www.example.com/year/month/post-name.html
This is not considered an SEO-friendly URL. However, Blogger.com doesn’t give you too many options. The only part you can customize is the post name. To do this, follow these steps:
Step 1: While writing an article in Blogger.com, look on the right hand side you will find the Permalink option.
Step 2: Click on it, and you will see two options: Automatic Permalink and Custom Permalink. Select Custom Permalink.
Step 3: Now, type the custom URL you want. In this way, you can customize URLs in Blogger.
How to Create SEO Friendly URLs in WordPress
In WordPress, you can fully customize post URLs as you like, making it easy to create SEO friendly URLs. Follow the steps below:
Step 1: From your WordPress Dashboard, go to Settings > Permalinks.
Step 2: Here, you will see multiple permalink structures. Choose the permalink structure that suits your needs, then click Save Settings.
Step 3: Once this process is done, you can easily create SEo friendly URLs for your WordPress website. The Post Name permalink structure is generally the best option for WordPress blogs.
Benefits of SEO Friendly URLs
SEO friendly URLs provide the following advantages:
- Improve the ranking potential of your content.
- Enhance user experience — users can understand the topic just by looking at the URL.
- Play an important role in building backlinks.
- Increase relevancy between anchor text and the URL.
- Help search engine bots better understand your content.
Through this article, I have provided you with complete information on how to create an SEO friendly URL, which has surely been useful for you. That’s all for this article I hope you liked what I shared. Don’t forget to share this article on social media with your friends who are interested in Blogging and SEO.
