What is a URL? 10 ways to optimize URLs for SEO

URL has become a familiar term and plays an important role in SEO. Still, not everyone has a full, detailed picture of what a URL is and the things around it. In this article, MONA Media walks you through the essentials and how to optimize your URLs for SEO.

What is a URL?

URL – Uniform Resource Locator is simply the way users reach a resource on a computer network. URLs make it easy to create as many hyperlinks as each website needs. Every resource you access is assigned an IP address or a link that stays fixed.

With a URL, you just type in a web address or a link and you land on the website you want, quickly and simply.

Basic types of URLs

On most websites today, URLs fall into 2 basic types:

• Dynamic URLs (?id=): This type of URL changes based on user parameters or requests. It is common on forums and on websites built with open-source platforms. 
• Static URLs (.html): This type of address cannot change once it is created and is usually used for fixed resources on a website. Search engines rate this type of URL higher, and it is far friendlier and easier to optimize.

The basic structure of a complete URL

At its core, a complete URL is made up of 2 main parts below:

Scheme URL

The URL scheme is the connection protocol that the application and server use to communicate. There are 3 main types:

• HyperText Transfer Protocol – HTTP: Defines what the web server and browser need to do in response to a given command.
• Secure – HTTPS: a version of HTTP with a security layer and strong encryption, so all data in transit stays well protected.
• File Transfer Protocol – FTP: A protocol for transferring data files over an internet connection.

Today the URL scheme is not as necessary as it used to be, since web browsers pick the right protocol automatically. In some specific cases, though, you still have to specify the scheme.

Authority URL

Authority URL is the part that starts after the two forward slashes following the protocol, and it includes 2 main parts are:

• Domain: In the domain name system, this is the top-level domain. It turns an IP address into a simple web address that people can remember. Many kinds of domains are in use today, the best known being .net, .com and .gov.
• Subdomain: DNS is a hierarchy made up of the characters after the scheme, ending at the first dot. Among subdomains, www is the most common choice today.

MUA DOMAIN from a reliable, quality provider at MONA Media today to get the best offer. CONTACT 1900 636 648 for help choosing the right domain for your website. We are available 24/7 to answer your questions.

≫Related reading: A detailed guide to choosing a domain extension for your website

Additional parts of a website URL

Besides the main parts above, a URL can also include 3 additional parts: Path, Query and Fragment. So what are they? Let's look at each one below.

The path 

The path is an important part of a URL’s structure: it points to the exact location of a file on the server. The path starts with a forward slash (/) and contains a chain of folders and subfolders leading to a specific file or page. 

For example, in the URL “https://mona.media/blog/url-la-gi“, the path is “/blog/url-la-gi“.

This path helps users move around a website and lets the server find and show exactly the content the user asked for. A clear, accurate path improves the user experience and helps the SEO of your website.

What is a URL query?

The query is the part of a URL used to pass information that is not part of the fixed path. The query starts with a question mark (?) and is usually used for searches or for passing dynamic data. When you type a keyword into a search engine and press “Search” a URL query is created to send that keyword to the server.

For example, when you search for “MONA Media” on Google, the URL looks like this:

“https://www.google.com/search?q=mona+media&oq=mona+m&gs_lcrp=EgZja…”

Here, search?q= is the query part of the URL, followed by the encoded keyword. A URL query helps you find information quickly and passes the parameters the server needs to show accurate, relevant results. 

The fragment

The fragment (fragment) in a URL is an important element that helps with navigation and improves the user experience on a website. Starting with a hash sign (#), the fragment points to a specific spot on the page, so the browser can jump straight to that section without reloading the whole page.

For example, when you click a link with a fragment in its URL, the browser loads the page and scrolls automatically to the spot the fragment points to. This is especially useful in long documents or complex websites, since users get to what they need without hunting for it.

Fragments can also be used to build a table of contents, which makes a page easier to navigate and use. Understanding and using fragments well makes your website work better and gives users a better experience.

How does URL optimization affect SEO?

A URL is more than the address users follow to reach your website. It also has a direct effect on SEO website. MONA has summed up 3 key benefits a good URL brings to a website. 

Better rankings on the SERP

An SEO-optimized URL (containing the keyword, kept short) helps search engines judge how relevant a page is to a search query. Special characters should be kept to a minimum, since they can hurt rankings. A page URL matters less than the overall domain, but getting it right helps raise conversion rates and improve your rankings.

Better user experience

A well-made URL is easy to remember, so users can get back to the page quickly. A properly built URL also helps search engines understand what the landing page is about. Even if the article title or page is hidden, users can still tell what the article is about. 

Better linking

A short, clear, memorable URL works as its own anchor text when you use it to cite a source or share it on forums, blogs, social networks and so on.

In short, optimizing URLs is a basic requirement for doing SEO Onpage well. It is also an important factor with a direct effect on your website's SEO results.

≫Further reading: A guide to getting your website onto Google with SEO for beginners

How to optimize URLs for SEO

Optimizing a an SEO-ready website helps your website earn a good, stable position in search engines. To make a website's URLs SEO-friendly, you need to meet a few important requirements:

URL length

For a blog post, keep the URL to 96 characters at most . On websites that have SEO tools installed, the system will flag the URL so you can edit it if needed. Without a tool like that, check it yourself to make sure it meets this standard so your SEO stays on track.

Include the keyword in the URL

Putting your SEO keyword in the URL is a must if you want it to perform well. However, include only the main keyword, once, and avoid repeating it , which makes the URL long and breaks the length rule.

No special characters or punctuation

For an SEO-friendly URL, avoid characters such as %, @, #, =, $,… and punctuation. This is a common mistake on Vietnamese-language websites: URLs that haven't been optimized show Vietnamese text with diacritics or special characters.

That makes it harder for search engines to read and assess the URL, and your content becomes harder for readers to find.

Don't use capital letters in URLs

To optimize URLs well for SEO services your website, avoid capital letters. Use lowercase without diacritics instead, so the URL is easier for users to read. It also helps your website grow later on.

URL structure requirements

A website URL needs to include all of the following parts: protocol, domain, path and query string,… A sensible URL structure across every page address on your site makes optimization easier and helps your SEO work well.

This matters most for large sites with lots of posts and products. Organize them into clear categories and subcategories so search engines can read the content and users can find their way around.

Use hyphens in your URLs

Hyphens separate the keywords in a URL cleanly, which makes it easier for search engines to understand the structure of your links.

In short, Using a hyphen in a URL works like a space between words in a sentence. It makes keywords easy to recognize and display when people search for terms related to your website.

Keep URLs short and easy to understand

Websites with short, simple URLs consistently get more clicks, by more than 37%. A short, clear URL is one of the basic requirements for good URL-based SEO.

Avoid "stop words" unless you need them

In case you haven't come across them, stop words are words like "a", "or", "but" and so on. They only connect other words in a URL. Some studies suggest Google doesn't value them, and they just make your URL longer. So even when you want to make a URL clearer, adding a stop word is usually unnecessary.

Avoid deep folder structures

As a rule, use no more than 2 subfolders per URL. Google gives less weight to a path that passes through many parent pages before reaching the content someone searched for. Fewer folders also keep the URL simple for users and easier for search engines to interpret.

Use HTTPS

HTTPS is essential for website security. HTTPS (HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure) is the secure version of HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol). Clearly, HTTPS is far safer than HTTP when it comes to encrypting data and protecting information. Google has also said that HTTPS gives pages a ranking advantage. To enable HTTPS on your site, you need to add an SSL certificate and the TLS protocol.

Frequently asked questions about URLs

URLs can feel like a broad topic that's hard to take in all at once. To cover the basics, MONA has collected the questions that come up most often in our projects and answered them below.

1. What is the best length for a URL?

Although major browsers such as Chrome and Cốc Cốc can handle URLs of up to 2048 characters, the best length is short and easy to remember. MONA recommends keeping URLs between 50 and 60 characters, so they're easy to remember, search-engine friendly and better for your SEO ranking. 

2. What is the difference between a link and a URL?

In simple terms, a URL is the specific address of a web page. It includes the scheme (such as HTTP or HTTPS) and the full path to the resource. A link, on the other hand, is an HTML element that sends users from one page to another.

• A URL has a defined structure and follows set protocols, for example: "https://mona.media/page“. 
• A link doesn't have to follow any particular structure. It can be a piece of text or a clickable image. For example, the HTML code <a href=”https://mona.media”>Click here</a> uses a URL to create a link.

This article from MONA Media has helped you understand URL is and the related details, and shown you how to optimize your URLs for SEO. A good, search-friendly URL helps your website reach customers and get the full value out of its pages. If you want to optimize your URLs and improve your Google rankings, contact MONA for advice and a website SEO quote . 

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