The importance of proper URL structure for SEO

A well-structured URL is one of the foundations of effective website optimization for search engines. How clear, logical, and understandable your URLs are directly impacts how quickly and accurately Google can crawl and index your pages.

In this article, we’ve compiled Google’s recommendations on best practices for building URLs — to help your website perform efficiently and drive more traffic.

Why is a Proper URL Structure Important?

Poorly constructed URLs can lead to several problems:

• Excessive load on Googlebot
• Content duplication
• Poor indexing quality
• Lower search rankings

To avoid these issues, follow a few simple principles.

Key Requirements for URL Structure

Follow the IETF STD 66 Standard: What is it?

IETF STD 66 is a technical standard that defines the rules for constructing URLs (Uniform Resource Locators). It specifies which characters can be used in web addresses and how they should be encoded.

Some characters have special meanings in URL structure (such as ?, &, #) — these are known as reserved characters. If you need to use these characters within parameter values (not in the structure of the URL), they should be encoded using percent-encoding (also called URL encoding).

For example:
a space character is encoded as %20, and the # symbol as %23.

This ensures that browsers and search engines correctly interpret your URLs and do not confuse URL structure with parameter values.

In other words, adhering to IETF STD 66 ensures that your URLs are processed correctly by both browsers and Googlebot.

Avoid Using Fragments (Portion After #)

Google Search does not support content changes via URL fragments. If you are using JavaScript to update content, use the History API instead.

How to Properly Encode URL Parameters

Use = and &

Recommended format:

https://example.com/category?category=dresses&sort=low-to-high&sid=789

Avoid alternative formats such as:

https://example.com/category?[category:dresses][sort:price-low-to-high]

Use Commas for Multiple Values in a Single Key

Example:

https://example.com/category?color=purple,pink,salmon

Best Practices for URL Structure

Use Clear and Descriptive Words

Good example:

https://example.com/wiki/Aviation

Poor example:

https://example.com/index.php?topic=42&area=3a5ebc944f41daa6f849f730f1

Write URLs in the Language of Your Audience

For a German audience:

https://example.com/lebensmittel/pfefferminz

For a Japanese audience:

https://example.com/ペパーミント

Use UTF-8 Encoding: What is it?

UTF-8 is a universal character encoding that supports virtually all languages in the world. It is the standard encoding used on the web to display text.

It’s important to remember: URLs can only contain a limited set of characters — the ASCII alphabet, digits, and a few special characters. If your URL includes characters from another language (Ukrainian, German, Arabic, etc.), they must be encoded in a special format using UTF-8 encoding.

For example:
the word “м’ята” (mint) in a URL:

https://example.com/мята

should be encoded as:

https://example.com/%D0%BC%D1%8F%D1%82%D0%B0

This ensures that URLs are processed consistently and correctly by both browsers and search engines, regardless of language or region.

Using UTF-8 encoding guarantees that your URLs are displayed and indexed without errors.

Separate Words with Hyphens

Good example:

https://example.com/summer-clothing

Poor example:

https://example.com/summer_clothing

Minimize Unnecessary Parameters and Duplicates

• Remove parameters that do not change the content.
• Avoid tracking parameters in visible URLs.
• Do not use session IDs in URLs (use cookies instead).
• Avoid infinite calendars or unbounded pagination.

Special Considerations for Multilingual Websites

URL structure should clearly indicate the region or language:

Good example:

https://example.de

Good example:

https://example.com/de/

Common Problems to Avoid

• Excessive number of URLs due to combined filters.
• Duplicates from sorting and search parameters.
• Infinite calendars.
• Incorrect relative links.

How to Fix URL Problems

• Use a robots.txt file to block indexing of dynamic or incorrect URLs.
• Optimize faceted navigation.
• Avoid duplicate and unnecessary parameter combinations.

Conclusion

A well-constructed URL structure is a key element of an effective SEO strategy. URLs provide search engines with an initial understanding of page content and site hierarchy. Simplicity, clarity, and clean URLs not only improve content indexing but also enhance the relevance of pages in search results.

By using clear and standardized URLs, you improve the user experience, ensure proper crawling of your site by Googlebot, and reduce the risk of content duplication or indexing errors. This directly impacts your site’s organic traffic and competitiveness in search results.

Following best practices in URL structure is an essential part of any modern web project seeking stable and long-term growth in Google search rankings.

Checklist: How to Create SEO-Friendly URLs

1. Use clear and descriptive words instead of IDs or codes.
2. Follow the IETF STD 66 standard and apply proper character encoding.
3. Use UTF-8 encoding for non-ASCII characters.
4. Separate words with hyphens, not underscores.
5. Write URLs in the language of your target audience.
6. Minimize the number of URL parameters.
7. Do not use fragments (#) to dynamically change content.
8. Manage filtering and sorting parameters to avoid duplicate content.
9. Use clear structure for multilingual and multi-regional websites.
10. Use robots.txt to block technically incorrect or excessive URLs.

Read this article in Ukrainian.