Which URL structure is better?

14 replies
Hi guys,

Which URL structure is better for SEO?

A. http://www.example.com/chairs/kitchen/wooden

B. http://www.example.com/chairs/kitche...chairs-kitchen

My question is if part of the keyword already appears in the parent's slug, should I insert it again in the current slug or not?

I've been using example A mostly but Yoast plugin warns me about it saying: "(Part of) your keyphrase does not appear in the slug. Change that!"

Any advice would be much appreciated
#structure #url
Avatar of Unregistered
  • Profile picture of the author razorz18
    I assume it's e-commerce web. The best would be trying to get ideas from big companies such as Amazon, eBay, Etsy.

    I would prefer the Kitchen to be the first category compare to chairs. I am not sure bout it because I don't know your web but for me, URL might be like this:

    http://example.com/kitchen/wooden-chair, I don't think we need too many categories.

    I might be wrong but I prefer the URL much shorter and cleaner.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11557979].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author ChrisBa
      Originally Posted by razorz18 View Post

      I assume it's e-commerce web. The best would be trying to get ideas from big companies such as Amazon, eBay, Etsy.

      I would prefer the Kitchen to be the first category compare to chairs. I am not sure bout it because I don't know your web but for me, URL might be like this:

      http://example.com/kitchen/wooden-chair, I don't think we need too many categories.

      I might be wrong but I prefer the URL much shorter and cleaner.
      Agree with this. This is how I would normally structure a site.


      [moderator's note: please refer to sig file rules]
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11558465].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author sendizo
    I also believe option B is better.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11558114].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author savidge4
    A) http://www.example.com/chairs/kitchen/wooden ALL day long. No duplication of terms and if you are using bread crumb type navigation far clearer to follow.

    I would take into consideration:
    Originally Posted by razorz18 View Post

    I would prefer the Kitchen to be the first category compare to chairs.
    Meaning I would with addition to product based navigation ( chairs ) include a room based navigation path:

    http://www.example.com/kitchen/chairs/wooden
    Signature
    Success is an ACT not an idea
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11558192].message }}
  • Google says if there are two identical sites, the shorter URL will rank better. But it is not a strong ranking signal. Also, Google considers the slug, but it is also not the most important ranking factor. I personally would go for A to keep it cleaner, and I think Google is intelligent enough to understand. And by the way, how do you know somebody searches for "wooden chairs kitchen" and not for "wooden kitchen chairs"? But dont get crazy over that, nowadays Google knows how to figure these things out.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11558235].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author medicineman
      This is pretty much the way it is. Related terms get thrown in there automatically. People use to call it "semantic" SEO, but that is a fancy term for, "how people naturally talk".




      A chair website would naturally have "chair" as the base category that others would logically stem from. Where those chairs would go would be in the "kitchen" , the "dining room", the bedroom, etc.




      A site about the "kitchen" would have the "kitchen" as the base category. Whether or not the kitchen has chairs or not would be a secondary category.

      The webmaster has to decide which is the "base category" and build from there.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11558259].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author savidge4
        Originally Posted by medicineman View Post

        The webmaster has to decide which is the "base category" and build from there.
        I get what you are saying.. but one must think with a Link structure like that, that they are selling more than chairs... couches, stools, tables. And then we have to assume they are selling for more than one room... Kitchen, Living Room, Family room, etc and then we have to assume they are selling more than Wood, IE metal, and plastic and COULD even be selling based on Modern, Traditional, Contemporary, etc.

        So it stands to reason that you would want to develop navigation paths for each cat type and not just one.

        We have to remember as developers to try and match the INTENT of the buyer and not trying to narrow things down the way we as developers see things. Breaking things up like this on our end ( developers ) is a bit more work but on the important end, it makes navigation for the buyer based on their intent easier.. and easier often times translates to dollars.
        Signature
        Success is an ACT not an idea
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11558263].message }}
  • I use option B. this is seo friendly URL
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11558291].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Sarmen B
    I dont like either url, what i would do is something like this:

    example.com/category/products-name its alot more cleaner and clear as to what you are selling
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11558302].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Chris-
    I read that if you're using WordPress, if you have a lot of posts, the best URL strategy is to start with a NUMBER, such as the year, because that makes the page load time shorter, which is important for SEO.

    A way to do that would be to do to settings / permalinks and use the custom structure :

    %year%/%postname%

    So that will start each post URL with the year.

    After that, I've been told that it's best to include relevant keywords in the URL, as well as the title etc.

    Chris
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11558324].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author markfail
    Option B offers users a easier way to remember and share your link with others. If your URL is too long, its difficult to remember.

    Try to consider your positional customers, see things from their prospective.
    Signature

    *NEW* Wordpress Auction Theme - your own Flippa or eBay website in minutes!
    Wordpress Directory Script - creating a directory website is easy!
    Wordpress Shopping Cart - setup your own online store or Amazon affiliate store!

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11558489].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Everve Support
    Option B is the best
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11558516].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author dreamcabinetsrta
    Option A is best.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11566386].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author h3ktor
    Structure A is better tha B but not the best one. Avoiding subdirectory is a good choice for SEO in 2019. We use domain.com/post-title link structure for our agency clients and it works greatly for us.
    Signature

    but i have promises to keep and miles to go before i sleep...

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11566406].message }}
Avatar of Unregistered

Trending Topics