While everyone else online is chatting about on-page SEO tips, keyword research, and link building … I’d like to review some best practices for URL optimization. Although an often overlooked part of SEO; clean URLS build a great foundation for SERP exposure.
Here are my 7 tips for instant URL optimization.
Don’t buy recycled domains (and if you must, do your research).
It’s easy to head over to GoDaddy auctions, see a good looking domain with some history and authority, and bid like crazy. But, as someone who’s fallen for this “too good to be true” temptation in the past; I strongly advise against it.
Why? Worst case scenario, you’re picking up a domain that’s been exposed to an ugly link farm. No matter how hard you try, you’ll have a hard time recovering from that black hat SEO technique. But even in the best case scenario; any good links it collected might not even be relevant to what you do.
For your root domain, stick with your name or business name.
On a high-level example, when you Google laptops, what comes up? Guarantee it’s not findacheaplaptop.com. Instead, it’s probably HP, Apple, Dell, etc. When you make your root domain a brand or business name, you show authority.
For example, my website is just my name. Why? Well right now, I’m super into on-page SEO, but maybe in the future; that might change. I don’t want to box myself in with a keyword stuffed URL that might not always align with what I do.
Bonus? Not only does this look cleaner and more professional, but it’s better for brand recognition. You will be recognized online as a business or influencer, not a one-hit wonder.
Neil Patel is a great example. Think about how much different his career would be now if his website was ContentWritingforYou.com and not NeilPatel.com.
Hint: I guarantee he wouldn’t be as successful.
Build a permalink pattern. Follow that same structure throughout the site.
When optimizing your site in general, it’s always important to set up a consistent standard. In many ways, Google has given us the roadmap, it’s up to us to execute. What do I mean by this? If you want to include the publish date in your URL, make sure you always do. If you put your blog posts in your /blog/ subfolder, then make sure you never skip out and add it a /pages/ subfolder. Long story short? Be consistent.
When linking from other sites, type out the full version of your URL.
I recently experienced this situation when I was dealing with a client who had multiple CCTDs. Sure, they had a decent amount of backlinks; but the URL structure was all over the place. Some linked to the site as HTTP, others as HTTPS. Then some included the www, others did not. Finally, some were .au, .ca, and so on. This made for a real mess when it came time to redirect to the actual URL.
So, know your URL, and don’t get lazy with linking. Even when building out your social media profiles, type the full URL in the website form.
Set up an SSL certificate so your site is secure.
Remember, most address bars now show “Not Secure” when a site is just HTTP. As a visitor, that’s a huge turnoff. You can usually get an SSL certificate from your hosting provider at no extra cost. Trust me, it’s worth the effort. That secure symbol next to your URL could save you from a high bounce rate.
Domain age can play a small part.
If you’ve got a good domain, aren’t using it, but it’s up for expiration – keep it. I’ve let many domains expire in the past, and then months later realized I could’ve used them for something. This isn’t a major factor in URL optimization, but it does matter. To Google, age indicates a long term commitment. Anyone who has held onto their domain and made that commitment usually isn’t some fly by night spammer. (At least, that’s the hope).
Finally, keep your URLs clean.
These URLs will show up in search, so if they look messy, they might not get clicks. I’m talking no extra dashes, numbers, cut off words, etc. Which URL is more appealing?
https://www.art.com/product/cool-blue-painting/
or
https://www.art.com/default.asp?sid=0489048549085&command=freelist/
Bet you catch my drift. Have any questions? How about your own tips? Share them below in the comments.