An SEO-friendly URL is one that is designed to meet the needs of both users and search engines. Essentially, it should be easy to understand and interpret, giving a clear indication of what the webpage is about. Instead of a jumble of incomprehensible letters, numbers, and characters, an SEO-friendly URL typically includes keywords that succinctly describe the page’s content. This not only enhances user experience by making the URLs memorable and straightforward to type, but it also helps search engines understand the relevance of the page, which can contribute to better search rankings.
Characteristics of an SEO-friendly URL include:
- Clarity: It should clearly indicate the subject of the content.
- Brevity: It should be as short as possible while still being descriptive.
- Keyword-rich: It should contain relevant keywords that improve search relevance.
- Hyphenated: It should use hyphens (-) rather than underscores (_) to separate words.
- Canonical: It should be the preferred version of the URL to avoid duplicate content issues.
For example, a URL like /digital-marketing/seo is SEO-friendly because it’s straightforward, contains relevant keywords, and is easy for both users and search engines to understand. On the contrary, a URL like /?pid=12342&sid lacks descriptive elements and is not considered SEO-friendly.