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This guide will help you understand theÌýparts ofÌýaÌýURL, andÌýhow URL structure impacts SEO results. ºÚÁÏÃÅ provides SEO-friendly URLs, but many other web builder platforms have very poorly designed URLs. This article provides anÌýintroduction ³Ù´ÇÌýtechnical SEO andÌýresources ³Ù´ÇÌýhelp you fix theÌýproblems commonly found inÌýWix, WordPress, Woocommerce, andÌýShopify.

What IsÌýAÌýWebsite URL?

isÌýanÌýacronym that stands forÌýUniversal Resource Locator. Some people also use theÌýabbreviation URI, which stands forÌýUniversal Resource Identifier. These two terms are interchangeable. You use URLs every day when you type theÌýweb address ofÌýaÌýsite into your browser.

AÌýfamous URL example isÌýhttps://www.example.com. This web address isÌýused ³Ù´ÇÌýteach people about domain names andÌýURLs. Today you will learn theÌýURL parts inÌýthis address andÌýwhy they are essential forÌýdigital marketing. You will also learn ³Ù´ÇÌýcreate theÌýbest URL structure forÌýyour own website.

AÌýgood URL will make itÌýeasy forÌývisitors ³Ù´ÇÌýremember your website andÌýfind itÌýonÌýtheÌýinternet.

Search engines andÌýhuman visitors are highly influenced byÌýtheÌýURLs that define your website. You can improve your search engine rankings, brand recognition, andÌýconversions byÌýoptimizing your URLs.

URL Structure IsÌýImportant For Marketing &ÌýSecurity

URL protocol: HTTP vsÌýHTTPS

The first part ofÌýtheÌýURL isÌýcalled theÌý. This section contains theÌýletters HTTP orÌýHTTPS, followed byÌýaÌýcolon andÌýtwo forward slashes. You can see theÌýprotocol inÌýbold red letters inÌýour example URL, https://example.com.

IfÌýyou want ³Ù´ÇÌýget into theÌýdeep geeky details ofÌýwhat this means, weÌýhave aÌýgreat article about HTTP protocol that you can read. IfÌýyou want ³Ù´ÇÌýkeep itÌýsimple, all you need ³Ù´ÇÌýknow isÌýthat theÌýS atÌýtheÌýend ofÌýHTTPS stands forÌý“secure”.

isÌýaÌýtechnology that encrypts data that users enter into aÌýwebsite. ±õ²ÔÌý³Ù³ó±ðÌýearly days ofÌýtheÌýinternet, this technology did not exist. Once SSL was invented, HTTPS differentiated secure websites from older, insecure ones.

±õ²ÔÌý³Ù³ó±ðÌýmodern-day, both users andÌýsearch engines strongly prefer websites that use theÌýHTTPS protocol. Google penalizes websites that use theÌýHTTP protocol inÌýsearch results, andÌýsometimes blocks those websites from search engine traffic. Savvy users will look forÌýtheÌýHTTPS protocol asÌýaÌýsign ofÌýprofessionalism andÌýsecurity before buying from your website.

How ³Ù´ÇÌýset upÌýtheÌýHTTPS protocol forÌýyour website

InÌýmost cases, you don’t have ³Ù´ÇÌýdoÌýanything special ³Ù´ÇÌýrequest orÌýconfigure theÌýHTTPS protocol forÌýyour website. HTTPS isÌýtheÌýdefault technology forÌýmodern websites, soÌýmost hosting companies andÌýe-commerce platforms provide this protocol automatically.

IfÌýyour website has theÌýHTTPS protocol enabled, you will see aÌýpadlock inÌýfront ofÌýtheÌýURL inÌýyour web browser. IfÌýyou doÌýnot see theÌýpadlock, contact tech support atÌýyour website hosting company orÌýe-commerce platform. They should beÌýable ³Ù´ÇÌýfix theÌýproblem quickly.

IfÌýyou find yourself with aÌýhost that does not automatically provide SSL certificates, you should upgrade ³Ù´ÇÌýaÌýbetter host. Barring that, you can generate andÌýinstall your SSL certificate forÌýyour site using theÌýcertificates andÌýtutorials available atÌý.

Mixed content warnings

You will get mixed content warnings ifÌýyour HTTPS website links ³Ù´ÇÌýHTTP URLs.

When aÌýsecure website links ³Ù´ÇÌýphotos, fonts, andÌýcode from insecure sources, these warnings often occur. InÌýmany cases, aÌýbrowser will not display HTTP content inÌýaÌýwebsite that uses theÌýHTTPS protocol. Your website may appear broken ³Ù´ÇÌývisitors, andÌýhackers may beÌýable ³Ù´ÇÌýattack your website.

Google severely penalizes mixed content websites andÌýmay block search engine traffic ³Ù´ÇÌýthese sites entirely. Fixing mixed content issues isÌýcrucial forÌýSEO andÌýsecurity.

IfÌýyou use theÌýºÚÁÏÃÅ platform, you will not have ³Ù´ÇÌýworry about this issue, aside from aÌýfew special scenarios. However, other web builders andÌýe-commerce platforms may produce these errors, andÌýyou will need ³Ù´ÇÌýfix them.

Fixing mixed content warnings can become aÌýtechnical process involving auditing andÌýfixing theÌýcode that runs your website. You may need ³Ù´ÇÌýhire aÌýdeveloper.

Using ºÚÁÏÃÅ asÌýyour e-commerce platform will eliminate most issues with mixed content warnings. WeÌýautomatically configure everything ³Ù´ÇÌýwork correctly. However, ifÌýyou are embedding ºÚÁÏÃÅ inÌýaÌýwebsite, you must make sure that theÌýwebsite also uses theÌýHTTPS protocol. ItÌýisÌýalso essential that all image links forÌýyour product listings are using theÌýHTTPS protocol.

Setting your canonical domain: should you use WWW?

Let’s take aÌýlook atÌýour example URL again.Ìý The full URL isÌýhttps://www.example.com. However, most users will only remember example.com. IfÌýaÌýperson types “example.com” into their web browser, they will still beÌýredirected ³Ù´ÇÌýtheÌýcorrect website. This makes itÌýeasier forÌýpeople ³Ù´ÇÌýremember andÌýfind your website, but itÌýdoes present some technical difficulties.

All ofÌýtheÌýfollowing URLs will take you ³Ù´ÇÌýexample.com:

• https://www.example.com
• http://www.example.com
• https://example.com
• http://example.com
• www.example.com
• example.com

IfÌýtheÌýsearch engines index each ofÌýthese URLs, itÌýwill appear that you have six duplicate pages onÌýyour website. Duplicate content penalties will destroy your search engine rankings, noÌýmatter how well theÌýrest ofÌýyour SEO strategy isÌýimplemented. Don’t worry; there isÌýaÌýsimple fix forÌýthis problem.

You must decide onÌýone version ofÌýyour primary URL that you want Google ³Ù´ÇÌýindex. This version ofÌýyour URL will beÌýcalled your . That’s just aÌýfancy way ofÌýsaying that it’s theÌýmost important one andÌýtheÌýonly one that Google should pay attention to.

So, should you use WWW orÌýnon-WWW?

From aÌýtechnical standpoint, itÌýdoesn’t matter whether you use WWW inÌýyour canonical domain orÌýnot. This decision boils down ³Ù´ÇÌýaÌýbranding preference. Some businesses prefer theÌýbalanced look ofÌýwww.example.com, while others prefer theÌýsimplicity ofÌýexample.com.

Once you decide which version ofÌýtheÌýURL ³Ù´ÇÌýuse, you need ³Ù´ÇÌýbeÌýconsistent about using that version ofÌýtheÌýURL inÌýall ofÌýyour web development andÌýmarketing efforts. You will want ³Ù´ÇÌýuse your canonical domain forÌýall internal site links, backlinks from other sites, business directory listings, andÌýoff-site marketing material.

One argument favoring using www inÌýyour URL isÌýthat many publishing platforms will not automatically recognize aÌýlink entered without theÌýwww prefix. For example, ifÌýyou type www.example.com into aÌýFacebook post, Facebook will automatically recognize theÌýURL asÌýaÌýlink. Facebook will then display aÌýsite image, theÌýsite’s title, andÌýmeta description asÌýpart ofÌýtheÌýpost.

This auto link detection isÌýnot limited ³Ù´ÇÌýyour own publishing efforts. When your fans share your www link onÌýsocial media, their posts will also feature theÌýexpanded version ofÌýyour link. The fancy link converts better, soÌýthis will result inÌýmore visits ³Ù´ÇÌýyour website. IfÌýyou’ve already trained your audience ³Ù´ÇÌýrecognize your URL with www, they will reward you with aÌýricher sharing experience.

How doÌýIÌýset myÌýcanonical domain?

The best way ³Ù´ÇÌýestablish your canonical domain isÌýbyÌýusing aÌý301Ìý°ù±ð»å¾±°ù±ð³¦³Ù. Let’s say that you want your canonical domain ³Ù´ÇÌýbeÌýwww.example.com. You would create aÌýredirect ³Ù´ÇÌýsend all traffic from example.com ³Ù´ÇÌýwww.example.com.

AÌý301Ìý°ù±ð»å¾±°ù±ð³¦³Ù isÌýaÌýpermanent redirect. You set itÌýonce andÌýforget it. When Google sees this redirect, theÌýsearch bots will understand which version ofÌýyour domain ³Ù´ÇÌýindex. The best way ³Ù´ÇÌýset aÌý301Ìý°ù±ð»å¾±°ù±ð³¦³Ù isÌýbyÌýediting theÌý.htaccess file onÌýyour server.

ºÚÁÏÃÅ does this forÌýyou automatically, but other platforms may require configuration. SEMRush has published aÌýdetailed tutorial that explains . IfÌýyour hosting provider orÌýe-commerce platform does not automatically create these redirects forÌýyou andÌýfails ³Ù´ÇÌýprovide you with theÌýability ³Ù´ÇÌýcreate your own, you need ³Ù´ÇÌýmove your website!

Choosing Your Domain

What isÌýaÌýdomain?

Your domain isÌýyour online brand. ItÌýwill beÌýaÌýword orÌýphrase ofÌýyour choice, followed byÌýaÌý. TLD stands forÌýTop Level Domain, andÌýrefers ³Ù´ÇÌývarious domain name extensions such asÌý.com, .org, .biz, etc. You can see theÌýdomain name inÌýred letters inÌýour example URL, https://example.com.

Your domain name must beÌýunique. Before you can register aÌýnew domain, itÌýwill beÌýchecked against every other registered domain inÌýtheÌýworld. You should have several ideas forÌýtheÌýdomain that you would like, because your first choice might already beÌýtaken.

Which TLD should you choose?

Always buy aÌý.com domain name.

Most people automatically type theÌý.com domain extension when they look upÌýaÌýwebsite. IfÌýyou have aÌýdifferent domain extension, your visitors will have ³Ù´ÇÌýtake extra steps ³Ù´ÇÌýremember your URL andÌýenter itÌýcorrectly.

Some businesses choose ³Ù´ÇÌýbuy theÌý.org andÌý.biz versions ofÌýtheir domain andÌýpark them. This protects your brand byÌýpreventing others from developing competing orÌýconflicting content inÌýyour namespace. Some brands will also buy common misspellings ofÌýtheir domain name under all three major TLDs. AÌývisitor ³Ù´ÇÌýanyÌýofÌýthese domains would beÌýredirected ³Ù´ÇÌýtheÌýbrand’s primary domain.

How ³Ù´ÇÌýchoose theÌýbest domain forÌýyour brand

There are aÌýfew rules forÌýchoosing aÌýgood domain name:

1. Make sure itÌýisÌýeasy ³Ù´ÇÌýspell. Avoid long orÌýcomplicated words.
2. Keep itÌýshort. Use noÌýmore than two ³Ù´ÇÌýthree short words.
3. Make sure that common misspellings ofÌýyour domain don’t link ³Ù´ÇÌýcompetitors orÌýquestionable online content.
4. Don’t use hyphens. People will forget ³Ù´ÇÌýuse them.
5. Check ifÌýyour domain name isÌýalso available throughout theÌýonline namespace. ItÌýisÌýbest ³Ù´ÇÌýfind aÌýdomain that you can use asÌýanÌýaccount name forÌýFacebook, Instagram, andÌýother social channels. isÌýanÌýexcellent tool forÌýthis research.

There are various approaches ³Ù´ÇÌýchoosing aÌýdomain name. Some people like ³Ù´ÇÌýuse their business name. Other people like ³Ù´ÇÌýdescribe their goods orÌýservices. Local businesses often include theÌýname ofÌýtheir service area. Some companies choose ³Ù´ÇÌýuse modifiers such asÌý“best”, “luxury”, orÌý“happy” ³Ù´ÇÌýdefine theÌýbrand’s position further.

Buying anÌýexisting domain

Some businesses choose ³Ù´ÇÌýbuy anÌýexisting orÌýexpiring domain. Buying anÌýexisting domain allows you ³Ù´ÇÌýbenefit from advanced domain age, established domain authority, type-in traffic, andÌýanÌýexisting backlink profile. This strategy can work well ifÌýtheÌýprevious website hosted aÌýbrand with aÌýcompatible niche ³Ù´ÇÌýyour own.

BeÌýsure ³Ù´ÇÌýdoÌýanÌýSEO audit ³Ù´ÇÌýensure theÌýdomain isÌýhealthy. Pay particular attention ³Ù´ÇÌýtheÌýquality ofÌýtheÌýbacklinks. IfÌýyou are going ³Ù´ÇÌýbuy anÌýexisting domain, try ³Ù´ÇÌýbuy theÌýbranded social media accounts that goÌýwith it. Use Namechkr.com ³Ù´ÇÌýsee ifÌýtheÌýsocial media usernames are available ³Ù´ÇÌýregister forÌýfree.

IfÌýyou buy anÌýexisting domain ³Ù´ÇÌýrepurpose forÌýyour brand, you must have aÌýcarefully thought out wildcard redirect policy inÌýplace. Google may still have old pages ofÌýtheÌýsite indexed. Your redirects can bring theÌýsearch bots ³Ù´ÇÌýyour new content.

ItÌýisÌýbest ³Ù´ÇÌýuse aÌýprofessional domain broker orÌýanÌýescrow account when buying aÌýdomain. There should beÌýaÌýwritten contract inÌýplace before theÌýdeal isÌýfunded. The buyer puts theÌýmoney inÌýescrow andÌýreleases theÌýfunds ³Ù´ÇÌýtheÌýseller when theÌýdomain transfer isÌýcomplete. AÌýdomain transfer takes upÌý³Ù´ÇÌýaÌýweek ³Ù´ÇÌýcomplete andÌýinvolves several steps that you may feel more comfortable having handled byÌýaÌýprofessional.

Understanding File Paths

Each page ofÌýyour website has aÌýunique URL. For example, your website isÌýabout cleaning andÌýhas four pages. These pages are named Home, About, Services, andÌýContact. The URLs forÌýthese pages would look something like this:

• ±á´Ç³¾±ðÌý— https://www.example.com/
• ´¡²ú´Ç³Ü³ÙÌý— https://www.example.com/best-cleaning-company
• ³§±ð°ù±¹¾±³¦±ð²õÌý— https://www.example.com/best-cleaning-services
• °ä´Ç²Ô³Ù²¹³¦³ÙÌý— https://www.example.com/talk-to-the-cleaners

AsÌýyou can see, each page’s URL isÌýunique. The red sections ofÌýthese URLs are called theÌýfile path. These example URLs have file paths that are optimized forÌýSEO. The URLs are short, easy ³Ù´ÇÌýremember, andÌýfeature SEO keywords. IfÌýyour URLs look like this, you are onÌýtheÌýright track!

Many website builders andÌýe-commerce platforms produce bad URLS that will hurt your search rankings. You must know how ³Ù´ÇÌýspot these bad URLs andÌýfix them. IfÌýyou use ºÚÁÏÃÅ, you don’t have ³Ù´ÇÌýworry about bad URLs. We’ve been offering SEO-friendly web addresses since 2017.

Make Your Life Easier ByÌýOutsourcing Technical SEO

The process ofÌýproducing SEO-friendly URLs andÌýsite structure isÌýknown asÌýtechnical SEO. You can have great keyword research, great copy, andÌýgreat meta-data but your site still won’t rank ifÌýyou have poorly structured URLs.

Managing your technical SEO isÌývery tedious andÌýtime-consuming. There isÌýaÌýsteep learning curve, andÌýtechnology isÌýconstantly evolving. SEO professionals must always study new trends asÌýwell asÌýperform frequent website audits andÌýupdates.

You should focus onÌýrunning your business andÌýlet theÌýSEO experts atÌýºÚÁÏÃÅ make sure that your site isÌýproperly set up. Unlike many other platforms, our code isÌýclean, secure, andÌýSEO-friendly. You don’t have ³Ù´ÇÌýfix anything!

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