When it comes to implementing a search engine optimization strategy, it’s important you cover all your bases. For the best results, your SEO Strategy should be spot on. There are a lot of factors to consider, of course; so if you're worried about staying on top of things,
download our complete SEO guide here.
Yes, SEO is a tall order; that’s why the structure of domain names and URLs is sometimes overlooked. The URL structure is a component you need to consider for every page you create on your website. How it works is, a search engine scans the internet for an optimized URL. Then, once it’s been found, it inspects the page content to make sure it corresponds with the URL.
But like any digital marketing tactic, there exist some best practices to maximize your results. Here are the top
five ways you can have your URLs be “ever in your favor”:
Create Short, Easy-to-Read URLs
Sometimes it’s better to show rather than tell. Take a look at the following example:
By simply removing articles and prepositions, like “the” and “for”, and words that don’t necessarily serve the content, such as “free download” and “2018”,
the URL is a shorter, easier read without compromising the page content.
Include the Page Title
Users don’t like surprises. They want to know what to expect when they follow a URL.
The best way to do this is to integrate the title of your page into the URL. For instance, a blog page should look something like:
In this example,
The Importance of Keyword Selection is the title of the blog.
Avoid Special Characters
Special characters confuse search engines and users:
They have the potential to break certain browsers and crawlers, and it’s a nuisance to read.
Generally you should avoid the following: " < > # % { } | \ ^ ~ [ ] `
Don’t Stuff Your URL with Keywords
The idea is, of course, to
create a URL that’s relevant to the target page; and while integrating keywords is a good idea, you don’t want to overdo it—or it’ll look spammy real fast. Which of these looks more trustworthy (this is a rhetorical question)?
https://awkward-media.com/service/seo-toronto/
https://awkward-media.com/seo-toronto/toronto-seo-company/best-seo-toronto-company
Avoid Multiple URLs Serving the Same Content
Having duplicate content can harm your search engine rankings. Here’s what we mean: If Page X ranks well, and its duplicate page (Y) has similar ranking potential, your rankings will split. But there’s a fix for this: By canonicalizing them, such as a 301 redirect, Page X will have a better shot at ranking.
Awkward Media is Toronto’s SEO wizards. We use advanced SEO Strategy and stay ahead of search engine’s ever-changing algorithms to help small to medium-sized businesses rank high
. If you want to start mapping out an SEO strategy that works, then drop us a line or call us at 647 849 1082.
