A Uniform Resource Locator, or URL, is like a website’s address; it locates a worldwide website. A good URL is an essential building block when cultivating an SEO strategy for your small business. It’s necessary for an improved user experience and good rankings. A good URL can mean the difference between ranking at the top of Google and your competitors’ continuing to gain the customers you want.

To create a successful URL that will be easy for search engines to read and easy for your customers to find, take a look at our tips below.

Create a top-level domain

A top-level domain is one that includes .com rather than .biz or .pro. Using the most popular domain will give your website credibility to new visitors because people are more likely to trust a common domain than an unfamiliar one.

Make the URL as easy to read as possible

If any human can quickly read it, then you’re on the right track! This also means it’s much easier for search engines to recognize your URL, giving you higher rankings. To ensure that your URLs are readable, don’t include too many filler or connector words like an or but, as your search engines will ignore them.

Include keywords in your URL

These will also help you in search results, but make sure not to use too many. One to two keywords is the perfect amount to include in a URL. Also, make sure your URLs are concise and match the page’s title it links to and its contents as closely as possible.

Limit redirection

Redirection is when a URL directs a user to another page. Though not essentially bad for SEO, it can result in loss of traffic or ranking if misused. Thus, it would be best if you only used a URL redirect when necessary.

Avoid formatting errors

Limit using folders or the slashes in URLs you use to link to other pages within your site. Using too many of these will confuse the Google Bots who crawl through your site. Another thing to avoid is hashes. Using too many of these could also negatively affect your URL. Finally, make sure your URL doesn’t have punctuation errors. Formatting your URL correctly will be one of the essential keys to success. If you do not format correctly, you could be passed off by Google’s algorithms.

Make sure your site is secure

Using security certificates like an SSL certificate is essential because Google searches for an “https” during crawls. It signals that your website is encrypted and therefore protects users from potential data breaches. According to Searchmetrics, “HTTPS is becoming more relevant and even a ranking signal for Google.”

When creating URLs for your site, keep it simple, easy to recognize, and secure. This will ultimately boost the SEO strategy for your business. If you still need help optimizing your URLs for search engines, BrandRep can help. Contact us today to learn about what we can do for your small business.