Correct Use of Keywords in URL
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To compete in today`s web we should make use of the slightest opportunity to be more noticeable. So let`s don`t forget to seize this one - usage of targeted keywords in URLs. It is a long proven fact that keywords in URLs influence search results. Although we should avoid keyword stuffing, human-like usage of keywords in our address line will definitely have some impact on our rankings. We all know that Google always stands for the optimization that could be helpful to real people, not for robots. So, anything that helps us look a little more "human" in the eyes of search engines deserves our attention.
We should always remember to divide your words! In terms of creating "friendlier" URLs, which is better: to have your file name as keywordsinurl.html, or keywords-in-url.html? Of course, the second looks user-friendly. It is easy to understand and remember it. It will look nice in result pages, right under the snippet. It is good for people, so there should be ways for Google to appraise it.
Let`s have a look now at Google guide for starters in optimization. It is advised here to use hyphens instead of underscore, saying that it is better. But what is the reason for it? It was searched by SEO experts long ago that underscore is not treated by search engines as a divider. If you want to target for two keywords, and you use an underscore between them, then they could be treated as one word. Hyphens, however, are treated as dividers. If your file name is: keywords-in-url.html then it will target key phrase "keywords in url", as the crawler will split the name of the file into three words. But in the second place, it will also combine them in different variations, so you will also rank with this url for the phrases like "keywords url", "url with keywords", and so on...
So, we are advised to do this reasonably, namely, not more than 5 keywords per one URL, including domain name, category name, subcategory name and file name.
What if we use all the keywords in our filenames? Well, it can be considered spammy. Matt Cutts lay special stress here that it is better to use path structure rather than stuffing all the keywords into one single file name. For example, mysite.com/seo/tips/keywords-in-url.html (as a path) is better than mysite.com/seo-tips-keywords-in-url.html (as a single file name). He said it is easier for people to remember a path as it has logical structure, which is why it is considered better. The all-keywords-in-a-long-file-name URL can be seen by search engines as non-user-friendly. So, it is better to share some keywords with the category and/or subcategory instead of inserting all the keywords into one file name. We have to be reasonable and careful about not overdoing it and think about positive user experience.
Let`s sum it up: we should use keywords in URLs, better up to five, divided with a hyphen, and in a path.
2012-02-08 23:11 by Cancanit, Back To Top
Lady Google said...
Cancanit said...
No, it is not necessary to redo all the urls. Each time you change URL, it is treated as a new page to search engines, so the old page addresses will be lost. This will lower your trust rank in Google as many pages which are in the index, will be considered broken... Use 301 redirect at old URLs to avoid it.
Was intreseting to learn about the path, thnx!
Thank you, believe it's important to know but it's so boring to remember all this info when posting on your blog! I prefer to write, all this SEO stuff makes me feel frustrated.
@ Stranger You have nothing to worry about! There are tools that can help you out in "SEO stuff"). For example, if you are using content management system, for example, Wrodpress, there are built-in features that do seo-friendly URLs for you. All you have to do, just write quality unique content! :)
Well, thank you for sharing! What should I do about it now? My blog has hundreds of pages already... Is it ok to change at least some of my most important URLs for better targeting?
2012-02-08 23:57:50