5 Tips on How to Optimize Your Website URLs to Rank Higher in 2025

When building or optimizing your small business website, one element frequently overlooked is the structure and quality of URLs. Are URLs truly important for SEO, or are they merely technical details no one cares about? The answer is clear: URLs are incredibly important.

Why URLs are Crucial for SEO

URLs serve as important clues for Google to understand the content and structure of your website. Clean, concise, and descriptive URLs can boost your page rankings significantly, whereas poorly constructed URLs may harm your SEO.

Here's why URLs matter:

Clarity for Google: Short, relevant URLs help Google quickly understand your page content.

Improved Ranking: Google tends to rank pages higher when URLs accurately represent content.

User Experience: Clear URLs help visitors trust and understand your website better, potentially improving click-through rates.

Common URL Mistakes to Avoid

Many website platforms, such as Shopify or Squarespace, automatically generate URLs. A common mistake occurs when duplicating pages; these platforms often add unnecessary text like "-copy" or "-1," which can confuse both users and Google.

Another prevalent mistake is keyword stuffing—adding repetitive keywords in URLs to artificially boost rankings. Google sees this as spammy, potentially leading to penalties or lower rankings.

5 Best Practices for Optimizing URLs

Follow these five guidelines to create effective URLs:

1. Keep URLs Short and Clear: Remove filler words like "and," "the," and "of" for brevity.

2. Use keywords that clearly describe your page content, without being spammy.

3. Use Dashes, Not Underscores: Dashes (-) are preferred by Google as they clearly separate words.

4. Maintain Consistency: Keep URL structures logical and consistent across your website. Example: yoursite.com/category/sub-category/product-name.

5. Avoid Keyword Stuffing: Be specific, natural, and relevant. Example: Instead of yoursite.com/shoes/mens-shoes/active-shoes/running-shoes, simply use yoursite.com/mens-shoes/trail-running.

Managing URL Changes with 301 Redirects

If you change a page URL, you must use a 301 redirect to guide users (and Google) from the old URL to the new one. This prevents broken links and retains your SEO rankings.

For instance, if your Shopify product URL changes due to rebranding, Shopify offers a built-in option to easily create a 301 redirect. Always confirm this feature is activated to maintain your search engine visibility.

URL Linking and Visibility

Google finds new pages by following links from existing pages. If a page isn't linked internally, Google may never find it. Regularly ensure your internal linking structure includes all key pages, helping Google effectively crawl and index your website.

Final Thoughts

Optimizing your URLs is a straightforward yet powerful way to enhance your SEO strategy. By adhering to these best practices, you’ll help Google better understand your content, improve your search rankings, and ultimately attract more visitors to your website.