Definition:
Friendly URLs, also known as semantic URLs, are web addresses designed to be easily understood by both search engines and users. Their clear and simple structure facilitates immediate understanding of the content to which they refer.
Unlike dynamic URLs, friendly URLs eliminate unnecessary signs and numbering, providing precise information about the content of the page. In short, a glance at the URL is enough to know what the page is about.
What are friendly URLs for?
Friendly URLs significantly improve the user experience by being easy to memorize, which makes them easier to remember and access later. They also have a positive impact on SEO, since Google and other search engines favor simple and clear addresses.
Therefore, friendly URLs fulfill a double function, benefiting both users and SEO, being a key element for a good webmaster. By improving accessibility and SEO, they contribute to the overall success of the website.
How to create a friendly URL
Before publishing content on a website, it is essential to review not only the title and meta-description, but also to modify the automatic address to make it user-friendly. Here are some tips to achieve this:
- Use short phrases that easily identify the content of the post.
- Include keywords relevant to the positioning of the article.
- Keep the URL short, ideally no more than 70 characters, but descriptive enough to convey the content.
- Separate words with hyphens, since Google interprets them as spaces, thus maintaining the coherence of the text.
- Avoid using punctuation marks that may confuse search engines.
- Write in lower case and avoid accents and special characters that may generate errors.
- It is not advisable to use prepositions and indefinite articles such as “the”, “the”, “of”, “with”, “for”, as they do not add meaning and may unnecessarily lengthen the URL.
- Do not include the file extension in the URL to keep it clean and professional.
- Maintain a consistent structure in all articles to facilitate navigation and indexing.
Advantages of friendly URLs
Friendly URLs offer several advantages:
- They are understandable and easy to understand for users, improving accessibility.
- They provide clear information about the content of the page, which facilitates navigation.
- Improve positioning by enabling the use of keywords and facilitating indexing in Google and other search engines.
- They improve the user experience by being easier to share and memorize, increasing recurring traffic.
- They increase the click-through rate due to their attractiveness compared to automatic URLs that are often long and confusing.
- They improve the image of the website, showing that it is up to date with current trends and that it cares about usability.
There are tools that facilitate the creation of friendly URLs.
Yes, there are tools and plugins that facilitate the creation of friendly URLs. In content management systems(CMS) such as WordPress, friendly URLs can be enabled by generating the .htaccess file. In WordPress, it is possible to configure friendly URLs automatically for each new content from the control panel, in the settings section and then in permalinks, where you can select the desired format and save the changes. Thus, each new page created will be hosted on a friendly URL. In addition, many other CMSs and platforms offer similar settings to ensure that URLs are optimal for both users and search engines. Using these tools not only saves time, but also ensures that URLs comply with SEO best practices.