Short or Long Urls and Search Ranking and SEO

[engine]

John Mueller has produced another of his short videos and this time it's on the topic of url length and whether it has any effect on ranking for SEO.

[tangor]

This, of course, makes perfect sense in that the URL is just that ... the URL. Only problem is when two different urls lead to the same content... and that's what canonialization is all about. :)

[LouiseSavoie]

That's a good thing then, I usually keep them short because "the shorter the better" as I what I have read on the web and that they "rank better" they say. Now I can relax if the URL is a bit longer more than I used. Most URLs automatically use the post title and it can be longer sometimes, I find it hard to shorten it since it doesn't sound right or look right. As long as it is s concise then, it's good to go I guess.

[buckworks]

I strongly agree with LouiseSavoie that it's A Good Thing to be concise. I can't prove that but I believe it!

Even if you're not worried about URL length, do try to be meaningful. If an URL contains real words that are relevant to the query, that is likely a good thing ... as long as you don't overdo it. Think "keyword spiced", not "keyword stuffed".

To the extent that you can, plan your file and directory names so that URLs around your site would be meaningful to humans who see them. Or hear them! The ultimate test is to check how they'd come across in an audible browser reader. If an URL makes good sense in that context, it's likely OK for SEO too.

[lucy24]

What proportion of ordinary users even see the full URL? If a site is aimed primarily at mobiles, it has to be close to zero.

[airship]

I usually take the top 4 or so keywords from the main title of the page. Example:

"Best Outdoor Widget Tool for Your Backyard in 2021"

domains.com/best-outdoor-widget-tool

I never put the year in the URL, because these types of pages can perform well year after year with some updates and you simply change the year in the title and page.

[edited by: goodroi at 10:08 pm (utc) on Nov 16, 2021]
[edit reason] widgetized [/edit]

[tangor]

What proportion of ordinary users even see the full URL? If a site is aimed primarily at mobiles, it has to be close to zero.

The query is not if users can see it, but if it makes a difference for SEO with g and other engines ...

Mueller answered that. :)