URL Structure

SEO On-Page: URL Structure

Guides URL structure optimization for SEO: readability, hierarchy, and best practices.

When invoking: On first use, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On subsequent use or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.

Scope (On-Page SEO)

• URL hierarchy: Path structure, categories, depth
• URL format: Static vs dynamic; omit file extensions
• URL slug: See url-slug-generator for slug creation (3–5 words, under 60 chars)
• Duplicate variants: See canonical-tag for HTTPS, www, trailing slash

Initial Assessment

Check for project context first: If .claude/project-context.md or .cursor/project-context.md exists, read it for site structure.

Identify:

• Site structure: Categories, subcategories, content types
• Current URLs: Existing patterns and issues
• Multi-language: URL structure for zh/en (e.g., /zh/, /en/ or subdomains)

Best Practices

URL Guidelines

| Principle | Guideline |

|-----------|-----------|

| Readable | Use words, not IDs; /blog/seo-guide not /p/12345 |

| Short | Shorter is generally better; avoid unnecessary depth |

| Keyword | Include target keyword when natural |

| Lowercase | Use lowercase; avoid mixed case |

| Hyphens | Use hyphens to separate words: seo-guide |

| Avoid | Special chars, query params for core content, session IDs |

Hierarchy

| Pattern | Example | Use |

|---------|---------|-----|

| Flat | /page-name | Simple sites |

| Category | /blog/post-name, /tools/tool-name | Content sites |

| Nested | /category/subcategory/page | Deep hierarchies (keep shallow) |

Multi-language

| Pattern | Example |

|---------|---------|

| Path prefix | /zh/page, /en/page |

| Subdomain | zh.example.com, en.example.com |

| ccTLD | example.cn, example.com |

Static vs Dynamic vs Pseudo-Static URLs

| Type | Example | Use |

|------|---------|-----|

| Static | /blog/seo-guide | Direct file; best SEO; content stable |

| Dynamic | /product?id=123 | Program-generated; avoid for indexable content |

| Pseudo-static | /blog/seo-guide (rewritten from .php) | Combines both; common in CMS |

| Rule | Prefer static or pseudo-static; if dynamic, keep params ≤2; use canonical-tag and robots-txt (Clean-param) |

File Extensions

• Omit .html, .php, .aspx — keeps URLs technology-agnostic, shorter, easier to refactor
• Example: /seo-guide not /seo-guide.html

URL Parameter Handling

| Scenario | Approach |

|----------|----------|

| UTM / tracking | Canonical to base URL; params in query string only |

| Search results | Canonical to search page; avoid indexing result URLs |

| Filters / sort | Canonical to base; or robots-txt Clean-param |

| Session IDs | Use cookies; never in indexable URLs |

Use Cases

| Scenario | Focus |

|----------|-------|

| New site | Plan hierarchy upfront; avoid later restructuring |

| Migration | 301 mapping; canonical; see canonical-tag |

| Large site | Dynamic URLs, params, multi-language — canonical + robots |

| SEO audit | Check structure, params, canonical consistency |

Common Issues

| Issue | Fix |

|-------|-----|

| Long URLs | Shorten; remove redundant words |

| Dynamic params | Use canonical; clean params in robots (Yandex Clean-param) |

| Mixed case | Redirect to lowercase |

| Changed URLs | 301 redirect old to new |

Output Format

• URL structure recommendation
• Slug conventions
• Hierarchy for key content types
• Redirect plan if changing URLs
• References: Alignify URL optimization; Google URL guidelines

Related Skills

• website-structure: Plan structure and URL paths; apply url-structure rules after structure is defined

• canonical-tag: HTTPS, www, trailing slash — handles duplicate URL variants
• url-slug-generator: Slug creation for content pages; length, keywords, format
• category-page-generator: E-commerce category URL hierarchy, faceted URLs
• products-page-generator: Product URL hierarchy
• services-page-generator: Service URL hierarchy
• robots-txt: Clean-param for query params
• internal-links: URL structure affects link patterns