Create SEO-Friendly URL Structure in Shopify

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How to Create an SEO-Friendly URL Structure in Shopify

A well-structured and SEO-friendly URL is crucial for improving your Shopify store's search engine visibility and user experience. An optimized URL structure helps search engines better understand the content of your pages, improves indexing, and can lead to better rankings. Here’s how you can create SEO-friendly URLs in your Shopify store.



1. What Is an SEO-Friendly URL?

An SEO-friendly URL is one that is easy to read for both users and search engines. It typically contains relevant keywords, is short and descriptive, and avoids unnecessary parameters. Search engines like Google use URLs as one of the factors to understand the content of a page and rank it in search results.

Example of an SEO-Friendly URL:

www.yourstore.com/womens-leather-handbags

Example of a Non-SEO-Friendly URL:

www.yourstore.com/product?12345

2. Why Is URL Structure Important for SEO?

  • Relevance: URLs with relevant keywords help search engines understand the topic of your page.
  • User Experience: Clear and descriptive URLs make it easier for users to navigate and remember your pages.
  • Click-Through Rates (CTR): A well-structured URL is more likely to attract clicks from search engine results.
  • Crawlability: SEO-friendly URLs are easier for search engines to crawl, index, and rank appropriately.

3. Best Practices for Creating SEO-Friendly URLs in Shopify

a. Keep URLs Short and Descriptive

Long URLs are difficult for users to read and can be cut off in search results. Try to keep URLs under 60 characters and ensure they clearly describe the page content.

  • Good Example: www.yourstore.com/organic-cotton-shirts
  • Bad Example: www.yourstore.com/collections/mens-clothing/products/long-sleeve-organic-cotton-shirt-for-sale-2024

b. Use Keywords in URLs

Incorporating relevant keywords into your URLs helps search engines understand the page’s context. Ensure that your primary keyword for the page appears naturally in the URL.

  • Good Example: www.yourstore.com/eco-friendly-clothing
  • Bad Example: www.yourstore.com/product-1

c. Use Hyphens to Separate Words

When creating URLs in Shopify, use hyphens (not underscores) to separate words. Search engines treat hyphens as spaces, making the URL easier to read and interpret.

  • Good Example: www.yourstore.com/vegan-leather-backpacks
  • Bad Example: www.yourstore.com/vegan_leather_backpacks

d. Avoid Stop Words

Stop words like "and," "or," "but," and "the" don’t add value to URLs from an SEO perspective. Avoid using them unless they are essential for clarity.

  • Good Example: www.yourstore.com/sustainable-fashion
  • Bad Example: www.yourstore.com/fashion-and-accessories

e. Avoid URL Parameters and Dynamic URLs

Static URLs that do not contain session IDs, query strings, or unnecessary parameters are more SEO-friendly. Dynamic URLs with parameters are difficult for search engines to crawl and often do not rank well.

  • Good Example: www.yourstore.com/leather-jackets
  • Bad Example: www.yourstore.com/products?id=123&color=black

f. Use Lowercase Letters

URLs are case-sensitive, meaning YourStore.com/Page and yourstore.com/page are seen as different URLs by search engines. To avoid duplication issues, always use lowercase letters in your URLs.

  • Good Example: www.yourstore.com/organic-tote-bags
  • Bad Example: www.yourstore.com/Organic-Tote-Bags

4. How to Edit URL Structures in Shopify

a. Optimizing Product Page URLs

  1. From your Shopify admin, go to Products.
  2. Select the product you want to edit.
  3. Scroll down to the Search engine listing preview section and click Edit website SEO.
  4. In the URL and handle field, edit the URL to make it SEO-friendly.
  5. Click Save.

b. Optimizing Collection Page URLs

  1. In your Shopify admin, go to Products > Collections.
  2. Select the collection you want to edit.
  3. Scroll down to the Search engine listing preview section and click Edit website SEO.
  4. Adjust the URL and handle to match SEO-friendly practices.
  5. Click Save.

c. Optimizing Pages

  1. From your Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Pages.
  2. Select the page you want to edit.
  3. Scroll down to the Search engine listing preview section and click Edit website SEO.
  4. Update the URL and handle field.
  5. Click Save.

5. Managing Redirects for Updated URLs

Whenever you change a URL in Shopify, it’s important to set up a 301 redirect. This ensures that any traffic going to the old URL is automatically redirected to the new URL, preventing broken links and maintaining SEO value.

How to SetUp a Redirect:

  1. From your Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Navigation.
  2. Click URL Redirects.
  3. Click Add URL redirect.
  4. In the Redirect from field, enter the old URL.
  5. In the Redirect to field, enter the new SEO-friendly URL.
  6. Click Save.

6. Optimizing URLs for Multi-Language Stores

If you run a Shopify store in multiple languages, ensure that each language version of your URLs is optimized. Shopify’s native multi-language feature and apps like Langify or Weglot can help you manage translated URLs.

For example, if you have a product page in English and French:

  • English URL: www.yourstore.com/organic-tote-bags
  • French URL: www.yourstore.com/fr/sacs-tote-en-coton-bio

Ensure that each URL version is relevant and descriptive for the respective language.

7. Using SEO Tools for URL Optimization

There are several tools you can use to check the SEO health of your URL structure:

  • Google Search Console: Monitor URL performance and ensure there are no crawling issues.
  • Ahrefs or SEMrush: Analyze your URL structure, identify broken links, and find opportunities for optimization.
  • Screaming Frog: This tool can crawl your website to check for SEO issues related to URLs, such as duplicates or long URLs.

8. Common Mistakes to Avoid with Shopify URLs

a. Avoid Auto-Generated URLs

Shopify automatically generates URLs based on the product or page title, which may not always be optimized for SEO. Always manually review and adjust URLs as needed.

b. Do Not Keyword Stuff

While it’s important to include relevant keywords in your URLs, avoid overloading them with keywords. Search engines can penalize keyword-stuffed URLs, which can hurt your rankings.

c. Avoid Changing URLs Frequently

Once you’ve established an SEO-friendly URL structure, avoid changing it frequently. Frequent changes can lead to broken links, loss of link equity, and confusion for users.

9. Monitoring URL Performance

After you’ve optimized your Shopify URLs, it’s important to monitor their performance regularly:

  • Track Organic Traffic: Use Google Analytics to monitor how much organic traffic each page is receiving.
  • Check for Crawl Errors: Use Google Search Console to identify any crawl errors or issues with your URLs.
  • Analyze CTR: Review your click-through rates (CTR) in Google Search Console to ensure that your URLs are performing well in SERPs.

Conclusion

An SEO-friendly URL structure is essential for improving your Shopify stores search engine visibility, user experience, and overall SEO performance. By following best practices like keeping URLs short and descriptive, using relevant keywords, and avoiding dynamic URLs, you can ensure that your store’s URL structure is optimized for both search engines and users. Regularly monitor your URLs' performance, and make adjustments as needed to stay competitive in search rankings.

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