Site Architecture & URLs

Build a clean, crawlable URL structure with proper hierarchy and internal linking for maximum SEO impact

Foundation of SEO: Good site architecture makes it easy for search engines to crawl, understand, and index your content while providing clear navigation for users.

URL Structure Best Practices

Use Descriptive Paths, Not IDs

Good: Descriptive

/shop/shoes/nike-air-max

/blog/seo-best-practices

/category/electronics

✓ Keywords visible in URL
✓ User-friendly and memorable
✓ Context clear from path alone

Bad: Cryptic IDs

/product?id=12345

/p/98273647

/cat?c=42

✗ No keyword value
✗ Meaningless to users
✗ Hard to remember/share

Keep Hierarchy 2-4 Levels Deep

Shallow hierarchies help crawlers discover content faster and signal page importance.

Ideal: 2-3 Levels

└─ /shop/

└─ /shoes/

└─ nike-air

3 clicks from home

OK: 4 Levels

└─ /shop/

└─ /athletic/

└─ /shoes/

└─ nike-air

4 clicks from home

Bad: 5+ Levels

└─ /shop/

└─ /men/

└─ /athletic/

└─ /shoes/

└─ nike-air

5+ clicks from home

Crawl Depth Impact: Pages buried 5+ levels deep may not get crawled frequently, especially on large sites. Keep important content within 3 clicks of the homepage.

Consistent URL Conventions

Trailing Slashes

Pick one style and stick to it

/shop/ (with slash)

/shop (without slash)

Inconsistency creates duplicate URLs

Lowercase URLs

Always use lowercase

/shop/shoes

/Shop/Shoes

Servers may treat these as different URLs

Word Separators

Use hyphens, not underscores

/nike-air-max

/nike_air_max

Google treats hyphens as word separators

Special Characters

Avoid special characters

/mens-shoes

/men's-shoes

/shoes&accessories

Use URL encoding or remove entirely

Clean Paths vs Parameters

This app demonstrates both approaches. Choose based on content stability and SEO value:

Clean Paths (Preferred for Stable Filters)

/shop/t-shirts/for/women

/shop/shoes/color/black

/shop/t-shirts/size/m

✓ Better for SEO (keyword-rich URLs)
✓ More user-friendly
✓ Easier to share and remember
✓ Clear hierarchy

Use for: Gender, primary color, popular sizes, main categories

Query Parameters (OK for Dynamic Filters)

/shop/shoes?color=black

/shop/shoes?price_min=50

/shop/shoes?sort=price_asc

✓ Flexible for multi-select
✓ Easy to implement
✓ Good for sorting/filtering
⚠ Requires canonical strategy

Use for: Sorting, price ranges, multi-select filters, temporary states

See it in action: Visit /shop/t-shirts to see how this app uses clean paths for gender filters and parameters for color/size multi-select.

Internal Linking Strategy

Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumb navigation shows hierarchy and creates internal links at every level.

Example from this app:

Home›Shop›T-Shirts›Nike Classic Tee

Benefits:

• Helps users navigate back
• Creates internal link structure
• Shows page context
• Good for structured data

Implementation:

• Include on every page
• Use proper HTML markup
• Add BreadcrumbList schema
• Make all levels clickable

Main Navigation

Main navigation links are the most powerful internal links on your site—they appear on every page.

Best Practices

✓ Link to most important pages
✓ Use descriptive anchor text
✓ Keep menu focused (5-7 items)
✓ Mobile-friendly design
✓ Use HTML links (not JavaScript-only)

Avoid

✗ Too many links (overwhelming)
✗ Generic anchor text ("click here")
✗ JavaScript-only menus
✗ Broken or orphaned links
✗ Duplicate navigation

Contextual & Related Links

In-content links and related products/pages help discovery and distribute link equity.

Hierarchy & Crawl Depth

Page importance is partly determined by how many clicks it takes to reach from the homepage.

Ideal Structure:

Level 0:/ (Homepage) ← Most important

Level 1:/shop/, /blog/, /about/

Level 2:/shop/shoes/, /shop/shirts/, /blog/seo/

Level 3:/shop/shoes/nike-air-max, /blog/seo/canonicals

Flat Structure Benefits

• Faster crawling of all pages
• Equal importance signals
• Better for large catalogs
• Easier maintenance

Deep Structure Problems

• Pages buried 5+ levels get crawled less
• Weaker link equity flow
• More clicks = lower importance signal
• Harder for users to navigate

Pro Tip: If you have important pages buried deep, create direct links to them from the homepage or main navigation. This signals importance and improves crawl frequency.

Key Takeaways

Use descriptive, keyword-rich URLs with hyphens
Keep hierarchy 2-4 levels deep for important content
Use clean paths for stable filters, parameters for dynamic ones

Implement breadcrumbs on every page
Create strong internal linking through navigation and contextual links
Link directly to important pages from homepage