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 components-url-slug for slug creation (3–5 words, under 60 chars)

• Duplicate variants: See seo-technical-canonical for HTTPS, www, trailing slash

Initial Assessment

Check for product marketing context first: If .claude/product-marketing-context.md or .cursor/product-marketing-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 seo-technical-canonical and seo-technical-robots (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 seo-technical-robots 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 seo-technical-canonical

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

• seo-technical-canonical: HTTPS, www, trailing slash — handles duplicate URL variants

• components-url-slug: Slug creation for content pages; length, keywords, format

• pages-category-pages: E-commerce category URL hierarchy, faceted URLs

• pages-products: Product URL hierarchy

• pages-services: Service URL hierarchy

• seo-technical-robots: Clean-param for query params

• seo-on-page-internal-links: URL structure affects link patterns