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 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 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
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
1---2name: url-structure3description: When the user wants to optimize URL structure, fix URL issues, or plan URL hierarchy. Also use when the user mentions "URL structure," "URL optimization," "slug," "clean URLs," "URL hierarchy," "URL path," "permalink structure," "URL best practices," "dynamic URLs," or "URL parameters."4---56# SEO On-Page: URL Structure78Guides URL structure optimization for SEO: readability, hierarchy, and best practices.910**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.1112## Scope (On-Page SEO)1314- **URL hierarchy**: Path structure, categories, depth15- **URL format**: Static vs dynamic; omit file extensions16- **URL slug**: See **url-slug-generator** for slug creation (3–5 words, under 60 chars)17- **Duplicate variants**: See **canonical-tag** for HTTPS, www, trailing slash1819## Initial Assessment2021**Check for product marketing context first:** If `.claude/product-marketing-context.md` or `.cursor/product-marketing-context.md` exists, read it for site structure.2223Identify:241. **Site structure**: Categories, subcategories, content types252. **Current URLs**: Existing patterns and issues263. **Multi-language**: URL structure for zh/en (e.g., /zh/, /en/ or subdomains)2728## Best Practices2930### URL Guidelines3132| Principle | Guideline |33|-----------|-----------|34| **Readable** | Use words, not IDs; `/blog/seo-guide` not `/p/12345` |35| **Short** | Shorter is generally better; avoid unnecessary depth |36| **Keyword** | Include target keyword when natural |37| **Lowercase** | Use lowercase; avoid mixed case |38| **Hyphens** | Use hyphens to separate words: `seo-guide` |39| **Avoid** | Special chars, query params for core content, session IDs |4041### Hierarchy4243| Pattern | Example | Use |44|---------|---------|-----|45| **Flat** | `/page-name` | Simple sites |46| **Category** | `/blog/post-name`, `/tools/tool-name` | Content sites |47| **Nested** | `/category/subcategory/page` | Deep hierarchies (keep shallow) |4849### Multi-language5051| Pattern | Example |52|---------|---------|53| **Path prefix** | `/zh/page`, `/en/page` |54| **Subdomain** | `zh.example.com`, `en.example.com` |55| **ccTLD** | `example.cn`, `example.com` |5657### Static vs Dynamic vs Pseudo-Static URLs5859| Type | Example | Use |60|------|---------|-----|61| **Static** | `/blog/seo-guide` | Direct file; best SEO; content stable |62| **Dynamic** | `/product?id=123` | Program-generated; avoid for indexable content |63| **Pseudo-static** | `/blog/seo-guide` (rewritten from `.php`) | Combines both; common in CMS |64| **Rule** | Prefer static or pseudo-static; if dynamic, keep params ≤2; use **canonical-tag** and **robots-txt** (Clean-param) |6566### File Extensions6768- **Omit** `.html`, `.php`, `.aspx` — keeps URLs technology-agnostic, shorter, easier to refactor69- **Example**: `/seo-guide` not `/seo-guide.html`7071### URL Parameter Handling7273| Scenario | Approach |74|----------|----------|75| **UTM / tracking** | Canonical to base URL; params in query string only |76| **Search results** | Canonical to search page; avoid indexing result URLs |77| **Filters / sort** | Canonical to base; or **robots-txt** Clean-param |78| **Session IDs** | Use cookies; never in indexable URLs |7980### Use Cases8182| Scenario | Focus |83|----------|-------|84| **New site** | Plan hierarchy upfront; avoid later restructuring |85| **Migration** | 301 mapping; canonical; see **canonical-tag** |86| **Large site** | Dynamic URLs, params, multi-language — canonical + robots |87| **SEO audit** | Check structure, params, canonical consistency |8889## Common Issues9091| Issue | Fix |92|-------|-----|93| Long URLs | Shorten; remove redundant words |94| Dynamic params | Use canonical; clean params in robots (Yandex Clean-param) |95| Mixed case | Redirect to lowercase |96| Changed URLs | 301 redirect old to new |9798## Output Format99100- **URL structure** recommendation101- **Slug** conventions102- **Hierarchy** for key content types103- **Redirect** plan if changing URLs104- **References**: [Alignify URL optimization](https://alignify.co/zh/seo/url-optimization); [Google URL guidelines](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/url-structure)105106## Related Skills107108- **website-structure**: Plan structure and URL paths; apply url-structure rules after structure is defined109110- **canonical-tag**: HTTPS, www, trailing slash — handles duplicate URL variants111- **url-slug-generator**: Slug creation for content pages; length, keywords, format112- **category-page-generator**: E-commerce category URL hierarchy, faceted URLs113- **products-page-generator**: Product URL hierarchy114- **services-page-generator**: Service URL hierarchy115- **robots-txt**: Clean-param for query params116- **internal-links**: URL structure affects link patterns
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