URL's play the biggest make up on the world wide web as they provide a mask for IP addresses which are used to connect the web together.
URL's are important for many reasons, not just SEO but also for brand. Many webmasters have the concept for design, but not for SEO, which can lead to issues when utilizing a domain name.
URL's or domains are in the same group, a URL is the domain name followed by an address to a certain part of the website, typically a page or directory. Domains are the first part of the URL and make up either a selected group of keywords or the companies name.
Domain's come in all sorts of forms, from www. Based domains to sub domains which do not utilize www.
WWW stands for world wide web, and give servers protocol information.
HTTP stands for hypertext transfer protocol
The later part of the domain will be followed by an extension, often referred too as a TLD (top level domain) this is used to specify the websites geographic market.
Here are some of the top level domain extensions and the region they are associated with:
.co.uk > United Kingdom
.fr > France
.de > Germany
.es > Spain
.com > USA and Worldwide
.ca > Canada
.com.au > Australia
.it > Italy
.jp > Japan
Non geographical domain extensions include:
.ac <- cannot be purchased by the public
.gov <- cannot be purchased by the public
.mil <- cannot be purchased by the public
.edu <- cannot be purchased by the public
.net
.org
.info
.ws
Domain extensions allow for the specification of the websites geographic which is vital for SEO. Using a domain extension not associated with your country will lead to critical SEO problems.
URL Utilisation is a composition of different factors, such as the use of brand name versus keywords, the domain extension and the use of www. And non www.
When utilizing a domain, you need to consider brand name versus keywords. Keywords in a domain offer some SEO benefits, although the value is questionable. Many opt for brand name as this is a more powerful means of advertising, and is more professional.
Using keywords in a domain and URL is ideal, many companies opt for brand name as the domain, and use keywords in the URL's, so
i.e.
www.mybrandname.co.uk/vauxhall/corsa/car-parts/
Rather then
www.my-vauxhall-car-parts-website.co.uk
Using keywords in a domain is a good idea if you do not have a brand name, or if your brand name focuses on a single market, otherwise, brand name should be used in the domain.
You should select a domain name that is not too long, and does not appear spammy, domains with long keyword combinations often appear spammy and gain no SEO benefits in natural search.
Utilising brand name and domain name is the best choice, and offers the most benefits.
URL utilization, is the factor in selecting keywords within a URL that points to a relevant page. If you use this in a structured manner it can have many positive SEO benefits, however, if this is abused, it can have a negative impact on your websites SEO merits.
Here are some tips for good URL utilization & Creation
" Use a domain extension relevant to your websites geographic location and target market
" Do not stuff your domain with keywords
" Keep your core domain name less than 100 characters long
" Do not create excessive directory levels in your URLs
" Only select ONE top level domain for your website
" Do not use special characters in your domain or URL
Here is a good example of URL creation and utilization:
The website is a Vauxhall website that is based in the UK and only targets the UK market
Domain Extension: .co.uk
Brand Name: Vauxhall Suppliers Ltd
Domain: www.vauxhall-suppliers.co.uk
Corsa Page: www.vauxhall-suppliers.co.uk/cars/corsa
Meriva Page: www.vauxhall-suppliers.co.uk/cars/meriva
Above, the brand name and domain extension are ideal because the domain does not appear spammy and uses a top level domain relevant to the websites geographics.
Here is a bad example:
Domain Extension: .co.uk
Brand Name: Vauxhall Suppliers Ltd
Domain: www.vauxhall-car-parts-supplier-ltd.co.uk
Corsa Page: www.vauxhall-car-parts-supplier-ltd.co.uk/corsa/corsa-cars/corsa-parts/
Meriva Page: www.vauxhall-car-parts-supplier-ltd.co.uk/meriva/meriva-cars/meriva-parts/
Above Is a bad example because the domain is too long and appears spammy, and the internal URL's appear even more spammy with excessive keyword repetition.
