Creating a product's web address has become an essential step in online commerce . Whether as a locator or as a positioning element, the URL is the quickest and most effective route to our product. This translates into convenience for potential customers.
At Línea Gráfica we have compiled a list to recommend the ideal recipe (unfortunately there is no definitive one) to optimize the URLs of a digital store . These simple and important steps may be the last step to boost your brand with guarantees.
Grab a pen, paper and a breath of positivity . We are convinced that the menu will turn out as it should.
Make it readable: the best ingredient for your URL
With the rise of instant messaging platforms, users have become accustomed to analyzing the link address before accessing it. The reasons? Many and varied: from apathy or lack of time, to distrust or data limitations on mobile plans.
Creating an intelligible URL becomes a necessity , and not only because it is attractive to the user. Search engines will be aware of this by evaluating the percentage of clicks, time on page or shares, so it is advisable to take this first section very seriously.
Here are some examples:
- http://www.lawebperfecta.com/mira-que-cosa-mas-bonita (10 out of 10, yes sir)
- http://www.lawebperfecta.com/pub/post?ID=138kw=cosa-bonita (It smells like suspense…)
- http://lawebperfecta.cc/es/32hd829/OjHh?JDSK=dsh91623-hds830tf8%$=89xngud83l12ds#gazpacho (Did you want clients or a cryptologist?)
As we said, if your URL is attractive from the start, the success rate increases . Go ahead and try it out with a WhatsApp or Telegram contact. We can already tell you that you will surely win.
URL length for SEO
Size does matter, at least when it comes to URLs. In addition to making it readable and suggestive, the next step in our recipe focuses on its length. An ideal link should be around 60 characters long. Including domain, category and product.
What happens if we exceed this figure? For search engines, nothing, they will locate the product without even looking at the URL used, but for users who decide to share it, it is always appreciated to lower the figure.
The same goes for the appearance of categories and levels that only serve to mask the protagonist of the link. Search engines will value clarity (the more levels, the less precise the search) and it will be more convenient for the user (the fewer clicks needed, the greater the probability of a sale).
As if that were not enough, and closing the chapter on size, we must pay special attention to the use of upper and lower case in our URLs. The Linux system could interpret the appearance of the first as a new link and cut off the entry to the product. Error. Correcting it does not involve a lion's work (establish a rule in htaccess and rewrite the URL), but wasting time is never pleasant.
Include keywords in the URL
The power of keywords is still as strong as it was imagined a few decades ago. Our mission here will be the simplest of all: add the keyword to the link so that search engines focus on it in their results by marking it in bold.
This, which seems obvious at first glance, is one of the most common pitfalls when structuring URLs for eCommerce. If we are selling collectibles, adventure packs or 90s hip hop, it is advisable to be extremely clear to the user.
Something like this might work: http://www.acumulahistorias.com/muñecas-porcelana-baratas
Ideally, the link and the product title should always go hand in hand . Do you sell porcelain dolls? Great market. Make them the protagonists of your links and sit back and wait for fortune to call your bank account.
One more tip : for those who use PrestaShop and are forced to build URLs with the category ID in front of the product, there is nothing to worry about, as long as you keep the keyword inside the link it will still be just as effective.
Beware of redirects
The last of the recommendations for successfully creating URLs is to avoid duplicate content . Yes, you have surely experienced it at some point. Our function is to establish a 301 redirection between the old URL and the new one (with the limit being one second hop). There is strength in numbers, they say.
In this way, in addition to making things easier for Google (which is always a good thing), we will help ensure that traffic to our website is fluid and the positioning is as solid as we wish.
And that's it for our review of the keys to establishing reliable URLs. As we said at the beginning of the post, the formula for success is not written down and it is advisable to carefully analyse what the customer needs to find our brand easily, but if this eCommerce thing is still resisting you, we strongly recommend that you follow the recipe we propose.
Any questions to resolve?
Please use the comments box to share your experience in detail. At Línea Gráfica we are experts in digital marketing for Prestashop stores, so if you need help, just get in touch with us. We will be happy to answer any questions.
