How Your Domain and URLs Affect SEO on Your Site

July 12, 2016 Ivars Leitis

Your domain name is the name that users will locate you by online. Your domain is included in your URL, for example, the URL of our website is http://www.raven5.com/, the domain name is ‘raven5.com’. Your domain name is an important part of online branding. Users should be able to get an idea of what you have to offer from your domain; it should reflect your company name or the products or services you offer.

While a shorter domain is recommended, many businesses will find that it is just not a viable option for them. When choosing a domain name, we recommend consulting an integrated marketing agency. Choosing the right domain for your business can be tough, so do your research on what’s available and don’t be afraid to seek professional help. Your website is the hub of your business and your domain is something that requires research and planning.

Here’s why short domain names are recommended:

– Easy to read and easier to remember. Short domain names are more likely to stick with a visitor, encouraging them to revisit your site in the future and continue the relationship.

– Perfect for when you need to include a URL on printed material as this URL must be short and easy to remember. Beneficial for integrated marketing campaigns that utilize direct mail or radio advertisements to drive traffic to a dedicated landing page on your website.

Should I put keywords in my URLs? It is a good idea to include your most important keywords in your URLs if possible and relevant. Here’s why:

– Keywords in the URL help indicate to those who see your URL on social media, in an email, or as they hover on a link to click that they’re getting what they want and expect

– URLs get copied and pasted regularly, and when there’s no anchor text used in a link, the URL itself serves as that anchor text (which is still a powerful input for rankings)

– Keywords in the URL show up in search results, and research has shown that the URL is one of the most prominent elements searchers consider when selecting which site to click.

However, be cautious that you don’t keyword stuff; if the keyword has no place there then don’t put it there. Google, Bing, and Yahoo! prefer simple, easy to understand URLs that deliver on their promise. Search engines are user centric and focused on creating the best user experience possible, so it’s recommended that you keep your URLs user friendly.

An integrated marketing agency will teach you a simple rule to follow when creating a URL – use your page title and separate your words with hyphens. Search engine spiders recognize a hyphen as a space, and this format will let your readers know what to expect when clicking the link. For example: www.raven5.com/store/tshirts/purple-raven-shirt is a lot easier for search engines to digest than www.raven5.com/9rtedj/45?EYH=idke/#45. It’s also a lot easier for people to digest. URLs that are short, easy to read, and easy to understand will benefit from increased click through rates and reduced bounce rates. User experience matters, now more than ever.

If this seems a little too complex, enlist the help of an integrated marketing agency and contact RAVEN5 today.

RAVEN5, Creating Experiences As Unique As Your Customers

For more information, learn about Websites on WordPress, What Ecommerce is, Ecommerce Best Practices, Mobile Website Optimization, or find out if it’s Time to Update your Website.

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