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: Route protocol, host, slash, default-document, extension, case, and tracking variants to canonical-tag

Initial Assessment

Project context: Read root contextus.md when present and load only the modules relevant to this task. Without Contextus, use available project material or user-provided facts and ask for missing information; do not create a parallel context system.

Identify:

1. Site structure: Categories, subcategories, content types
2. Current URLs: Existing patterns and issues
3. 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 Boundary

Use parameters only when they represent a real function. Route duplicate-page decisions for UTM, tracking, sorting, filtering, sessions, and other parameter variants to canonical-tag; do not assume every parameterized URL should canonicalize to the base page.

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	Decide whether they change page identity; use canonical-tag for duplicate variants
Mixed case	Prefer lowercase for new URLs; use canonical-tag before consolidating existing routes
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

• website-structure: Plan structure and URL paths; apply url-structure rules after structure is defined

• canonical-tag: Audits and consolidates duplicate URL identities across protocol, host, slash, default documents, extensions, case, and tracking parameters

• 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