Url Structure

by kostja948dd89c57395eNo license1K starsListed Oct 8, 2026Updated Oct 8, 2026Repository updated 2 days ago

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." For per-page slug wording, use url-slug-generator. For canonical consolidation, use canonical-tag.

Instructions onlyMarketing & Sales
AI-generated overview

Guides SEO-friendly URL structure: hierarchy, format, parameters, and redirect planning.

What it does
This skill provides guidance for optimizing website URL structure for SEO. It covers URL hierarchy and depth, static versus dynamic URL formats, file extension omission, multi-language URL patterns, and handling of tracking, filter, and session parameters. It produces recommendations for URL structure, slug conventions, hierarchy for key content types, and a redirect plan when URLs change.
When to use it
Use it when planning or auditing a site's URL hierarchy, fixing URL issues such as long or dynamic URLs, or preparing redirects during a site migration. It is also relevant when the user mentions URL structure, clean URLs, permalinks, or URL parameters.
Requirements
No scripts or special tooling; it is instructions only. It optionally reads a project context file named contextus.md when present, and references related skills such as canonical-tag, url-slug-generator, and robots-txt.

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

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

PrincipleGuideline
ReadableUse words, not IDs; /blog/seo-guide not /p/12345
ShortShorter is generally better; avoid unnecessary depth
KeywordInclude target keyword when natural
LowercaseUse lowercase; avoid mixed case
HyphensUse hyphens to separate words: seo-guide
AvoidSpecial chars, query params for core content, session IDs

Hierarchy

PatternExampleUse
Flat/page-nameSimple sites
Category/blog/post-name, /tools/tool-nameContent sites
Nested/category/subcategory/pageDeep hierarchies (keep shallow)

Multi-language

PatternExample
Path prefix/zh/page, /en/page
Subdomainzh.example.com, en.example.com
ccTLDexample.cn, example.com

Static vs Dynamic vs Pseudo-Static URLs

TypeExampleUse
Static/blog/seo-guideDirect file; best SEO; content stable
Dynamic/product?id=123Program-generated; avoid for indexable content
Pseudo-static/blog/seo-guide (rewritten from .php)Combines both; common in CMS
RulePrefer 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

ScenarioApproach
UTM / trackingCanonical to base URL; params in query string only
Search resultsCanonical to search page; avoid indexing result URLs
Filters / sortCanonical to base; or robots-txt Clean-param
Session IDsUse cookies; never in indexable URLs

Use Cases

ScenarioFocus
New sitePlan hierarchy upfront; avoid later restructuring
Migration301 mapping; canonical; see canonical-tag
Large siteDynamic URLs, params, multi-language — canonical + robots
SEO auditCheck structure, params, canonical consistency

Common Issues

IssueFix
Long URLsShorten; remove redundant words
Dynamic paramsUse canonical; clean params in robots (Yandex Clean-param)
Mixed caseRedirect to lowercase
Changed URLs301 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

Source and attribution

Source:kostja94/marketing-skillsinskills/seo/on-page/url-structureat commit8dd89c5

License: No license

Content belongs to its original authors. SourceWeft indexes it from a public repository.

Report or request removal