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#

Check for project context first: If .claude/project-context.md or .cursor/project-context.md exists, read it for site structure.

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#

PrincipleGuidelineReadableUse words, not IDs; /blog/seo-guide not /p/12345ShortShorter is generally better; avoid unnecessary depthKeywordInclude target keyword when naturalLowercaseUse lowercase; avoid mixed caseHyphensUse hyphens to separate words: seo-guideAvoidSpecial chars, query params for core content, session IDs

Hierarchy#

PatternExampleUseFlat/page-nameSimple sitesCategory/blog/post-name, /tools/tool-nameContent sitesNested/category/subcategory/pageDeep hierarchies (keep shallow)

Multi-language#

PatternExamplePath prefix/zh/page, /en/pageSubdomainzh.example.com, en.example.comccTLDexample.cn, example.com

Static vs Dynamic vs Pseudo-Static URLs#

TypeExampleUseStatic/blog/seo-guideDirect file; best SEO; content stableDynamic/product?id=123Program-generated; avoid for indexable contentPseudo-static/blog/seo-guide (rewritten from .php)Combines both; common in CMSRulePrefer 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#

ScenarioApproachUTM / trackingCanonical to base URL; params in query string onlySearch resultsCanonical to search page; avoid indexing result URLsFilters / sortCanonical to base; or robots-txt Clean-paramSession IDsUse cookies; never in indexable URLs

Use Cases#

ScenarioFocusNew sitePlan hierarchy upfront; avoid later restructuringMigration301 mapping; canonical; see canonical-tag****Large siteDynamic URLs, params, multi-language — canonical + robotsSEO auditCheck structure, params, canonical consistency

Common Issues#

IssueFixLong URLsShorten; remove redundant wordsDynamic paramsUse canonical; clean params in robots (Yandex Clean-param)Mixed caseRedirect to lowercaseChanged URLs301 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: 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