Is URL length an SEO factor?

Some SEOs recommend having short but meaningful URLs with keywords. Some even go ahead to claim that URL length is also an SEO factor. Is it really?

URL length has been a topic of discussion in SEO communities for a long time. Several people believe that UEL length accrual affects SE efforts. But it was a matter of belief until Google’s John Mueller recently issued a statement on this topic.

Also see: Is there any ideal title tag length?

Google’s John Mueller confirmed that it doesn’t matter how long a URL could be. But, he also recommended keeping it shorter than 1,000 characters to make monitoring easier. Google can still crawl URLs over 1000 characters long and it won’t affect SEO in any way. Here you should also know that web browsers can handle URLs up to 2,000 characters in length.

The direct answer is no. The URL length doesn’t matter. We use URLs as identifiers, it doesn’t matter how long they are

John Muller about URL length

So, the only thing that matters about the URL is canonicalization. Canonicalization clearly has a connection with search rankings. Google has a dedicated guide about canonicalization in the advanced SEO section. A rel=”canonical” tag should be used to combine signals from multiple duplicate URLs into one. It isn’t a ranking factor but affects search ranking if the same content is found on multiple URLs without having a canonical tag.

John Muller also once clarified that canonicalization has nothing to do with search ranking.

So, to sum up, when it comes to search rankings, neither the URL length nor the number of slashes matter. Use a URL structure that works for you and which you can keep for the long run.

John Muller.

This statement also busts the myth that says flat URL structure ranks better.

I hope it is now clear that URL length and structure don’t matter. It is recommended to have a URL length of fewer than 1000 characters and use the primary keyword.

Deepanker

Tech enthusiast and blogger. Passionate about exploring the latest tech trends and sharing insights.