Many search engine optimization practitioners and website owners believe that URL structures like /category/subcategory1/subcategory2/ directly inform Google about their site’s hierarchical organization. This is particularly prevalent in ecommerce, where complex category structures are common.
What Google Actually Uses
According to Google’s documentation: “Google generally doesn’t look at the structure of URLs to work out the structure of a site. Instead, it analyzes the linkages between pages to gain insights about the relative importance of different pages on a site.”
The Power of Internal Linking
Internal linking emerges as the true driver of site architecture understanding. The way you connect your pages through internal links creates a clear roadmap for Google to understand:
- Parent-child relationships between pages
- Content relevance
- Hierarchical structure
Best SEO Practices
While URL structure may not directly influence site hierarchy, maintaining logical URL patterns remains valuable for:
- Overall page relevance signals
- Analytics and tracking
- User experience
- Content organization
Conclusion
This clarification shifts how we approach site architecture. While clean URLs remain important, the internal linking structure of your site is what truly communicates hierarchy to Google. This should guide your technical SEO strategy.