URL Structure Best Practices for E-commerce: Boost SEO and Sales

In e-commerce, every detail matters—including your URLs. A well-structured URL tells search engines what your page is about, helps customers understand where they are, and builds trust before the click even happens.

Why URL Structure Matters for Online Stores

URLs serve multiple purposes in e-commerce:

For search engines:

• Keywords in URLs contribute to relevance signals
• Clean structures help crawlers understand site hierarchy
• Consistent patterns improve indexation efficiency

For customers:

• Readable URLs build trust in search results
• Clear paths help users navigate your store
• Shareable URLs spread your products organically

For your business:

• Logical structures simplify analytics
• Good URLs reduce duplicate content issues
• Proper setup prevents costly migrations later

The Anatomy of an E-commerce URL

A well-structured e-commerce URL follows predictable patterns:

https://store.com/category/subcategory/product-name

Key components:

Product Page URL Best Practices

Keep Product URLs Short and Descriptive

Include the essential keywords without bloat:

✅ /running-shoes/marathon-pro-v2
❌ /products/category-12/item-45678-marathon-pro-v2-mens-running-shoe-blue

Use Hyphens, Not Underscores

Search engines treat hyphens as word separators:

✅ /blue-running-shoes
❌ /blue_running_shoes
❌ /bluerunningshoes

Include Primary Keywords

Put your main keyword near the beginning:

✅ /wireless-headphones/sony-wh1000xm5
❌ /electronics/audio/personal/headphones/sony-model-wh1000xm5-wireless

Avoid Dynamic Parameters When Possible

Clean URLs outperform parameter-heavy ones:

✅ /dresses/summer-floral-maxi
❌ /product.php?id=4532&cat=12&color=blue

Category Page URL Strategies

Create Logical Hierarchies

Mirror how customers think about your products:

/mens
/mens/shoes
/mens/shoes/running
/mens/shoes/casual

Keep Categories Broad but Meaningful

Balance depth with usability:

✅ /laptops/gaming (two levels, clear intent)
❌ /electronics/computers/laptops/gaming/15-inch/nvidia (too deep)

Handle Filters Without URL Chaos

Decide how to handle filtered views:

Option 1: Canonical to main category

/shoes?color=blue (canonical points to /shoes)

Option 2: Create indexable filter pages

/shoes/blue (if "blue shoes" has search volume)

Handling Product Variants

Products with sizes, colors, or options need careful URL planning.

Option 1: Single URL with Variants

Best for most cases:

/t-shirts/classic-cotton-tee
(Color and size selected on page, not in URL)

Advantages:

• Consolidates link equity
• Simplifies inventory
• Reduces crawl budget waste

Option 2: Separate URLs for Major Variants

Best when variants have different search intent:

/iphone-15-pro
/iphone-15-pro-max

Use when:

• Variants are searched differently
• Price points vary significantly
• Variants have unique features

Common E-commerce URL Mistakes

1. Session IDs in URLs

Problem: Creates duplicate content and wastes crawl budget.

❌ /shoes/sneakers?session=abc123xyz

Solution: Use cookies for session tracking, not URLs.

2. Unnecessary Category Paths

Problem: Same product accessible through multiple URLs.

❌ /mens/shoes/running/marathon-pro
❌ /running/marathon-pro
❌ /sale/marathon-pro
(All showing the same product)

Solution: One canonical URL per product, regardless of how users navigate there.

3. Changing URLs Without Redirects

Problem: Lose rankings and create broken links.

Solution: Always implement 301 redirects when URLs change.

4. Mixed Case URLs

Problem: Some servers treat these as different pages.

❌ /Running-Shoes (potential duplicate of /running-shoes)

Solution: Enforce lowercase and redirect variations.

URL Management for Large Catalogs

Handling Thousands of Products

Large stores need systematic approaches:

Automated slug generation:

• Brand + product name + key attribute
• Example: nike-air-max-90-white

Prevent duplicates:

• Check for existing slugs before creating
• Append differentiators when needed

Pagination URLs

Handle paginated category pages properly:

/shoes?page=2 (or /shoes/page/2)

Best practices:

• Use rel="next" and rel="prev" where supported
• Implement proper canonicalization
• Consider infinite scroll alternatives

Faceted Navigation

Filter combinations can explode URL counts:

Control crawling:

• Noindex low-value filter combinations
• Block parameter combinations in robots.txt
• Use canonical tags strategically

International E-commerce URLs

Language and Region Handling

Subdirectory approach (most common):

store.com/en/shoes
store.com/de/schuhe
store.com/fr/chaussures

Subdomain approach:

en.store.com/shoes
de.store.com/schuhe

ccTLD approach:

store.com/shoes
store.de/schuhe
store.fr/chaussures

Hreflang Implementation

Tell search engines about language variants:

<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en" href="https://store.com/en/shoes" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="de" href="https://store.com/de/schuhe" />

Measuring URL Performance

Track These Metrics

Common Issues to Monitor

• Duplicate content reports
• 404 errors from changed URLs
• Redirect chains and loops
• Parameter handling problems

Key Takeaways

• Keep product URLs short, descriptive, and keyword-rich
• Use hyphens between words and stick to lowercase
• Create logical category hierarchies that mirror customer thinking
• Handle variants carefully—consolidate when possible
• Implement proper redirects when URLs change
• Plan for international expansion with consistent URL patterns
• Monitor and fix URL issues before they impact rankings

Ready to Optimize Your E-commerce URLs?

URL structure is just one piece of the e-commerce puzzle. The real power comes when your product links, landing pages, and marketing campaigns work together—with consistent tracking and clean URLs throughout the customer journey.

That's exactly why we're building Blyra: to help online businesses create, track, and optimize links across every touchpoint. Join our waitlist to be among the first to try it.