There are a number of factors that affect site optimization and can affect your position in search results. One question that is often heard is, does Google prefer shorter URLs over longer ones? This is a myth that has been around in the SEO world for a long time.

URL length was a topic of discussion in the Ask Googlebot series on YouTube , and this topic was answered by John Mueller of Google .

Does URL Length Affect SEO?

The question that was asked is: ” Do shorter URLs really have an impact compared to long URLs or is this just another SEO myth?” “

In Mueller ‘s response, we learn that URL length doesn’t affect the way some people think it does. However, there is one case where URL length does affect search.

URL length doesn’t matter for SEO, Mueller explains. Except for one situation where it could have some influence.

Mueller ‘s personal preference is to keep URLs under 1,000 characters, because that way the data is easier to track. “The direct answer is no. The length of the URL does not matter. We use URLs as identifiers, it doesn’t matter how long they are. Personally, I try to keep them under 1,000 characters, but that’s just to make it easier to follow. The number of backslashes also doesn’t matter .”

Length important for canonization

The only area of ​​Google ‘s ranking system where URL length can play a role is canonicalization. When multiple similar URLs have the same content on a page, Google will consolidate all signals from those pages into a single URL.

That URL is called the canonical URL , and it’s what users end up seeing in search results. In the process of deciding which URL to display in search results, Google may consider the length of URLs as a factor.

“I am currently aware of only one part of our systems where URL length plays a role – that part is canonicalization.” Canonicalization is what happens when we find multiple copies of a page on your site and have to choose one URL to use for indexing. If we find a shorter and clearer URL, our systems tend to pick it.”

Mueller also clarifies that canonization has nothing to do with ranking. In short – the length of the URL can affect the appearance of the snippet , but it does not affect the search ranking.

“This does not affect the ranking. It’s just a matter of which URL is displayed in the search. So, to summarize, when it comes to search ranking, neither the length of the URL nor the number of backslashes matters. Use a URL structure that works for you and that you can maintain in the long run .”

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Source: Searchenginejournal