Building SEO-Friendly URLs in Webflow

1. Access Your Project

Log in to your Webflow account and open the project you want to work on. Your projects are listed on the dashboard, so click on the relevant project to enter the Webflow Designer interface.

2. Navigate to the Page Settings

In the Designer, locate the Pages panel on the left side of the screen. This panel lists all the pages in your project. Click on the gear icon next to the page you want to optimize. This icon opens the page settings.

3. Customize the URL

In the page settings window, find the Page Settings section where you can edit the page's URL slug. The URL slug is the part of the URL that appears after your domain name. To optimize your URL, consider these tips:

- Use descriptive keywords that reflect the page's content. Instead of using a non-descriptive slug like "page1," use something like "best-coffee-shops" if the page is about coffee shops.

- Keep the URL short and simple to make it memorable and user-friendly. Complex URLs can confuse users and may be truncated in search engine results.

- Avoid using special characters, as they can complicate the URL and reduce readability. Use only letters, numbers, and hyphens to separate words.

- Use lowercase letters, since URLs are case-sensitive and using lowercase avoids confusion. For instance, "Best-Coffee-Shops" and "best-coffee-shops" are considered different URLs.

After making changes to the URL slug, click Save to apply them.

4. Set Up Redirects if Needed

If you change an existing URL slug, set up a redirect from the old URL to the new one. This will redirect visitors or search engines trying to access the old URL. To do this:

- Go to project settings by clicking the gear icon in the upper left corner.
- Click on the Redirects tab.
- Enter the old URL in the Old Path field and the new URL slug in the Redirect To field.
- Click Add Redirect.

This step ensures that your SEO efforts remain intact and you retain traffic that might still be aimed at the old URL.

5. Use Folders for Hierarchical Structure

To show hierarchy among related pages, create a folder structure. This helps search engines understand the relationship between pages. To create a folder:

- In the Pages panel, click the "+" button to add a new page.
- Select Folder as the page type.
- Name your folder according to the category of pages it will contain, like "coffee" for coffee-related articles.

Then, create descriptive slugs for pages within the folder, such as "coffee/best-coffee-shops" or "coffee/coffee-brewing-tips."

6. Publish Your Changes

After making your URL changes, publish your site. Click the Publish button in the upper right corner of the Designer and select the domain you want to publish to, then confirm the action.

7. Test Your URLs

Ensure the new URLs work correctly by visiting them and checking they lead to the right pages. Also, verify that redirects are functioning as intended.

8. Monitor Performance

Use tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to monitor site performance after implementing new URLs. Watch for changes in traffic, click-through rates, and rankings to assess the impact of your SEO-friendly URLs.

These steps will help you create effective SEO-friendly URLs in Webflow, improving visibility and user experience. Remember to keep testing and optimizing URLs as your web content grows and evolves.