Streamlining Your URL Structure: A Strategy for SEO Success
As website owners, we often face the challenge of optimizing our content while ensuring that we avoid pitfalls like keyword cannibalization. If you have a site that features picture galleries linked to category pages, like I do, you may find yourself in a similar predicament. I’ve been managing my website for two years without an overarching strategy, and now it’s time for a rethink—especially regarding how I handle keywords in my URLs.
The Situation
Initially, my approach involved selecting a primary keyword for each gallery based on data gleaned from SEO tools like Ahrefs. I integrated this keyword into various elements of the gallery pages—embedding it in the URL, title, description, alt text, and content. However, I’ve recently recognized that this strategy might be detrimental due to possible keyword cannibalization, where multiple pages compete for the same search terms.
A Different Direction
To address this issue, I am considering a shift in my approach. My plan is to de-optimize the galleries by removing keywords from the URL, title, description, and alt text. Instead, I would embed the keyword solely within the content that links to the relevant category pages. This shift would also involve implementing 301 redirects from the old URLs—including the keyword—to newly simplified URLs that only contain the model name.
Weighing the Importance of URLs
One of my primary concerns lies with the URL structure. I want to avoid appearing spammy to search engines like Google, but I also acknowledge that I’m not particularly interested in ranking these gallery pages themselves, so click-through rates (CTR) aren’t at the forefront of my concerns. Interestingly, some of these galleries still attract traffic based on model names, as indicated by my Google Search Console data, which makes me hesitant to make any drastic changes without careful consideration.
Request for Input
At this juncture, I would greatly appreciate any insights or guidance from fellow website owners and SEO enthusiasts. Is it worthwhile to streamline the URL structure in this particular context? What are the potential risks and benefits? Your collective wisdom could help me shape a more effective strategy moving forward.
Thank you in advance for your thoughts!