When it comes to running a successful eCommerce store on PrestaShop, SEO is critical to increasing traffic and improving visibility. One often overlooked but highly effective SEO practice is optimizing your website’s URL structure. In this blog, we will dive into the importance of using PrestaShop Friendly URLs and how SEO-friendly URLs with redirections can enhance your site’s performance and user experience.
What is a PrestaShop Friendly URL?
A PrestaShop Friendly URL is a clean, easy-to-read URL that is both user- and search-engine-friendly. It removes unnecessary characters, such as question marks, numbers, or symbols, and replaces them with simple, keyword-rich descriptions of the page content. This not only improves SEO but also creates a more intuitive navigation experience for visitors.
For instance:
- Default URL:
www.mystore.com/product.php?id=12345 - Friendly URL:
www.mystore.com/blue-running-shoes
A PrestaShop clean URL is much more readable and informative, which is helpful for both search engines and users.
Why PrestaShop Friendly URLs Matter for SEO
Switching to PrestaShop SEO URLs is not only about the aesthetics, rather, it is considered to be a crucial SEO strategy. Here’s why:
- Improved Search Engine Ranking: Search engines like Google favor URLs that are clear and descriptive. By using PrestaShop SEO URLs, you provide search engines with more relevant information about your page’s content, which can lead to higher rankings.
- Enhanced User Experience: Clean URLs help users navigate your site with ease. When a customer can quickly scan a URL like
www.mystore.com/blue-running-shoes, they instantly know what to expect. - Increased Click-Through Rates: URLs are often visible in search results. A clear, relevant PrestaShop Friendly URL is more likely to attract clicks compared to a cluttered, confusing URL.
The Role of Redirections
When you switch from default URLs to PrestaShop clean URLs, it’s essential to implement redirections. If you change your URLs without redirecting the old ones, any visitors or search engines trying to access the old URLs will encounter 404 errors. These errors can damage your SEO performance and disrupt the user experience.
By setting up 301 redirects (permanent redirects), you ensure that all traffic from old URLs is automatically sent to the new, optimized PrestaShop Friendly URLs. This keeps your SEO rankings intact and prevents any disruption to your site’s flow.
How to Enable PrestaShop Friendly URLs with Redirections
Enabling your PrestaShop Friendly URLs and setting up redirections is actually quite simple. Let’s see how to do it step-by-step:
- Log in to Your PrestaShop Admin Panel: Access the back office of your store.
- Navigate to SEO & URLs: Under the Preferences tab, click on “SEO & URLs.”
- Enable Friendly URLs: Turn on the option for PrestaShop Friendly URL and save the changes.
- Set Up Redirections: After enabling friendly URLs, you’ll need to configure automatic redirections to ensure that old URLs properly redirect to the new ones. This can be done by regenerating the .htaccess file in PrestaShop.
- Check the Redirections: Test a few old URLs to make sure they redirect seamlessly to the new URLs.
Best Practices for Creating PrestaShop SEO URLs
Once you’ve enabled the PrestaShop Friendly URLs, it’s important to ensure they’re optimized for SEO. Follow these steps to do so:
- Include Relevant Keywords: Make sure your URLs naturally include important keywords related to the product or content of the page.
- Avoid Unnecessary Words: Keep your URLs simple and to the point. Words like “and,” “the,” or “of” don’t add any value.
- Use Hyphens, Not Underscores: Always separate words with hyphens in PrestaShop clean URLs as search engines read hyphens as spaces.
- Lowercase Letters: Stick to lowercase letters in URLs for consistency and easier readability.
How Redirections Maintain SEO Integrity
When updating to PrestaShop SEO URLs, maintaining proper redirections is essential to avoid negative impacts on your SEO. Without 301 redirects, search engines will view old URLs as broken links, which can hurt your rankings. A well-configured redirection system ensures that old URL links (both external and internal) still direct users and search engines to the right pages.
Redirections also improve user experience. If a customer bookmarked one of your old URLs or clicked an outdated link, the last thing you want is for them to hit a 404 error page. A smooth redirection ensures they land on the new page without any issues.
Conclusion
Enabling PrestaShop Friendly URLs with proper redirections is one of the best steps you can take to optimize your eCommerce site for SEO. By implementing PrestaShop clean URLs, you’re not only making your store more appealing to search engines but also improving user experience, which can lead to higher traffic and better conversions.
Redirections ensure that even if your URLs change, no links are broken and your SEO remains intact. If you haven’t already optimized your URL structure, now is the perfect time to enable friendly URLs and keep your online store running smoothly.
