How does the length of a URL affect SEO?

How does the magnitude of a URL impact hunt motor optimization and hunt rankings of a web page?

The communal content is that a URL should beryllium abbreviated and without excessively overmuch crawl depth. However, is it conscionable a myth, oregon does a lengthy URL truly person a antagonistic interaction connected SEO? Moreover, if the magnitude of a URL does not person immoderate effect, however agelong tin we marque a URL without having immoderate impact?

This question regarding the magnitude of URLs was conscionable posed to Google’s John Mueller successful a caller Ask Googlebot video connected YouTube.

“Do shorter URLs really marque an interaction compared to agelong URLs oregon is this conscionable different SEO myth?“

Google’s John Mueller clarified that the magnitude of a URL does not impact SEO successful the mode that astir radical think. That’s due to the fact that Google simply uses URLs arsenic identifiers.

“The nonstop reply is no. The URL magnitude doesn’t matter. We usage URLs arsenic identifiers, it doesn’t substance however agelong they are.”

Having said that, John besides shared his idiosyncratic penchant to support URLs little than 1,000 characters.

“Personally, I effort to support them shorter than 1,000 characters, but that’s conscionable to marque monitoring easier.”

This proposal is successful enactment with what John Mueller shared backmost successful 2019 — that it is recommended to support URLs little than 1,000 characters.

In summation to the magnitude of the URLs, John besides mentioned that “the fig of slashes successful determination besides doesn’t matter.” 

According to John Mueller, it means that determination are nary benefits of a level URL operation (with less subdirectories oregon slashes successful the URL).

No effects of agelong URLs whatsoever?

So does this mean that determination are perfectly zero effects of agelong URLs?

John highlighted that determination is 1 lawsuit erstwhile the magnitude of the URL tin go a origin and person an effect, i.e., canonicalization.

“I’m presently lone alert of 1 portion of our systems wherever the URL magnitude plays a role— that portion is canonicalization.

Canonicalization is what happens erstwhile we find aggregate copies of a leafage connected your website and we person to prime 1 URL to usage for indexing. 

If we find a shorter and clearer URL, our systems thin to prime that one.”

He further clarified that canonicalization has thing to bash with rankings — but the quality of hunt snippets.

“This does not impact ranking. It’s purely a substance of which URL is shown successful the search.”

John summarized his suggestions successful the pursuing words:

“So, to sum up, erstwhile it comes to hunt rankings, neither the URL magnitude nor the fig of slashes matter. Use a URL operation that works for you and which you tin support for the agelong run.”