The SEO benefits of shorter URLs are disputed, with some claiming that a shorter URL is better and others saying that a long URL of the right type is better for SEO. Shorter URLs also provide some advantages regarding non-SEO issues, which should be taken into consideration as well.

According to marketingsherpa.com, people are more likely to click on shorter URLs in search results. To some extent this behavior makes sense; perhaps you’re looking for information on the city of Berlin, New Hampshire. If you see a URL like “www.example.com/berlin-nh/”, it is more likely the web site in question created a detailed page with specific information on the city, whereas URLs like “www.example.com/north-america/usa/city.php?st=nh&ct=berlin” or “www.example.com/berlin-nh-usa-northern-new-hampshire.htm” suggest that they might be automatically generated pages with more general information and mostly links. So even if a longer URL gets ranked better in search results, some searchers will consider shorter URLs more unique and authoritative on their subjects.

However, some people involved in SEO feel that it is better to have long URLs with many keywords related to the pages in them (usually separated by hyphens) so as to enhance search result rankings. However, it remains to be seen as to whether or not search engines will eventually remove this from their criteria.

A shorter URL also makes it easier for people to remember, works better in e-mail messages, and is more likely to be printed on paper, posted in message boards/forums, or referred to in the media. Linking to a lot of long URLs within your web site will also use more storage space and bandwidth, as well as making the site load less quickly. While a long SEO based URL might be something like “www.example.com/weather/hurricane-noel-october-2007.html” or “weather.example.com/hurricane-noel-flooding-mexico.htm”, some options for shorter URLs include using the date the page was created (like “www.example.com/102907/”) or just adding a number to the end of the page’s category (such as “www.example.com/weather73.htm”).

There is also the issue of longer or shorter domain names and their SEO effect; some marketers and others have registered very long domain names so that they could put related keywords in the domain name itself (for example, new-fast-color-laser-printers.com). The SEO value of doing this is disputed, and is unlikely to make up for reduced credibility and memorability caused by an unusually long domain name, especially for web sites designed to gain revenue from sales (rather than advertising).

Basically, longer URLs are better for efforts specifically aimed at SEO, while shorter URLs can indirectly provide better search engine optimization and/or more traffic.

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