PrestaShop Pretty URL: How to Create SEO-Friendly Product and Category URLs for Better Navigation

In the world of e-commerce, a user-friendly website can make all the difference in driving traffic and increasing conversions. One crucial aspect that often goes unnoticed but plays a significant role in both user experience and SEO is the structure of URLs. In particular, PrestaShop friendly URLs can help store owners create SEO-optimized product and category URLs that not only make navigation smoother but also enhance search engine visibility.

In this article, we’ll dive into the importance of clean, descriptive URLs, how PrestaShop Pretty URL module can help you create SEO-friendly URLs, and the impact of having optimized URLs on your e-commerce store’s performance.

What Are PrestaShop Friendly URLs?

In the context of PrestaShop, PrestaShop friendly URLs refer to clean, SEO-friendly, and easy-to-read URLs that describe the content of a page. By default, PrestaShop generates URLs with product IDs and other non-descriptive elements that are not helpful for search engines or users. A PrestaShop friendly URL eliminates unnecessary characters, making it easier for search engines to understand and index the content, ultimately improving your website’s SEO ranking.

For example, instead of having a URL like this: https://www.example.com/product?id=12345 A PrestaShop friendly URL would look like this: https://www.example.com/product/name-of-the-product

Why PrestaShop Friendly URLs Matter

Optimizing URLs is crucial for both user experience and SEO. Here are the reasons why PrestaShop friendly URLs matter for your e-commerce store:

1. Enhanced User Experience (UX)

One of the most important factors in keeping your customers happy is ease of navigation. URLs that are clean, readable, and descriptive help users navigate your website more efficiently. PrestaShop friendly URLs are easy to remember and provide instant context about the content they lead to. This improves the overall user experience, making customers more likely to stay on your site longer and complete their purchases.

In contrast, complex URLs filled with IDs and parameters can confuse users, causing frustration and potentially leading to a higher bounce rate.

2. Improved SEO Ranking

Google, and other search engines, prioritize user-friendly websites with high-quality, readable content. By using PrestaShop friendly URLs, you are making it easier for search engines to crawl and index your product and category pages. This improves your chances of ranking higher in search engine results.

A study by Backlinko found that URLs with relevant keywords tend to rank higher than those that are overly complex. So, when you use PrestaShop Pretty URL to create URLs that are descriptive and contain your target keywords, you increase your chances of ranking higher for those search terms.

3. Better Click-Through Rates (CTR)

URLs are often displayed as clickable links in search results, and a clean, descriptive URL can help users understand what they’ll find if they click. For example, a search result with a URL like https://www.example.com/category/men-s-shoes is far more likely to attract clicks than a URL with random digits or parameters.

A PrestaShop friendly URL increases trust with potential customers, as they immediately know they are clicking on a legitimate and relevant page. This improves your click-through rate (CTR), which is a key factor for SEO.

4. Reduction in Duplicate Content Issues

PrestaShop, by default, can sometimes generate multiple URLs for the same page (for example, with session IDs or query strings). These multiple URLs can create duplicate content issues, which confuse search engines and dilute SEO efforts. Using PrestaShop Pretty URL, you can eliminate these redundant URLs and prevent any duplicate content issues that could hurt your rankings.

How PrestaShop Pretty URL Helps You Create SEO-Friendly URLs

The PrestaShop Pretty URL module allows store owners to easily create clean, readable, and SEO-optimized URLs for their product and category pages. Here's how the module works and why it’s beneficial for your store:

1. Removes IDs and Unnecessary Characters

The module automatically removes non-descriptive elements, such as product IDs or session numbers, from URLs. Instead of having a URL that looks like this:
https://www.example.com/product?id=1234,
the PrestaShop Pretty URL module generates a URL like this:
https://www.example.com/product/men-s-running-shoes

By eliminating unnecessary parameters, these clean URLs improve user experience and SEO, as search engines can easily understand the page content and rank it accordingly.

2. Customizable URL Structure

With PrestaShop Pretty URL, you have the flexibility to customize the structure of your URLs to better suit your store’s needs. You can configure your URLs to include keywords, product names, and categories, ensuring that they are descriptive and relevant. This customization feature helps you target specific long-tail keywords, which are often less competitive but highly valuable for SEO.

For example, if you sell men’s running shoes, you can configure your URL to include both the category and the product name, such as: https://www.example.com/men-s-shoes/running-shoes

This not only helps with SEO but also makes the URL more intuitive and user-friendly.

3. 301 Redirects for URL Changes

If you ever need to change a URL structure or product page URL, PrestaShop Pretty URL allows you to automatically set up 301 redirects from old URLs to the new ones. This ensures that visitors who click on outdated links are redirected to the correct page, preserving SEO value and avoiding 404 errors.

301 redirects also inform search engines that the content has permanently moved, ensuring that your rankings and traffic aren’t negatively affected.

4. Multi-Language and Multi-Currency Support

If your PrestaShop store operates in multiple languages or currencies, the PrestaShop Pretty URL module ensures that your URLs are SEO-friendly across all versions of your site. This feature is especially useful for global e-commerce businesses, as it helps them maintain consistency and relevance in every language, boosting SEO efforts across different regions.

5. SEO-Friendly URL Generation for Categories and CMS Pages

In addition to product pages, PrestaShop Pretty URL allows you to optimize the URLs for category pages and CMS pages as well. For instance, if you have a category page for men's shoes, the module can generate a URL like: https://www.example.com/men-s-shoes This improves the structure of your website and enhances the SEO for all pages across your store, not just product pages.

Best Practices for Using PrestaShop Friendly URL

Here are some best practices for creating SEO-friendly URLs using the PrestaShop Pretty URL module:

1. Use Descriptive Keywords: Include relevant keywords in your URLs that reflect the content of the page. For example, use "running-shoes" instead of generic terms like "product123."
2. Keep It Short and Simple: Aim for short, easy-to-read URLs. Avoid excessive keywords or complex characters.
3. Use Hyphens, Not Underscores: Google recommends using hyphens to separate words in URLs (e.g., mens-running-shoes), as it makes them more readable for both search engines and users.
4. Avoid Special Characters: Special characters like &, %, and $ can complicate URLs and may not be SEO-friendly. Stick to alphanumeric characters and hyphens.

Conclusion

Having PrestaShop friendly URLs is an essential aspect of a successful e-commerce strategy. Not only do they enhance the user experience by improving navigation, but they also play a crucial role in SEO. By using the PrestaShop Pretty URL module, you can easily create clean, descriptive URLs for your product and category pages, which will help search engines index your content more effectively and improve your store’s visibility in search results.

By following best practices and utilizing the powerful features of the PrestaShop Pretty URL module, you can give your PrestaShop store the best chance to rank higher, attract more traffic, and convert more customers. Don’t overlook the importance of clean URLs—they are an investment in your store’s long-term success.