A website’s internal linking structure can have a big impact on your SEO program and your website. An age-old debate is using absolute URLs versus relative URLs when linking internally.

In this article, I’ll address what those are and which you should ultimately choose.

What Is an Absolute URL?

An absolute URL is a URL that includes the domain of the site. To be more precise, an absolute URL is the full URL address including protocol (HTTP or HTTPS), subdomain (if any), domain, path and file name.

Here is an example of an absolute URL used in internal linking:

<a href=“http://www.example.com/category/topic.html”>anchor text</a>

What Is a Relative URL?

A relative URL is a URL that only includes the path to a file or webpage. In other words, it includes only a part of a full URL.

Here is an example of internal linking using a relative URL:

<a href=“/topic.html”>anchor text</a>

A relative URL assumes that the link that is added is part of the same domain and follows the same path as the current page.

For example, if you link from http://www.example.com/category/topic.html using
<a href=“/subcategory/topic2.html”>anchor text</a>, the link will take you to http://www.example.com/category/subcategory/topic2.html.

Absolute vs. Relative URLs: Which to Choose

There are several different reasons that one might choose an absolute URL or a relative URL when linking internally. I’ll go over some of those reasons now.

Why People Choose Relative URLs

Absolute and relative linking can be used in new and existing websites.

Using relative URLs is typically a coding preference among web developers, particularly for new websites, because it is easier to move them from a dev environment to production.

Website migrations can be easier with sites that have relative URLs, too (think moving from HTTP to HTTPS or changing your domain name). The relative links will work right away without having to be redirected.

Some may also see slightly faster load times with relative URLs, too, but the difference is very small.

Why People Choose Absolute URLs

Duplicate content issues can creep up with relative URLs, but not with absolute URLs.

Let’s say you have an HTTP version of your website and an HTTPS version of your website (meaning you have not 301 redirected the HTTP version to the HTTPS). If you use an absolute URL when you link, there is no question which domain the webpage resides on because it contains the full URL path.

However, if you were using relative URLs, search engines like Google may assume that the link refers to both the non-HTTP version and the HTTPS version. In this case, the search engine may index both pages.

Another reason people choose absolute URLs is to preserve the crawl budget — the number of pages the search engine can crawl and index within a timeframe.

Google has indicated that bad links can impact the crawl budget. This includes the duplicate content issue that can arise with relative URLs.

The Verdict

An absolute URL — while potentially more work upfront — is easier to maintain in the long run. Not only is it easier for the search engines to understand, but it prevents links from easily breaking, prevents duplicate content issues and preserves the crawl budget.

Google has weighed in on this issue in the past. In 2018, Google’s John Mueller tweeted that the whole absolute versus relative linking doesn’t matter for SEO:

Nope, not for SEO.

— John (@JohnMu) July 4, 2018

But then in 2019, Mueller weighed in again with a more detailed and different explanation to the question of relative versus absolute URLs:

In that video, Mueller says: “So in that theoretical case where you have a theoretically perfect website, then it doesn’t matter at all if you use absolute or relative URLs. So from that point of view, use whatever is easier for you.”

He goes on to say:

For all the reasons that Mueller listed in that video and those that we have listed in this article as well, absolute URLs are the way to go.

On a final note, Google recommends using absolute URLs in canonical links:

Want more tips on link building? Get our free e-book The New Link Building Manifesto: How To Earn Links That Count.

Our SEO experts can help you build link equity that can boost your search engine ranking. Schedule a free consultation to find out how.

FAQ: How does the choice between absolute and relative URLs impact search engine indexing?

The choice between absolute and relative URLs can have a significant impact on how search engines index your website. Let’s explore this topic further to understand the implications and guide you towards making the right decision for your website.

The Basics of URLs: URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator and acts as the address of a webpage on the internet. It consists of various components, including the protocol (http:// or https://), the domain name and the path to the specific webpage.

Absolute URLs: An absolute URL provides a complete and specific location of a webpage. It includes the entire web address, starting from the protocol to the page name. For example, “https://example.com/blog/article.html” is an absolute URL.

Relative URLs: In contrast, a relative URL provides a shorter, more flexible address that depends on the context within the website. It only includes the path to the webpage relative to the current location. For instance, if we are on the “https://example.com/blog/” page, a relative URL for the article would be “/blog/article.html.”

Impact on Search Engine Indexing: Search engines crawl and index web pages to provide relevant results to users. The choice between absolute and relative URLs affects how search engines navigate and understand your website’s structure, influencing the indexing process.

Site Structure and SEO: Absolute URLs are more explicit and provide search engines with a clear roadmap of your website’s structure and hierarchy. This enables search engines to comprehend relationships between different pages and determine their importance.

Link Equity and Ranking: When absolute URLs are used, any backlinks or external references to your website contain the full address. This means that the link equity or authority passed from these external sources to your web pages is retained and not diluted.

Flexibility and Portability: Relative URLs offer greater flexibility when it comes to moving or renaming pages within your website. Since they are not dependent on the domain name, you can easily update and maintain the internal links without breaking them.

URL Consistency: Consistency in URL structure is important for both users and search engines. Using absolute URLs throughout your website ensures that the links remain intact even when reshaping the site’s architecture.

The decision whether to use absolute or relative URLs is important, so choose wisely. Understanding the implications we’ve outlined in this article will help you make an informed choice that aligns with your SEO goals and website structure.

Step-by-Step Procedure:

1. Understand the differences between absolute and relative URLs.
2. Consider your website’s structure and hierarchy.
3. Evaluate the impact on search engine indexing.
4. Assess the link equity and ranking factors.
5. Analyze the flexibility and portability of relative URLs.
6. Aim for URL consistency within your website.
7. Optimize for buyer intent search terms.
8. Implement best practices based on your specific needs.

The post Absolute vs. Relative URL Linking: What’s the Big Deal, Anyway? appeared first on Bruce Clay, Inc..

Back in 2016, a Google engineer famously said that Google’s top three ranking factors were content, links and RankBrain. However, this was later disputed by more than one Googler.

Sure, those three factors are likely a huge part of how Google determines rankings, but that’s not an exhaustive list.

It is wrong to think that the algorithm is made up only of these three factors and that each of them carries one-third weight for each query. That’s because the factors in Google’s algorithm change from query to query.

That said, I’ll spend the rest of this article shedding more light on what I believe are the top factors in how your website ranks.

• Content
• Technical factors
• Links
• RankBrain
• FAQ: How can I increase the ranking of my website with Google using its top ranking factors?

Content

If I were to choose the No. 1 spot among the top ranking factors, it would be content. Content is the fabric of the web. Without content, Google’s search results simply wouldn’t exist.

Now, any website can have content, but quality content is how you rank. That’s because the content you create is important to the efficacy of Google’s search results.

Google wants its users to have a good experience. To do that, the websites featured in its search results must offer good answers to their users’ queries.

To ensure that Google is featuring the best content in its search results, it has created things like:

• Its “Search Essentials,” which teaches website publishers the rules of the game.
• Its search algorithm, which is constantly being updated to find the best websites for page one of the search results.
• Its “Search Quality Rater Guidelines,” which is a manual for assessing the quality of websites.

For more, see:

• The Complete Guide to the Basics of Google’s E-E-A-T
• What Is a Google Penalty and How Do I Avoid It?
• What Makes a Webpage Quality?
• 5 Steps To Help Writers Create Expert Content for SEO

Technical Factors

If your site is not crawlable and/or doesn’t perform well, it will likely not do well in the search results.

One of the most important things you can do is make sure your site is optimized from the ground up so that search engines can access, crawl and understand it with ease. And it must provide visitors with a good user experience.

Case in point: Google’s Gary Illyes once said:

“I really wish SEOs went back to the basics (i.e. MAKE THAT DAMN SITE CRAWLABLE) instead of focusing on silly updates and made-up terms by the rank trackers and that they talked more with the developers of the website once done with the first part of this sentence.”

In Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines, it states that unmaintained sites are low quality:

… unmaintained/abandoned “old” websites or unmaintained and inaccurate/misleading content is a reason for a low Page Quality rating.

In 2021, Google rolled out its page experience update, outlining various technical factors that should be followed to ensure a good user experience. If you want to be rewarded with better ranking, optimize your site to address these signals.

For more, see:

• Page Experience: Google’s New User Experience Algorithm Update
• Technical SEO vs. On-Page SEO

Links

If content is the fabric of the web, links are the strings that tie it together. Ever since PageRank, links have been a significant way search engines determine rankings. Why? Links have always served as a “vote” from one website for another.

Even though Google says links have less impact now than they used to, they are still important.

However, not all links are created equal. Google doesn’t give every link to your site an equal vote. In fact, some links can even result in a negative impact on your website’s ability to rank.

Today, links are no longer a numbers game. Even though Backlinko research shows that the No. 1 result in Google has an average of 3.8 times more backlinks than positions No. 2 to 10, we have seen sites with fewer but higher quality links outrank sites with more.

To get links right, you want to focus on link earning rather than link building and the quality and relevance of links versus the quantity. Link earning first starts with creating excellent content and a trusted site so that it naturally earns the links it deserves.

In 2020, Google’s John Mueller said links were “definitely not the most important SEO factor.” What does that mean? Google wants people to focus on making a great site first and not worry too much about building tons of links.

For more, see:

• 3 Steps To Create a Better Link-Building Campaign
• E-book: The New Link Building Manifesto: A Complete Guide to Earning Links That Count
• 50 Ways to Get Quality “White Hat” Backlinks

RankBrain

RankBrain is probably one of the most misunderstood ranking factors. RankBrain is a machine learning component of Google’s algorithm. It uses multiple data points at the time of a search to help the search engine better interpret the intent of search queries and serve the most relevant search results.

With RankBrain, Google can go beyond factors like the quality of the content or the links to a webpage to help identify the very best answer to a search.

So to survive RankBrain, you have a lot of work to do to ensure that you are creating the type of content that satisfies the query / your keywords. If you don’t, you risk the chance of RankBrain deciding that your content is not relevant to a search and you can lose rankings.

For more, see:

• The Real Impact of RankBrain on Web Traffic
• 5 Ways to Create Winning SEO Content That Gets More Visibility in the Search Results
• What Is Google’s “Needs Met” Rating and Why Should Website Publishers Care

There are countless factors that go into ranking a webpage, video, or image. And those factors change based on the search query. Understanding the top factors, though, is an important first step in knowing how search works.

Unlock your website’s potential with our expert SEO strategies tailored to Google’s dynamic ranking factors—let’s boost your visibility and climb the search results together. Talk to us. 

FAQ: How can I increase the ranking of my website with Google using its top ranking factors?

Today’s digital world necessitates having an effective online presence for any business to remain viable; and Google’s top ranking factors play a pivotal role when it comes to your website’s SERP ranking. So, how can these elements help boost website performance and how can businesses utilize these factors to their benefit? In order to understand more on this subject and gain some valuable insights.

At first, it’s essential to recognize that Google uses a sophisticated algorithm to rank websites. Although this algorithm incorporates numerous factors, here are a few primary ones which you should focus on:

1. Content Quality: Producing high-quality, engaging and relevant content is of utmost importance for Google to recognize websites as providers of valuable information to their visitors, so invest time into producing engaging articles, blog posts, videos and other forms of media content creation such as books.
2. Backlinks: An authoritative backlink network can make all the difference for improving website rankings. Partner with prominent industry websites when possible and prioritize quality over quantity when it comes to backlinks.
3. Mobile Responsiveness: Being mobile-first makes having a mobile-responsive website essential. Google prioritizes websites which deliver seamless user experiences on all devices; to maximize this benefit for mobile visitors optimize both design and functionality to provide optimal experience across devices.
4. Page Loading Speed: Slow websites can lead to poor user experiences and reduce Google ranking, so make sure yours loads quickly by optimizing images, minifying code and employing caching strategies.
5. User Experience: Google prioritizes websites that focus on user experience. Focusing on elements like easy navigation, intuitive design and clear calls-to-action will not only increase rankings but will also foster engagement and conversions.

Moving forward to enhance your website’s ranking:

6. Leverage Keywords Precisely: Conduct keyword research to identify relevant search terms, then incorporate these naturally into the content, meta tags and headings on your website.
7. Optimize meta tags: Create attractive titles and descriptions that accurately capture your webpage content while encouraging viewers to visit it.
8. Take Advantage of Header Tags: Header tags can help structure and simplify your content for users as well as search engines alike, making it more readable for both audiences.
9. Include alt text with images: Alt text can help search engines understand your images more readily, making your website both accessible and search-engine-friendly.
10. Regularly update content: Stagnant websites tend not to rank well; to stay ahead, ensure yours remains fresh by regularly publishing articles, blog posts or product updates.
11. Leverage Social Media: Utilize social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook to increase exposure, drive visitors directly to your website, and potentially secure backlinks from outside sources.
12. Monitor and Assess Website Performance: Utilizing tools like Google Analytics can be useful in monitoring website performance, user activity and traffic sources — providing valuable data that reveals areas requiring improvement and potential problem areas.
13. Engage Your Audience: Responding to user comments, queries and feedback is vital in building relationships and maintaining your website’s visibility and reputation. Engaging and building relationships will pay dividends!
14. Increase Website Security: Search engines prefer secure websites; utilize SSL encryption technology and regularly upgrade software updates in order to protect it against malware attacks.
15. Optimize for local search: If your business has physical presence, pay special attention to local SEO factors like Google My Business listings, customer reviews and local keywords when optimizing for local search.
16. Generate an XML Sitemap: Generating an XML sitemap helps search engines understand and index your website more effectively.
17. Stay Abreast of Your Competitors: Keep tabs on what strategies, keywords and tactics your competitors employ in order to increase the ranking of their website.
18. Create an effective internal linking structure: Internal links enable search engines to navigate your website more effectively while also helping establish its hierarchy, dispersing authority more evenly among pages and improving user navigation.
19. Strive for positive user experience: Prioritize providing visitors with an engaging user experience on your website by prioritizing fast loading pages, intuitive interfaces and fast access to pertinent data.
20. Stay current: With search engine algorithms ever evolving, staying informed on latest trends, updates and best practices is key for maintaining and improving the ranking of your website.

Utilizing Google’s top ranking factors is the cornerstone of improving website rankings. Apply these expert strategies, deliver valuable content with exceptional user experiences and watch as your rankings soar higher and higher on search engine result pages.

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