What is a URL? How to Get and Optimize SEO-Standard URLs Latest 2025

A URL is a common term you encounter every time you browse the web or access pages on the Internet. So what actually is a URL and what is its structure? In this article, VPTS will help you gain a better understanding of URLs and their importance to SEO, as well as how URLs can affect modern website performance.

1. What Is a URL?

Definition:URL, short for Uniform Resource Locator, is a Uniform Resource Locator. It acts as a unique address, helping identify and access specific resources on a website. A URL connects users to web pages and references resources available on the Internet.

In reality, a URL is a human-readable text string that replaces complex and hard-to-remember IP addresses. URLs help computers connect to servers efficiently, allowing users to access online resources such as HTML pages, CSS files, videos, images, and many other contents.

For easier visualization, you can think of each website as a house with a unique address represented by an IP number. These IP addresses are often very long and complex, making them hard to remember. Therefore, they are converted into readable URLs, allowing users to easily access desired web pages without having to memorize IP numbers. These URLs act like home addresses, guiding visitors straight to the website they are looking for.

2. What Is the History of URLs?

ARPANET military network:

The Internet originated from ARPANET, a military network developed by ARPA (the Advanced Research Projects Agency of the US Department of Defense). The initial goal of ARPANET was to create a system for sharing documents and internal resources among different research centers, ensuring connectivity and information security.

Use plain text protocol:

When accessing resources on ARPANET, users relied on a text-stream protocol for data transmission. This basic connection method routed information across computers.

The birth of DNS (Domain Name System):

The rapid growth of ARPANET led to complicated IP address management. To solve this problem, the DNS system was introduced in the 1980s. DNS allows translating IP addresses into easier-to-remember domain names, helping users access sites easily without having to memorize complex number strings.

Appearance of the URL format:

In December 1994, URLs were officially introduced in RFC 1738 (Uniform Resource Locators). This was a breakthrough that laid the foundation for easier, standardized access and sharing of resources across the Internet. URLs enable identifying specific resources on the Internet via unique addresses.

Continue expanding and developing URLs:

After RFC 1738 was introduced, URLs continued to be significantly expanded and improved. One of the key developments was the emergence of the HTTPS protocol, which secures information transmitted over the Internet. Additionally, many URL shortening tools and services emerged, making it easier for users to share links.

3. Optimize SEO-standard URL (year 2025)

To make URLs SEO- and user-friendly, VPTS should apply the following guidelines:

Concise, easy to understand

URLs should not be overly long. Short URLs containing primary keywords are easy for users to remember and favorable for search engines.

Contains main keywords (meaningful content)

Include relevant keywords in the URL path without keyword stuffing. For example:vpsttt.com/thiet-ke-websiteinstead ofvpsttt.com/12345

Use hyphens (-) to separate words

Avoid using underscores (_), spaces, or special characters.

Do not use Vietnamese diacritics, special characters, or unnecessary symbols

Avoid diacritics and characters such as?, %, &, #unless truly necessary.

4. How many basic parts does a URL structure consist of?

The structure of a URL was first defined in 1994 by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, known as the "father of the World Wide Web". Essentially, a URL acts as a path, helping users access specific files, folders, or resources on the Internet. However, to access accurately, a URL must include specific structures. Two main elements in a URL structure are Scheme and Authority.

Scheme

Definition: Scheme is the part before the colon (:) in the URL and specifies the protocol that the application or web browser will use to connect to the server. Common protocols include http, https, ftp, mailto, and more. isScheme and Authority.

Meaning:

When speaking of URLs, many simply assume it is just a web address. However, the URL concept extends beyond website addresses to various other Internet services. For example:

HTTP/HTTPS: Used to access web pages. These are the most common protocols used to transmit HTML documents.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol): Used to transfer files between computers.

Mailto: Used to open the email client and compose a new email to the specified address.

Role: The Scheme in a URL is an essential component that tells browsers or applications how to communicate with the server, thereby determining the appropriate data transfer rules.

Currently, there are many types of Schemes on the internet, the most popular of which include:

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP): This is the fundamental protocol that makes websites work. It defines how web servers and browsers communicate to fulfill specific requests from users.

Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS): An enhanced version of HTTP with an added layer of security, HTTPS encrypts data to ensure safety when transmitting information across the internet.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP): Primarily used to transfer data files over the internet, FTP helps share and manage files between computer systems.

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Authority

The part that appears right after the double slashes in a URL and is divided into several smaller components. You can easily identify these elements through a simple illustrative example.

Below are some components of Authority:

• Top-Level Domain (TLD):

For example: ".com" is a top-level domain representing the highest tier in the hierarchical domain name system. This domain helps convert IP addresses into more readable and memorable addresses.

Popular TLDs managed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), including .com, .net, .gov.

• Country-Code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD):

Each country has its own top-level domain, abbreviated with two letters. For example:

• Vietnam:.vn

- US:.us

-Canada: .ca

-Singapore: .sg

• Special domain names:

In addition to traditional TLDs, there are special domain extensions such as .club, .life, .news, .museum, usually managed by sponsoring organizations or entities, helping to reflect their distinctive identity.

Subdomain:

Because the DNS system is hierarchical, both "www" and "example" in a website URL are considered subdomains. The "www" part is a subdomain of the main "example" domain. This allows companies to use subdomains to isolate different services or content under a single domain. For instance, Google has subdomains like:

• www.google.com

• news.google.com

• mail.google.com

Each of these subdomains leads to a different service or section of Google's website, allowing users to easily access specific services.

5. Standards of a standard URL

A standard URL must comply with search engine criteria, especially Google. Below are the required standards to ensure standard and SEO-friendly URLs:

Exact path: URLs must lead to the accurate webpage address, providing fast and unambiguous link resolution to help users easily access desired content.

Reasonable length: URLs should be concise yet still convey post content, avoiding excessive length that causes confusion and harms SEO rankings.

Write in unaccented text: URLs should not use Vietnamese accented characters, as Google may struggle to recognize and evaluate them, negatively impacting SEO.

Limit special characters: Avoid using unnecessary special characters; only use hyphens “-” to separate words in the URL.

Contains descriptive keywords: URLs should contain keywords describing the content so users can easily identify page content, increasing click-through rates.

Keyword optimization: Ensure URLs contain primary keywords to improve traffic and boost rankings in Google search results.

Limit paths to subdirectories: Avoid excessively deep paths in the directory structure (i.e., with many “/” slashes), as this makes the webpage easily penalized since Google favors simple, readable URLs.

Accurate content positioning: A standard URL should be used to pinpoint the exact location of a website address, specific webpage, or article on a website, helping users easily find relevant content.

6. How to get a web URL

Retrieving a website URL is straightforward. Follow the step-by-step instructions below from VPTS to easily get the URL:

Step 1: On your computer, open a browser, go to Google, and search for the website you want.

Step 2: Among the search results, select a result with the URL you are looking for to navigate to the landing page.

Step 3: In the address bar at the top of the browser, click the address bar to select the entire URL.

Step 4: After selecting the entire URL, right-click the URL and select “Copy” to copy it.

Step 5: Right-click and select “Paste” to paste the URL into your desired location.

7. How to get a URL with the simplest steps

URL content optimization:

• Order main keyword at the beginning of the URL.

• Retain URL content concise, ranging from 10 to 96 characters.

• Avoid using unnecessary or unengaging words such as “the,” “I,” “of,” “on,”…

URL structure optimization:

• Remove strange characters from the URL.

• Avoid traversing too many subdirectories in the path.

• Redirect URL to static form to help Google increase recommendations and improve rankings.

8. How does a URL affect a website?

• URLs not only direct users to web pages but also play a crucial role in improving SEO effectiveness. Optimizing URLs yields numerous practical benefits, including:

• Improve rankings in search engine results (SERPs): Optimized URLs help the website achieve higher rankings on search engines.

• Increase conversion rates and revenue: Shorter URLs containing keywords relevant to the content help boost conversion rates, thereby driving revenue.

• Better user experience: Easy-to-read, memorable URLs provide a better experience, encouraging users to return to the site. Moreover, concise URLs are easy to share across social media platforms.

• Higher security: URLs encrypted via HTTPS enhance website security, fostering user trust.

9. Some popular URL shortening tools

Currently, there are many tools that help shorten URLs quickly and effectively. The general method is very simple: you just need to enter the URL to be shortened into the required field, then click the "Shorten" button to create a new shortened link. Here are some popular tools you can refer to:

Bitly.com

Bitly.com is one of the most popular URL shortening tools in the world, launched in 2008. This tool is trusted by many major brands such as Samsung, Pepsi, and various other companies.

Advantages:

• Friendly interface, easy to use even for beginners.

• Allows customizing links as desired for easy identification and use.

• Supports browser extensions, making link shortening more convenient.

Disadvantages:

• The free version is limited to 500 branded links and 10,000 non-branded links.

TinyURL.com

TinyURL.com is one of the oldest URL shorteners, launched in 2002. With a simple, user-friendly interface, TinyURL quickly became a popular choice for users worldwide.

Advantages:

• User-friendly interface, easy to use right from the start.

• Allows customizing links to be memorable and easy to share.

• Shortened links have no expiration date, guaranteeing long-term stability.

Disadvantages:

• The interface has few improvements, with a basic design and limited aesthetics.

MegaURL.in

MegaURL.in is a URL shortening tool developed in Vietnam, providing a fast and convenient shortening solution. In particular, MegaURL.in also helps users earn money online (MMO) by receiving payments for every 1,000 clicks on shortened links.

Advantages:

• Easy-to-use interface supporting both Vietnamese and English, suitable for domestic and international users.

• Professional, friendly support team.

• Online monetization mechanism with earnings around $3/1000 clicks from Vietnam.

• Supports detailed statistics and tracking for shortened links.

Disadvantages:

• Users must register an account to use the link shortening service on this platform.

CONCLUSION

URLs play an important role in connecting users and improving SEO for VPTS's website. Optimizing URLs not only helps VPTS's website rank higher on search engines but also improves user experience and shareability, thereby increasing conversion rates and revenue. URL shorteners such as Bitly, TinyURL, and MegaURL.in help VPTS create short, memorable, and convenient paths.

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