Dynamic URLs have been considered a bad omen in the SEO world for a long time. They have been under constant comparison with their counterpart – the static URL, and the debate is still as fresh as it was years ago.
But no more! Here we unravel the mystery by comparing the two.
Presented below are all the details of dynamic and static URLs that draw a clear picture of both the types of URLs and precisely answers the question at hand – why dynamic links are bad for SEO.
What is a Dynamic URL?
Dynamic URLs are the URLs that are generated when a user enters a search query. In simple words, they are URLs of dynamic web pages. Unlike static web pages, dynamic web pages are not maintained as a whole and instead generate content based on the given query from the database on which they are created.
Advantages Of Dynamic URLs
- Google can easily crawl and index dynamic URLs, However…
Disadvantages of Dynamic URLs
- Drastically lower click-through rates
- Excessive length creates the chances of cutting off the end of the URL when copy-pasting, resulting in an error
- Low keyword relevance and prominence
- Not feasible to be written down and almost impossible to share on a call or a business card
- Extremely challenging to remember
- Do not give an idea of what the page might display
- Cannot be used in print campaigns
- Fail to carry anchor text
- Most importantly, dynamic URLs often change, creating different URL variances with duplicate content that all get indexed reducing the page authority.
For these reasons, dynamic URLs are considered bad for SEO. Those who are using them should instantly switch to static URLs.
Alternate to Dynamic URL – Static URLs
A static URL is the address of a static web page – a web page based on HTML code with a defined structure and content. A static web page is delivered the same as it was stored. Therefore, a static URL also remains the same. It does not contain a data query string, which makes it much cleaner and easier to crawl and index for Google. This alone makes static URLs best for SEO. However, let’s take a moment to review the all the SEO advantages of static URLs.
Advantages of Static URLs
- All the major and most of the minor search engines can process static URLs, unlike dynamic URLs which are only suitable for Google
- Higher click-through rates
- Better keyword relevancy and prominence
- Easy to copy and paste
- Can be shared online or offline
- Easy to remember
- Clearly states what the processing web page will display
- Can take anchor texts for better ranking
Disadvantages of Static URLs
- The static URL rewriting process is quite challenging
Conclusion
Both dynamic and static URLs have their advantages and disadvantages. However, if we are to weigh them, the advantages of static URLs are significantly higher than dynamic URLs.
Although dynamic URLs are easy for Google to index, there are several other factors to consider. Keyword relevance, feasibility, click-through rates, etc., are all important for success in SEO. Thus, it’s better to switch to a static URL for effective SEO practices.
