Shortening URLs That Are Too Long

This report lists all URLs that exceed the recommended character length.

URLs as a Navigation Aid

A URL is your page’s address on the web. Users enter it directly or find it through Google. A good URL is short, readable, and contains the main keyword of the page.

Short URLs work better. They’re displayed in full in search results, are easier to remember, and immediately signal to users what to expect.

What’s the Problem?

Overly long URLs are usually caused by:

• Nested directory structures
• Auto-generated IDs and parameters
• Unnecessary filler words in the URL
• Multilingual paths without shortening

The result: URLs with 150, 200, or more characters. Google truncates them in search results with ”…,” users can’t tell where the link leads, and click-through rate drops.

How to Approach This

Build URLs that get straight to the point about the page content. These “descriptive” URLs help users and crawlers understand your content. When people know what to expect, they’re more likely to click.

Example:

Good: https://www.bmx-bikes.com/complete-bikes/kids

Bad: https://www.bikestore.com/browse/c0-all-sports/c1-bike-world/c3-bmx/_/N-1nhiho2

The first URL is clear. The second is technical clutter.

Recommended Length

Stay under 90 characters. It’s not a hard limit, but it’s a sensible benchmark. Google displays URLs up to approximately 70–80 characters in full — after that, they get cut off.

Character CountRatingNote< 60ExcellentDisplayed in full in SERPs60–90GoodStill fully or mostly visible90–120AcceptableTypically truncated> 120Too longUsers only see a fragment

Technical Implementation

Changing URLs is technically straightforward, but you need to do it cleanly:

• The old URL stays saved — in backlinks, bookmarks, and old posts
• The new URL is the new address
• Without a redirect, you’ll lose traffic and rankings

Set up a 301 redirect. It permanently sends users and crawlers from the old URL to the new one. This preserves link equity.

What Happens to Rankings?

Rankings can fluctuate briefly after the change. That’s normal. Google needs to index the new URL, transfer the signals from the old page, and re-evaluate.

After a few weeks, rankings usually stabilize — often even better than before if the new URL is more clearly structured.

Practical Checklist

• Identify URLs with more than 90 characters
• Reduce directory depth (max. 3–4 levels)
• Remove filler words (“and”, “or”, “for”)
• Include the keyword in the URL, but don’t repeat it
• Set up 301 redirects from old to new
• Submit changes in Google Search Console
• Monitor rankings (4–6 weeks after the change)

When to Get Help

If your site has hundreds of affected URLs or you’re unsure how to implement redirects technically: get support. A faulty redirect costs rankings. A clean structure pays off in the long run.

URL optimization is not a nice-to-have. It’s the foundation for visibility and trust.