Google’s Unexpected Take On Site Folder Structure And SEO via @sejournal, @martinibuster

Google's John Mueller stated this week that using localized URL folders for a website's primary market provides minimal practical SEO benefits. Mueller explained that while such structures might seem intuitive for targeting specific regions, Google's systems primarily rely on other signals for localization, such as hreflang tags and content language. He indicated that the effort invested in creating and maintaining these specific folder structures often outweighs the marginal SEO gains. Instead, Mueller suggested that website owners should focus on other, more impactful SEO strategies. These include ensuring high-quality, relevant content for each target audience and implementing proper technical SEO practices. The advice was shared in a discussion on Search Engine Journal, highlighting Google's current stance on URL organization for international or localized websites. The emphasis remains on content relevance and technical implementation over URL path specifics for localization.