<b>Should product URLs include the category path?</b>

<b>Should product URLs include the category path?</b>

'Q: /shoes/running/nike-pegasus vs just /nike-pegasus — which is better for SEO?'

<b>Short answer:</b> Flat (no category in the URL) is usually safer for e-commerce — and here's why.

The longer version: the ranking difference between the two is negligible; Google reads hierarchy from your site structure and breadcrumbs, not just the slug. The real issue is maintenance.

If a product lives in multiple categories or moves between them, a category-path URL forces redirects and risks duplicate URLs for the same product (one per category). Flat product URLs (<code>/products/nike-pegasus</code>) sidestep that entirely — the product has one stable address forever, no matter how you re-merchandise.

Keep the nested structure for <i>category</i> URLs, where the hierarchy is stable and meaningful. Reserve flat URLs for products, which churn and re-categorize constantly.

If you already run nested product URLs and it works, don't rip it up — just make sure each product resolves to one canonical URL.

Rule of thumb: nest categories, flatten products. Stability beats keyword-in-slug.

Got a URL-structure question? Drop it.