Audit page URLs for long paths, deep nesting, redundant words, and unnecessary dates or dynamic values. Suggest shorter addresses and the redirects and link updates needed when changing existing URLs.
Use when generating URL slugs from article titles, auditing URL structures for unnecessary depth or length, or reviewing URL patterns in a CMS or router configuration.
Review the instructions the agent will receive before you install.
While Google has no strict URL length limit beyond technical constraints, long URLs with deep nesting, excessive parameters, or redundant words are harder for users to read, copy, and share. Google's John Mueller has confirmed that shorter, cleaner URLs are easier to understand and may perform slightly better in search.
the, a, of, in) from slugs — /guide-css-grid is better than /a-guide-to-css-grid/blog/2024/03/category/subcategory/post-title) are harder to share and signal distance from the rootFor each page URL, extract the path component (excluding domain and query string). Flag: (1) Path length over 100 characters. (2) More than 4 path segments (e.g., /a/b/c/d/e has 5 segments). (3) Common stop words in slugs (the, a, an, of, in, at, to, for, with). (4) Dates in URL paths for evergreen content (e.g., /blog/2024/03/css-guide). (5) Session IDs, tracking parameters, or other dynamic values in paths.
/how-to-optimise-your-websites-core-web-vitals → /optimise-core-web-vitals/a-comprehensive-guide-to-css-grid-layout → /css-grid-guide/blog/2024/march/technology/css-grid → /blog/css-gridGoogle recommends keeping URLs 'simple, descriptive, and readable'. Long URLs are more prone to being truncated in search snippets, harder to share, and more confusing to users. Deep URL structures (many subdirectories) do not directly harm rankings, but they can increase crawl distance from the root, reducing crawl frequency for deep pages on large sites.
Parse the pathname of each URL. Count path segments (split by /). Measure character length of the path. Flag slugs containing common stop words. Report the longest 10 URLs by character count and deepest 10 by segment count. Check whether URL generation utilities strip stop words and limit segment depth.
For full implementation details, code examples, and framework-specific guidance,
see references/rule.md.
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Create and review custom 404 pages that help visitors recover from broken or moved links through search and navigation. Check the rendered page and HTTP response so missing content returns a proper 404 status.
Audit or create a dedicated About page that explains a website’s purpose and identifies its people or organization. Review the rendered output and supporting information, including expertise and contact details, to find gaps.
Review and add automated accessibility checks for components, pages, and continuous integration workflows. Use axe-based tools to detect structural and attribute issues, while identifying checks that still need keyboard or screen reader testing.
Review sign-in, registration, multi-factor authentication, and account recovery for accessibility barriers. Find blocked paste, difficult code entry, and inaccessible backup methods, then suggest authentication paths that support password managers, autofill, or device approval.
Review form errors, success messages, and live updates so screen reader users receive important notifications. Check the HTML delivered to the browser, announcement settings, display duration, and dismissal controls, then identify specific elements that need changes.
Review HTML tables so screen reader users can understand how headers and data relate. Check header markup, table descriptions, and merged cells, then identify specific fixes and ways to verify them.