E-commerce is booming in 2025 as online sales are projected to reach $6.5 trillion by 2025. Yet many stores struggle with messy, complex URLs, which are no doubt the silent killer of success.
The default URLs in Prestashop, like yourstore.com/index.php?id_product=123, are not only clunky but also detrimental to SEO and user trust. Search engines favor clean, keyword-rich links, while customers shy away from cryptic URLs that look suspicious or unprofessional, especially during secure transactions.
No need to worry, as you have a perfect solution for that in the form of the Pretty URLs Module that effectively streamlines your store’s web addresses, boosts rankings, and enhances user experience. Let’s get to know what Friendly URLs are all about and how the powerful module can pave the way for your e-commerce success.
What Are PrestaShop Friendly URLs and Why They Matter
PrestaShop Friendly URLs are clean, human-readable web addresses that replace the default, parameter-heavy links generated by PrestaShop’s core system.
Let’s say you are running a gadget store, and upon uploading your listing, Prestashop gives it a default URL like yourstore.com/index.php?id_product=123&controller=product, which no doubt seems a messy URL. The friendly URL for this listing would be yourstore.com/wireless-headphones.
The transformation is not only cosmetic but also strategic for SEO and user experience.
PrestaShop Friendly URLs improve crawlability, as search engines like Google prioritize concise, keyword-rich links. Continuing from our example, the URL containing wireless-headphones signals relevance for related searches that would boost click-through rates by a significant percentage.
Furthermore, Friendly URLs appear more trustworthy and thus shareable on social platforms, driving organic traffic. Thus, you must align your PrestaShop store with clean URLs for both search engine visibility and customer confidence.
How PrestaShop Friendly URLs Enhance Traffic and Conversions
Since 73% of e-commerce sales occur on smartphones, Friendly URLs can be a game-changer as clean URLs are tested to load faster on mobile devices.
As a merchant operating his store on Prestashop, you can easily enable Friendly URLs in Prestashop. Log in to your backend and navigate to “Shop Parameters” > “Traffic & SEO” and enable the “Friendly URL” option. For more advanced features, you can also make use of the FME Modules’ Pretty URL module, which is tested to simplify the process of removing IDs, query strings, and more.
As per a recent study, one e-commerce store has recorded a significant uplift in sales after optimizing the URLs of the product pages. Its organic traffic has improved from 1466 to 2246, leading to more potential visitors visiting the store and making purchases.
Pitfalls To Avoid When Optimizing PrestaShop URLs
Without a doubt, Prestashop-friendly URLs offer immense benefits, but you have to be careful during implementation to avoid any pitfalls. The common issues include broken redirects, which can lead to 404 errors and lost rankings.
But you can easily avoid that using an innovative add-on like the Pretty URLs module by FME Modules. It ensures proper 301 redirects, preserving SEO value.
Neglecting to update sitemaps or test mobile compatibility is another pitfall to avoid that can also undermine your efforts.
Ensure you make the best use of tools like Google Search Console to track ranking improvements and click-through rates. SEMrush can reveal keyword performance, helping you refine your PrestaShop SEO optimization strategy.
Conclusion
E-commerce competition is intensified in 2025, and without proper SEO, you might be out of the game without you even realizing it. The least you could do is to get your URLs right for your PrestaShop listings, which is indeed a low-effort and high-impact strategy for boosting SEO and user experience.
Clean, keyword-rich links enhance search engine rankings, reduce bounce rates, and build trust that your potential customers would cherish.
When your Prestashop store URLs are friendly, you will attract higher traffic and better conversion in a mobile-first world. Tools like FME Modules’ Pretty URL module make implementation seamless, ensuring your store stays ahead of the curve.
That being said, are you ready to unlock your e-commerce potential?
