The Preferred URL feature allows you to determine whether the intended page on your website is ranking for a specific target keyword.
For example, at Nobilista, we want the following URL (the top page) to appear in the search results for keywords such as “Nobilista”.
Nobilista — Cloud-Based Search Ranking Checker Tool (Mac Compatible)
This is because the page above introduces Nobilista’s features and pricing, and having it rank highly for keywords such as “Nobilista” is expected to contribute directly to user acquisition.
However, what if the following page ranks highly for the keywords “Nobilista” ?
The page above does not introduce Nobilista’s features or pricing; instead, it contains behind-the-scenes development stories.
Therefore, if this page were to rank highly for the keywords “Nobilista”, it would likely make user acquisition more difficult…
However, by using the Preferred URL feature, you can immediately detect cases where unintended URLs are ranking, as illustrated above.
With the Preferred URL feature, you can specify which URL you want to appear in higher rankings for each keyword registered for your website.
For example, for the keyword “Nobilista,” you can set “https://co.nobilista.com/en/” as the preferred URL you want to appear in the search results.
When the preferred URL you’ve set is correctly ranking at the top, a “○” will appear in the “Preferred URL” column of the Keyword Report.
Conversely, if the intended page is not ranking well, a “×” will be shown.
(If none of the pages are ranking within the measurement range defined by your plan, a “–” will be displayed.)
For example, if a keyword displays an “×,” it means that a page other than the intended one is ranking at the top.
This can lead to a decrease in user satisfaction, resulting in higher bounce rates and fewer conversions.
From a technical SEO perspective, this situation suggests that keyword cannibalization is occurring—where multiple URLs compete for the same target keyword.
When cannibalization happens, it becomes difficult for any page to rank highly for that keyword.
Therefore, it is essential to adjust the content of pages that are causing cannibalization so that the intended page can rank properly at the top.
By the way, the URLs referred to on this page as “Preferred URLs” or “Intended Pages” are technically known as PLPs (Preferred Landing Pages).
(It’s not a very familiar term, is it…?)
However, the concept of PLPs is extremely important when implementing effective SEO strategies.
Therefore, in Nobilista, even if users are not familiar with the term “PLP,” we implemented this feature under the more intuitive name “Preferred URL Feature” so that they can easily recognize and address PLP-related issues.
As mentioned at the beginning of this page, the Preferred URL feature is available exclusively in the Business Plan and Enterprise Plan.
If you find this feature even slightly interesting or valuable, we would greatly appreciate it if you would consider subscribing to the Business or Enterprise Plan.
※No credit card required.
※No automatic billing after the trial period.
