Is it still valuable to place content in subdirectories to represent hierarchy or is it better to have every URL off the root?

[belcaro1986]

Is it still valuable to place content in subdirectories to represent hierarchy on the site or is it better to have every URL off the root? I have seen websites structured both ways. It seems having everything off the root would dilute the value associated with pages closest to the homepage. Also, from a user perspective, I see the value in a visual hierarchy in the URL.

[CraigBradford]

Thanks Thomas for jumping in with such a detailed answer. Let me build on it a little though as I think what Belcaro meant was, does it matter if your URL is:

www.example.com/category/subcategory/page1

or should it be:

www.example.com/page1

Personally I'd rather go for the structured version for a couple of reasons.

1 - I thinks it's good for users, it helps them know where they are on the site if they just landed on that page

2 - From a tracking pooint of view, it means the content drilldown report will work in your Google Analytics

From an SEO point of view I don't think having one or the other will move the needle much so I'd try not to worry about it either way.

I hope this helps,

Craig