I'm currently developing a CMS that includes news and a forum. One issue I'm facing is that I can't decide on the best format for the URL. Both SEO and having an aesthetically pleasing URL are important considerations.
Previously, the format on the site was:
site.com/category1-category2/name-of-news
However, I realized that if the categories change, the links will break. Although categories don't change frequently, adding or removing a category would cause broken links.
On the other hand, if I eliminate categories, I will lose important keywords - the category names.
If I choose a URL format like this:
site.com/name-of-news
It's possible that in a year, I will have another news article with the same text. What should I do then? Add a number to the end?
After giving it some thought, I came up with a solution:
site.com/123/name-of-news, where "123" represents the post number. This seems to solve the problem of potentially matching addresses, but it might not be as visually appealing.
I'm unsure of what to do. Which option is preferable? Are there any other options that I haven't considered?
When it comes to choosing the best format for your CMS URL, there are a few factors to consider, such as SEO optimization and maintaining an aesthetically pleasing URL structure.
Your initial format of site.com/category1-category2/name-of-news does offer the advantage of incorporating keywords through the category names. However, you rightly pointed out that changing categories could lead to broken links.
On the other hand, simplifying the URL to site.com/name-of-news can eliminate the issue of broken links caused by changes in categories. However, it may result in potential conflicts if you have multiple news articles with the same title in the future.
You mentioned adding a number to the end of the URL, such as site.com/123/name-of-news, to differentiate between articles with the same title. While this solution effectively solves the conflict issue, it may not be visually appealing.
Considering these options, you could combine the benefits of both formats by using a hybrid approach:
site.com/category1-category2/123/name-of-news
By including both the categories and the post number, you maintain the SEO benefits of incorporating relevant keywords while also ensuring uniqueness in the URL. This approach avoids both broken links and potential conflicts.
It's worth noting that there isn't a one-size-fits-all solution, and the best choice depends on your specific needs and priorities. Conducting further research and testing with SEO experts could provide additional insights tailored to your CMS.
Here are a few more suggestions and considerations to help you decide on the best format for your CMS URL:
1. Consider the hierarchy of your content: If your CMS has a well-defined hierarchy, you can incorporate that into the URL structure. For example, site.com/category1/category2/name-of-news. This can provide additional organization and context to the URL while still avoiding broken links if categories change.
2. Implement redirects: If you do decide to change the URL structure in the future, make sure to set up proper redirects from old URLs to new URLs. This will help maintain SEO ranking and prevent users from encountering broken links.
3. Use URL slugs: Instead of relying solely on the full name of the news article for the URL, consider creating a URL slug that is shorter and more URL-friendly. This can be generated automatically by removing stop words, special characters, and reducing the length of the title. For example, site.com/category1/category2/title-of-the-news can become site.com/category1/category2/title-news.
4. Leverage metadata and tags: To capture important keywords beyond the URL itself, make use of metadata and tags within your CMS. This way, search engines can still associate relevant keywords with your content, even if they are not directly in the URL.
5. Monitor and analyze SEO performance: Keep a close eye on the SEO performance of your chosen URL structure. Regularly check your rankings, organic traffic, and user behavior to evaluate the effectiveness of your format and make any necessary adjustments over time.
To achieve this, you can use the following technique: /news-title
In order to prevent conflicts, it is advisable to verify the name's availability on the server before saving.
If the name is already taken, you can assign a timestamp to the slug-y. Additionally, for a smoother user experience, you should conduct an AJAX availability check prior to saving the data.
The ideal choice is site.com/name-of-news. Efficient nesting greatly contributes to SEO, as smaller nesting leads to faster and more effective indexing. Additionally, for SEO purposes, it is crucial to have the news title written in transliteration. In cases where a title already exists, the simplest approach is to add an ordinal number, as it minimally impacts visibility on search engines.
Optimizing a website's structure and content is essential for successful SEO. By following best practices such as using descriptive URLs and maintaining a logical hierarchy, websites can improve their visibility and attract more organic traffic. Transliterating the news titles not only helps with SEO but also ensures that international users can easily understand and access the information.