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  1. #1
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    Default Comparing URI mapping plug-ins - which is better?

    Hi,

    I would like to install one of SEO / URI Mapping plugins on my site. So far I found 4 of them and can't seem to decide which one to install. If you've tried one or more of these, please share your experiences. Would be great to get some sort of a comparison here.

    Simple SEO URL:
    http://www.zen-cart.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=711

    Ultimate SEO URLs:
    http://www.zen-cart.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=132

    Ceon URI Mapping:
    http://www.zen-cart.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=889

    Magic SEO URL (69 euros):
    http://www.inveostore.com/magic-seo-urls-for-zencart-6


    Any info will be greatly appreciated . Thank you in advance!

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    Default Re: Comparing URI mapping plug-ins - which is better?

    URL rewriting is of no useful value for ecommerce as SE's find/prefer the dynamic urls and handle them just fine

    REMEMBER you are in the business of "SELLING" not of making your url's "pretty"
    Zen-Venom Get Bitten

  3. #3
    Join Date
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    Australia
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    Default Re: Comparing URI mapping plug-ins - which is better?

    Quote Originally Posted by kobra View Post
    URL rewriting is of no useful value for ecommerce as SE's find/prefer the dynamic urls and handle them just fine

    REMEMBER you are in the business of "SELLING" not of making your url's "pretty"
    I second these comments.

    Cheers
    Rod

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Comparing URI mapping plug-ins - which is better?

    I keep reading contradicting opinions on this subject..what do you guys think of these opinions (for example):

    http://www.seomoz.org/blog/11-best-practices-for-urls
    http://www.seozy.com/url-structures-best-practices/


    Also, when i google pretty much anything, sites on top almost always have the keyword in the URL.

    Any thoughts?

  5. #5
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    Default Re: Comparing URI mapping plug-ins - which is better?

    You shouldn't bother with ANY of them until you've at least updated to a modern version of Zen Cart.

    As for the contradicting opinions you're talking about, there's a marginal benefit to having keyword text in the URL. If your site is already extremely well optimized and you're looking for that final 0.5% boost, then there a small bit of value in making your URLs be a mile long with words stuffed in them.

    But MUCH MORE IMPORTANT is having properly-written content on your pages and getting other people talking about your site with links back to your site and having those links contain the same keywords in them that you've optimized for. That's all basic SEO stuff. URI rewriting is NOT A MAGIC PILL TO SOLVE ALL PROBLEMS.
    .

    Zen Cart - putting the dream of business ownership within reach of anyone!
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    Remember: Any code suggestions you see here are merely suggestions. You assume full responsibility for your use of any such suggestions, including any impact ANY alterations you make to your site may have on your PCI compliance.
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  6. #6
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    Default Re: Comparing URI mapping plug-ins - which is better?

    Thank you for your response.

    Does keeping my site at 1.3.7 make it less optimized for SEO?
    Dreading the moment when i will need to upgrade - have installed too many plugins and done too many changes to the code.. Not going to be an easy task.. Also more or less happy with 1.3.7.. Are there are any huge differences to make the upgrade worth it?
    As far as other basic SEO stuff, we are working on it..

    Thanks again for your help!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
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    Default Re: Comparing URI mapping plug-ins - which is better?

    Quote Originally Posted by greenhat View Post
    Does keeping my site at 1.3.7 make it less optimized for SEO?
    Dreading the moment when i will need to upgrade - have installed too many plugins and done too many changes to the code.. Not going to be an easy task.. Also more or less happy with 1.3.7.. Are there are any huge differences to make the upgrade worth it?
    Upgrading is not a question of "less optimized for SEO"; it is more a question of "Should I protect my customers and my company". Zen Cart < 1.3.9 is no longer officially supported and my understanding is older (and no longer supported) versions of Zen Cart do not receive new security patches. Even if it will be alot of work to upgrade, it will be less work than dealing with the repercussions of your e-commerce site being compromised.

    Also keep in mind current plugins are typically not supported on older versions of Zen Cart. This may cause you problems if you are looking to add a new plugin into the mix. Granted this is just my opinion, you will have to make a decision based upon your best judgement.
    The glass is not half full. The glass is not half empty. The glass is simply too big!
    Where are the Zen Cart Debug Logs? Where are the HTTP 500 / Server Error Logs?
    Zen Cart related projects maintained by lhûngîl : Plugin / Module Tracker

  8. #8
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    Default Re: Comparing URI mapping plug-ins - which is better?

    Why not give your store a facelift at the same time as upgrading with a complete clean install. Of course you'll need to import and update your database to match.
    Make a list of the add-ons that you actually need, and any essential code changes you need, then just start afresh (keeping your image folders of course). You'll have a slicker more SECURE store with a fresh look to boot.
    As for which rewrite too, and IF you think you do need one then IF I must vote then I vote Ceon.

  9. #9
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    Default Re: Comparing URI mapping plug-ins - which is better?

    Quote Originally Posted by greenhat View Post
    I keep reading contradicting opinions on this subject..what do you guys think of these opinions (for example):

    http://www.seomoz.org/blog/11-best-practices-for-urls
    http://www.seozy.com/url-structures-best-practices/
    Since you asked.... my opinion of these comments are the same as my opinion of all other similar comments sprouted by the SEO companies. They present a 'lot' of information that looks good in theory, but in practice there is liitle to no evidence to back up their claims.. And of course, of you aren't successful at following their 'tips' they'll happily perform the SEO for you... at a price.....

    Those of us that argue against SEO have nothing to gain by doing so, and generally only express our opinions when we get so frustrated at seeing so many people needlessly wasting time and money trying to chase this holy grail.

    I often ask myself, what kind of magic formula are they using to make many of their claims. They all seem to 'guarantee' top rankings, and they all seem to promote having 1000's of satisfied customers, yet in practice, there are only 10 top ten spots in google. How can a 1000 or more customers share the same top ten places? Now multiply these claims by a 1000 SEO companies, and they are all claiming all their customer get the top rankings.. that 100,00 customers sharing the top 10. Someone is telling porkies!! SEO (as a service) is generally a way to help you part with your cash.

    Quote Originally Posted by greenhat View Post
    Also, when i google pretty much anything, sites on top almost always have the keyword in the URL.
    Any thoughts?
    Yes, you are seeing what you want/expect to see... Just as when I go to google with almost any search term I can't help but note with the exception of the paid results, the top results tend to be the computer friendly dynamic URL's rather than the user friendly, or keyword contained URL's.

    Actually results vary depending on the search terms of course, but if searching for something to buy, as opposed to searching for something to do, or somewhere to go, then the results are pretty clear cut, in my opinion.

    Well, you did ask :)

    Cheers
    Rod

  10. #10
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    Default Re: Comparing URI mapping plug-ins - which is better?

    Quote Originally Posted by RodG View Post
    Since you asked.... my opinion of these comments are the same as my opinion of all other similar comments sprouted by the SEO companies. They present a 'lot' of information that looks good in theory, but in practice there is liitle to no evidence to back up their claims.. And of course, of you aren't successful at following their 'tips' they'll happily perform the SEO for you... at a price.....

    Those of us that argue against SEO have nothing to gain by doing so, and generally only express our opinions when we get so frustrated at seeing so many people needlessly wasting time and money trying to chase this holy grail.
    I started building websites in 1994 - in the days when you wrote the HTML in notepad, and when Webcrawler and Excite were emerging as the first intuitive search engines.

    I have followed this subject of "SEO" ever since - and there is so much crap written about it. 99% of what you read on the internet is dubious, and as Rod says, so-called "SEO" companies won't get the ignorant and desperate to part with cash if they did not hype up this topic to the extremes that they do.

    The current great driver of "SEO" as a topic, is of course, Google... and everyone wants their site to be "at the top of Google". But at the top for what search terms?

    SITE optimisation is more important than Search Engine Optimisation - and if you get the site right, it will rank well. There are TWO fundamental considerations with regard to SITE optimisation:

    1. TECHNICAL optimisation
    2. INTELLECTUAL optimisation

    The technical relate to just that - making sure that the site operates as efficiently as possible and that it is STRUCTURED to present a flawless User Experience. (Core Zen-cart is 100% "optimised" technically... there is NO NEED to tinker with the way it functions in the desperate hope that adding some "SEO" module will improve it.)

    The intellectual side is the "human input" part, and this relates to the on-page content, and the degree to which the site attracts the attention of other sites - including its involvement in popular social media, commetary sites (blogs), news and views sites, forums, and relevant directories.

    As Google says itself... build the site for PEOPLE, make it USEFUL TO PEOPLE, and RELEVANT with GOOD QUALITY CONTENT, which operates EFFICIENTLY AND LOGICALLY... and you will feature well in search results.

    In short, don't waste time or energy tinkering with code issues. Focus on the INTELLECTUAL side of things.
    19 years a Zencart User

 

 
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