Simple SEO URL (OLD version) [support thread]

[tesefoti]

I believe the confusion is failure to understand the difference between admin and catalog.

As I said, IF it is merely a question of upgrading the admin (which was what I understood from the post), THEN it wouldn't be so hard. Since it touches many core files related to the catalog then fair enough, it is not simple.

Still I repeat my main question which is 1.5 unrelated:

How to make SSU work, in the same version (1.3.9h) if I change the name of the catalog folder?

I've tried reinstalling it by uploading the files and it still doesn't work, all the links keep returning to the homepage. Do I need to change something to reflect the new folder name?

If anyone uses SSU and works in a development folder instead of reflecting the changes immediatly in the live site you will be able to help me. I am working in a dev folder and if SSU is enabled every link keeps returning to the homepage. Thanks in advance!

[DivaVocals]

I believe the confusion is failure to understand the difference between admin and catalog.

I understood the difference, but I'm glad that's all cleared up now..

[mr.chetanladdha]

Hello,

I have been using Simple SEO urls on my website www.krishwellness.com for about say 3 years now with no problems.
Somehow, the links are not showing 404 errors.

The ones not affected by SEO url module are working good.

I am not able to understand what happened all of a sudden.

There is no change I made at all !

Please suggest.

Thanks,
Chetan

[giancalr]

Hello I installed 3.8.5 simple seo url, and everything works fine,
the only thing the ultimate seo url url to be generated before and after Magic seo url, can not be reached, since the simple seo does not recognize and does not automatically redirect the old links, there is a command from htaccess add url to redirect them. Thanks
www.erboristeriabio.com

[abcisme]

I'm having a problem getting SSU to work with a mobile website theme.. are there any .htaccess wizards around?

Currently SSU rewrites "index.php?main_page=" to a pretty URL. Everything is working fine with this.

The mobile theme I'm using sends all URLS to "mobile.php?main_page=". The problem is, SSU sends all mobile.php requests straight back to index.php, thus breaking the mobile theme.

I've changed SSU's configuration in the admin section of zen-cart with no results. I'm fairly sure the best option is to stop SSU from rewriting mobile.php requests altogether, does anyone know how I can configure this using .htaccess?

Unfortunately I'm "not allowed" to turn off SSU altogether, so any help would be greatly appreciated.

I figured out a solution, in case anyone is having this same problem.

In includes/functions/html_output.php change the SSU code to the following:

//bof simple seo url
    global $ssu;
if($_SERVER["PHP_SELF"] == '/index.php') {
  if(is_object($ssu) && ($link = $ssu->ssu_link($page, $parameters, $connection, $add_session_id, $search_engine_safe, $static, $use_dir_ws_catalog))!= false) return $link;
}
    //eof simple seo url 

If you have Zen Cart installed in a subdirectory, edit the /index.php to read /YOUR_SUBDIRECTORY/index.php

This makes SSU work only on index.php pages. Your mobile template will use native Zen Cart urls.

[johnybravo]

Hi, I have just intalled ssu on my site but it isn't working for some reason. When I go to admin-extras-simple seo manager, the page is blank....
Also when i upload the htacces files to my host (hostway) they just dissapear from the directory, very strange.
you can see the test page here:

https://www.curvesandcorsets.com/ssu_check.php

I would appreciate any help,
john

[SPH]

I use SEO URL (SSU) on a secondary site and default dynamic urls on my main site, both 1.3.9h carts. SSU has worked flawlessly (but have to keep on top of it). Both sites have same products and I must say: more often than not the ssu site comes up higher in google, product for product, even though my main dynamic url site has better "content" for google. So even though google does pick up dynamic urls no problem, I am no longer convinced that seo vs dynamic urls have no difference for google ranking.

I am playing with a new 1.5 zencart on a test site (along with the latest prestashop cart). I have not yet installed ssu to see if it works with 1.5, but I just went through the ssu files and the only core file I saw thus far that was overwritten was the html_output. Perhaps that's enough to cause serious problems. But I'll take Dr. Byte's word that the ssu url mod does not work with 1.5 (if that's what he said.)

Even though my experience is that ssu urls more often than not rank better than dynamic urls, I don't know if I'd try installing this mod on a production 1.5 cart. These mods can get tricky to install (I'm discouraged from test installing on 1.5 test site) and I'll take other's word that they may cause other problems (haven't come across those yet that I know of.)

We have had an older prestashop cart on a very minor site this past year and I'm now seriously playing with the latest prestashop, as I want to become conversant in zencart and another cart. SEO urls come with prestashop by default as an option you can enable from it's admin, and they do rank on google. If I needed seo urls, I'd very possibly go with prestashop...which also has other nice features out of the box.

I've read enough to forget re-written urls with zencart until it becomes part of the default install, for my eventual 1.5 cart upgrade and on. And unwritten urls may very well be fine.

sph
www.prommart.com (dynamic urls)
www.fashion-mart.biz (SEO URL)

[SPH]

Here's an example of how a zencart dynamic unwritten url can rank top google.

Search Term: flaunt 91101

http://www.google.com/search?q=flaun...rlz=1I7GWYE_en

I understand google results can vary by locality, but my result is that my site prommart.com comes no. 1 on dynamic url. Sometimes no. 2.

I specifically tried good optimized content, to compete with the blog that uses the serch term in it's domain name. Got it done. But I'm certain the ssu could have done same, and if I had this product on my ssu site, I wouldn't be surprised if it ranked above prommart.

sph
www.prommart.com

[DivaVocals]

I am playing with a new 1.5 zencart on a test site (along with the latest prestashop cart). I have not yet installed ssu to see if it works with 1.5, but I just went through the ssu files and the only core file I saw thus far that was overwritten was the html_output. Perhaps that's enough to cause serious problems. But I'll take Dr. Byte's word that the ssu url mod does not work with 1.5 (if that's what he said.)

If you are referring to my posts where I quote one of DrBytes posts I NEVER SAID that DrByte said SSU is not v1.5 ready.. I said that this mod like MANY OTHERS is probably NOT v1.5 ready. Zen Cart is different, and this mod afffects core behavior that has been modified, and this add-on will need to be examined and modified in order to work with v1.5..

We have had an older prestashop cart on a very minor site this past year and I'm now seriously playing with the latest prestashop, as I want to become conversant in zencart and another cart. SEO urls come with prestashop by default as an option you can enable from it's admin, and they do rank on google. If I needed seo urls, I'd very possibly go with prestashop...which also has other nice features out of the box.

I've read enough to forget re-written urls with zencart until it becomes part of the default install, for my eventual 1.5 cart upgrade and on. And unwritten urls may very well be fine.

You do know that there is ONE SEO mod that has ALWAYS worked trouble-free (requires NONE of the constant tending to that SSU apparently requires), is WELL supported by it's author, AND is v1.5 compatible.. Ceon URI..

[SPH]

Yes, I tested CEON url about a year or so ago, I believe I "met" you on that thread.

I was highly impressed with CEON url. On a test site with just a couple of dresses/products for testing, it jumped higher in google ranking than my dynamic main site or my SSU site (the one I had at that time), and it did so rapidly. I recall posting about this. This was when I began to doubt the talk about seo urls not mattering for google ranking. I also began to think that the seo mod one uses also makes a google difference.

In fact, I have CEON installed on my main site (now using dynamic urls). I had just done a fresh re-install of zencart 1.3.9h. I knew CEON didn't rewrite products/cats already on the site. So I uploaded all my new products via Easy Populate, expecting to see rewritten urls. Nope. Apparently one has to do this in the admin, product by product. Or buy the special mod that changes prior products.

I just looked at your posts on the 1.5 thread with the guy who turned off his SEO mod on his car site and now has numerous broken links. I think this a good example of not using any seo rewriter until if and when it becomes a part of the default zencart install. Otherwise, your shop is always dependendent on mod writers to avert disaster.

I'm thinking that in the future, if I really need seo urls...if seo urls are a deal breaker...it makes sense to look at a shopping cart that comes with seo urls by default.

sph
www.prommart.com (dynamic urls although CEON has been installed)
www.fashion-mart.biz (Simple SEO URL)

www.zencart.prom-mart.com (zencart 1.5 test site)
www.prom-mart.com (PrestaShop test site)