Simple SEO URL (OLD version) [support thread]

[DivaVocals]

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.

The mod you have to purchase is WELL WORTH the money as it works like a CHAMP!!! (has lots of other neat features too..) The other method is to write a DB script to upload the URIs, or create a CSV and upload the URI's to the table.

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.

Sadly he has STILL not fixed the issue . I can only assume it's because he REALLY doesn't GET the disaster he has created (or he doesn't care, thinks it's no big deal, whatever).. However, all he had to to was take a little time to do some proper planning and make sure her setup his redirects BEFORE turning off the SEO.. then it woulda been NO issue..

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.

Are you trying to avoid having to deal with creating redirects if a client turns off friendly URLs?? What if your client says no to friendly URLs today (so you implement Zen Cart for them), then they decide later they want friendly URLs and then they change their mind later and wants to turn friendly URLs off.. Are you gonna move them from one shopping cart to the next?? Think you can do that without having to create re-directs?? Hmmmmmm..

The shopping cart that supports friendly URLS out the box (PrestaShop I presume) allows you to turn on and off friendly URLs.. and this is fine if PrestaShop's feature for turning friendly URLS handles creating those redirects for you.. (doesn't look like PrestaShop does this)

You can't control all situations or clients needs/wants.. I don't encourage clients to use URL re-writers, but if they INSIST on friendly URLs I will implement Ceon URI, and if they decided they change their mind, I'll just plan to create the proper re-directs.. I think Zen Cart is a stronger product than other competing Open Source cart frameworks.. So having to do a little extra work (like creating re-directs) is no big deal to me..

[SPH]

I don't have clients, but am seriously thinking of maybe getting in to that.

I agree: zencart seems to me to still be the best. I'm testing prestashop in case I want to do two carts, but am way more familiar with zencart. And despite Presta's built-in functions, I think zencart ultimately more powerful and useful. But I would not begin to look for clients without the new PCI compliant 1.5 zencart, or without IH and an EP that does attributes way I'm familiar with (studying EP4 some more, which I already use in conjunction with an older EP). So looking for clients is on hold, although I guess I can start a business plan.

I agree CEON URL has become the best seo mod for zencart. Just hope that one day he doesn't disappear, like Yellow on SSU. :)

IMO, seo mods are potentially the most dangerous mods for a zencart. If zencart team and CEON could only get together to make his default mod part of the zencart build, it would be much safer from update to update, imo. And CEON could still sell his updated manager.

Never looked at how do do re-directs, and never felt the need. Guess I'll have to.

Thanks!

sph
www.prommart.com
www.fashion-mart.biz

[SPH]

Are you gonna move them from one shopping cart to the next?? Think you can do that without having to create re-directs?? Hmmmmmm

From what I've read, it is theoretically possible to carry your urls from one cart or platform to another. That's if you strip out all parameters in the url, like CEON (and the apparently outdated SSU) can. Remove all category/product id's. Remove any ending file extension such as .html. Like on my seo url site here:

http://www.fashion-mart.biz/allure/e...by-allure-a538

So long as the other cart/platform can also do it, it might work.

I think this is the theory of having url's that can last forever, as platforms develop the url can always remain the same.

sph
www.prommart.com
www.fashion-mart.biz

[DivaVocals]

I do know this, but my point is that there is work to do to make this happen too.. If you transfer from one SEF add-on to another (SSU to Ceon, or Ultimate to SSU), you need to recreate your URLs, if you switch from one shopping cart framework to another, you need to re-create your URLs, if you disable your SEF add-on altogether, you need to create redirects from your pretty URLs back to their dynamic counterparts.. (what I was advising that kid to do in that other thread, and it would appear that he's not taking seriously the impact of not following this advice) Shopping cart frameworks that support pretty links are fine so long as they ALSO support creating redirects when you decide NOT to use those pretty links anymore..

From what I've read, it is theoretically possible to carry your urls from one cart or platform to another. That's if you strip out all parameters in the url, like CEON (and the apparently outdated SSU) can. Remove all category/product id's. Remove any ending file extension such as .html. Like on my seo url site here:

http://www.fashion-mart.biz/allure/e...by-allure-a538

So long as the other cart/platform can also do it, it might work.

I think this is the theory of having url's that can last forever, as platforms develop the url can always remain the same.

sph
www.prommart.com
www.fashion-mart.biz

[icemint]

Has anyone verified this module works for Zencart v1.5.0?

I recently migrated from Zencart v1.3.9h to v1.5.0. It seems everything still working except the control menu in the admin area has gone. So I'm trying to re-install the latest SSU module ssu_v3.8.3 again in my cart. Anyone knows if there is available for a newer than this?

[DivaVocals]

Has anyone verified this module works for Zencart v1.5.0?

I recently migrated from Zencart v1.3.9h to v1.5.0. It seems everything still working except the control menu in the admin area has gone. So I'm trying to re-install the latest SSU module ssu_v3.8.3 again in my cart. Anyone knows if there is available for a newer than this?

As has already been posted in this thread a few times, NO there is no v1.5 compatible version of SSU available..

[xplosiv]

Does anybody know if this works for 1.3.9?

[SPH]

Does anybody know if this works for 1.3.9?

Yes, it does*. It's on my seo url site here:

http://www.fashion-mart.biz/

But don't know if it will be upgraded for the new 1.5 zencart.

Found out other day that the Ultimate SEO has been upgraded to 1.5:

http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showpo...&postcount=134

I'm going to test it on my 1.5 test site.

sph
www.prommart.com
www.fashion-mart.biz


*At one point I had a problem with the back button on pages such as Contact Us, Conditions, etc. Especially inconvenient if customer is on page 2 of checkout, goes to conditions, then cannot return via the pages' backbutton (not to be confused with browser's back button). But somehow it now works completely.

[mydanilo]

I would not go with Ultimate SEo, SSU WAS much better in many aspects other than that nobody will or can update it. If somebody tackles it I would be gladly pay if it had to become a paid mod.

As mentioned before, we need a SEO implementation that is going to be carried forward with every ZEN release. I just has to become core at one point. Like every other CMS and most Ecommerce systems these days. It is frustrating to hear over and over again that they are really not needed. Well, we user want it. Our customers like to see pretty url's, search engines seem to at least like them equally well too. There is so much in ZenCart but this one got to be in it. Sorry, had to vent a bit.

[DivaVocals]

I would not go with Ultimate SEo, SSU WAS much better in many aspects other than that nobody will or can update it. If somebody tackles it I would be gladly pay if it had to become a paid mod.

As mentioned before, we need a SEO implementation that is going to be carried forward with every ZEN release. I just has to become core at one point. Like every other CMS and most Ecommerce systems these days. It is frustrating to hear over and over again that they are really not needed. Well, we user want it. Our customers like to see pretty url's, search engines seem to at least like them equally well too. There is so much in ZenCart but this one got to be in it. Sorry, had to vent a bit.

With modern browsers and search engines, SEO mods are more of a "want to have.. they are NO longer a "need to have". The part I highlighted in red from your vent is just not true.. Modern search engines handle dynamic URLs JUST fine.. and there are PLENTY of stores that can PROVE that their search engine rankings have not been harmed by not having pretty URLs. Also for CMS and Ecommerce frameworks that do include these pretty URL features as part of the core, it's still a CONFIGURABLE option that does NOT have to be turned on.. (For example, you are NOT required to turn on pretty permalinks in WordPress)