SPH:
BTW, Diva, what do you see? Do the human readable urls hold up well?Not sure what you mean by "hold up well". If you are asking me about the results from this "test" my position on this hasn't changed.. I think the results are flawed for all the reasons I have said before.. But if you are asking me, based on my experience with my client's, do I see that human readable URLs matter/make a difference..:smile: then the answer honestly is no, I don't.. However, I also don't see them hurt anything either.. So I do not push my client's one way or another. The reasons to use re-written URLs originally had EVERYTHING to do with the search engines inability to handle the native URLS and the parameters in these URLS. That's no longer the case. Search engines accept BOTH native/dynamic and rewritten URLs without consequence.. So IMHO, it's a MINOR factor.
I continue to advise my clients that if they are desiring human readable URLs for anything other than having nicer URLs for print materials, that they are deluding themselves if they think human readable URLs are the "quick get rich SEO trick" that will suddenly make their site JUMP in the search engine results. Once I help my client understand that there are MANY factors to search engine rankings, and that SALES not TRAFFIC are the things they should be chasing after, I try to guide them towards concentrating their efforts on creating good content to attract customers and NOT to be an "ambulance chaser" who chases after search engines.
Google, Yahoo, and Bing are NOT going to give away their secrets so any "quick get rich SEO tricks" to search engine success are pure fantasy. So most of my successful my client's aren't as obsessed about search engines as they are about spending their time (wisely) making sure that they focus on creating GOOD content for their sites versus chasing after search engine algorithms. If the content is lousy or not at all unique, who cares whether or not the daggone URL is a human readable one or a native/dynamic (whatever you want to call it) URL??
Good content also isn't copying the manufacturers description and hoping for the best. This only leads to one's site being swallowed up in the sea of competing websites who've done the same silly thing. So my clients focus on what their target audience is looking for based on their knowledge of their customers and their knowledge of the products they are attempting to sell. This means using the manufacturers description as the BASIS/SOURCE for writing their OWN content, and not simply relying on the manufacturer to describe what they are selling. To quote Melanie Prough on this topic:
Do not duplicate manufacturers descriptions or anyone else's for that matter. If you haven't the time to create your own content in order to sell your products you are in the wrong business.
That said, for some folks, writing content is not something they can easily do themselves. To that I say that this is where a wise business owner will think about INVESTING in his business and HIRING (gasp) someone to help write their content. I know the idea of spending money for professional services is not looked upon favorably by most of the DIYers who frequent this forum. However, IMHO a smart business person recognizes that they may not have ALL the skills needed to do ALL the things they need to do. Free tool or not, sometimes you DO have to spend money to make money. This may mean hiring a graphic artist, or someone to help configure modules and other customizations, or even a writer to create product and category content. Unfortunately for many, Zen Cart being free leads to an attitude that EVERYTHING that they do to their site should also be free. This is ironic since the sites using this free tool are using it to MAKE MONEY.. (and before anyone gives me the "small business, no budget" argument.. save it.. Anyone who goes into business and is not prepared to invest SOME money into getting it setup is just going to be in for SOME struggles.. if these owners are not prepared to roll up their sleeves and get it done or simply admit that they need help.. well.. anyway you get the point..) There are SOOO many ways to pay for help without breaking the bank if one is willing to think a little outside the box. I have a client who makes use of college students as an inexpensive resource for example. oDesk and other sites like it are another resource.
but I digress a little here...
There's no ONE factor that is THE key to search engine success.. It's not JUST about finding THE template, it's not JUST about the images, it's not JUST about URLs.. The fact is that it is about working, looking, refining, getting customer feedback, knowing your target audience, knowing your product, and making changes based on these concrete pieces of data.. Looking for that one IT factor like templates and URLs is IMHO a waste of time, and I advise my clients to NOT waste their time chasing search engine results.. They need to chase their CUSTOMERS get SALES.. BTW, that is NOT one and the same thing.. However, if they chase the customer and capture them, the result SHOULD be that the search engine results will probably reflect a good outcome. To quote Melanie (in part) on this:
Use SALES, NOT traffic as your measurement.
and..
Easy SEO Summary
- SEO requires common sense and research.
- There is no plugin, module or magic dust that will make you rank.
- If you make changes without analysis, you have failed.
and
but most of the SEO you need is really common sense. Imagine if Google was your business, what kind of websites would you want to deliver your searchers (customers)? Hard work, lite reading and an overall drive to be successful are exactly what every shop owner needs to succeed. If someone told you this was going to be easy..... They lied!
and finally..
So this means, those of you seeking out the quick get rich SEO trick are pissing up a rope... The very rope that will be used to hang your website out to dry.
Do I see that the URL matters?? NOPE.. I do see that content does. The ones who spend time constantly refining their product and category descriptions, making GOOD use of the built in Zen Cart product and category meta data, refine their websites user experience, spend their time finding good ways that they can make GOOD use of social media, have "boots on the ground" style sales/marketing plans in place are the ones who do the best in sales (which is why they are able to successfully support themselves and their families on the revenues they earn from their websites).. The ones who are looking for and relying on quick get rich SEO tricks to bring in customers and sales are still waiting for their ship to sail in (which is why their businesses are still PART TIME businesses)..
Do not expect to rank for the keywords in your urls without good old fashioned on page relevancy support for them.... You would just fail.
I quoted a fair bit from Melanie's site.. That's because IMHO, Melanie Prough's website is a veritable CORNUCOPIA of GOOD SOLID information.. There are two articles I quote REGULARLY to my clients who start down the "I need nice URLs for the search engine" road.. It usually gets them back on the right path.
http://pro-webs.net/blog/2010/02/10/easy-seo/
http://pro-webs.net/blog/2009/09/10/zen-cart-seo-12-steps/
Here's something else to consider.. (and yet ANOTHER reason to not rely on search engine results as the ONLY measure of success) Google changed the game at the end of last year by jumping into the "pay for results" game.. Melanie speaks about it in this article:
http://pro-webs.net/blog/2012/12/13/scroogled/
Many of you shop online.... Most of you have used the super helpful Google shopping results in your regular searches when buying things online. They are helpful, you get a picture and to compare prices BEFORE even visiting the website.
Until recently these results have been free for merchants who follow the rules to send their products in for product search. So you can get good results from websites who are providing Google honest data about their products such as UPC numbers, prices, shipping, taxes etc.
Google recently announced that by the end of summer these results, will no longer be the quality merchants you have come to see here, but rather only merchants to PAY GOOGLE to be there.
So Google used the backs of merchants to build YOUR TRUST in their shopping results only to "beef" up their value to turn around and SELL THEM to merchants. They built a product with your trust only to turn and sell it off to the highest bidder.....
and Bing has come up with a HILARIOUS campaign (and funny videos) on this topic..
http://www.scroogled.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_6bSCW_UI0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fanf_5v3mkQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WIluNt0mvA
I'm not a Bing fan (don't LOVE it, but I don't hate it either), but they make a VERY valid point about this new shift at Google.. (anyone see the irony in Microsoft pointing fingers at folks and crying foul?? :laugh:)
