SEO--With OsCommerce--Best Advice for My Site

[cdogstu99 0]

My website is www.insidertrips.com

 

I've installed KissMT SEO Dynamic Tags module. My site looks ok, but the product pages are showing the same title as the categories and home page.

 

And for URL's i've installed SEO Url's 5, and while my url's look better, there is nothing descriptive in the url which will help with Search rankings.

 

Since these are such major components of a website, i'm surprised there is nothing packaged in oscommerce that easily corrects this. I built a bunch of sites using wordpress, and this is one thing they have down pat. Easy control over permalinks and great add ons for SEO optimization. I've seen people mention here that this doesn't matter in Google's eyes, but that's very very wrong.

 

So i'm a bit frustrated. Anyone know of a module or an easy way to control my meta tags. Specifically my title, and my permalinks? Thanks in advance.

 

Chris

[Hotclutch 130]

My website is www.insidertrips.com

 

I've installed KissMT SEO Dynamic Tags module. My site looks ok, but the product pages are showing the same title as the categories and home page.

 

And for URL's i've installed SEO Url's 5, and while my url's look better, there is nothing descriptive in the url which will help with Search rankings.

 

Since these are such major components of a website, i'm surprised there is nothing packaged in oscommerce that easily corrects this. I built a bunch of sites using wordpress, and this is one thing they have down pat. Easy control over permalinks and great add ons for SEO optimization. I've seen people mention here that this doesn't matter in Google's eyes, but that's very very wrong.

 

So i'm a bit frustrated. Anyone know of a module or an easy way to control my meta tags. Specifically my title, and my permalinks? Thanks in advance.

 

Chris

 

V2.3.1 has built in code for header tags and meta tags. SEO URls are not crucial for SEO. You already have USU5 which takes care of that. If you do not have descriptive words in the URL then that probably means you do not have descriptive words in your product names to begin with.

[Hotclutch 130]

V2.3.1 has built in code for header tags and meta tags. SEO URls are not crucial for SEO. You already have USU5 which takes care of that. If you do not have descriptive words in the URL then that probably means you do not have descriptive words in your product names to begin with.

 

I had a look at your site, and maybe you have not configured the SEO URL module to rewrite the URLs as you would like. Check the configuration options and /or the notes with the install package.

[♥toyicebear 206]

Very nice design :thumbsup:

 

But it seems you have done alot of changes in how the system works and also have set-up some "non-standard" links in the navigation.

 

This affects how both meta tags and seo urls work.

 

1. wrongly formatted links, for instance "Day trips" link is

index.php/cPath/2

 

2. custom "product info pages"

 

index.php/todays-trips-c-1?pid=5

 

The actual oscommerce system product page is:

 

product_info.php/sunset-heal-jamaica/rejuvenate-and-recharge-p-6

 

 

 

You will need to "clean-up" how your links is added if you want them to "automatically" be rewritten to the new seo urls.

 

You will need to eighter customize the meta and url systems to work with your "custom page" set-up or revert back to using the oscommerce system pages.

 

 

When this is done you can also elect to use the ultimate seo urls "rewrite" option which would change the url format like this:

 

Default ultimate seo urls format:

 

index.php/todays-trips-c-1

 

Rewrite format:

 

todays-trips-c-1.html

[cdogstu99 0]

Very nice design :thumbsup:

 

But it seems you have done alot of changes in how the system works and also have set-up some "non-standard" links in the navigation.

 

This affects how both meta tags and seo urls work.

 

1. wrongly formatted links, for instance "Day trips" link is

 

2. custom "product info pages"

 

 

 

The actual oscommerce system product page is:

 

 

 

 

 

You will need to "clean-up" how your links is added if you want them to "automatically" be rewritten to the new seo urls.

 

You will need to eighter customize the meta and url systems to work with your "custom page" set-up or revert back to using the oscommerce system pages.

 

 

When this is done you can also elect to use the ultimate seo urls "rewrite" option which would change the url format like this:

 

Default ultimate seo urls format:

 

 

 

Rewrite format:

 

thanks toyice..i did change the urls to re-write..like you suggested..so it now looks like this: http://www.insidertrips.com/todays-trips-c-1.html

 

so i guess my main concern is just the page titles on my product pages which all look the same. So you are saying because of the custom build, this will not work correctly? Any other modules where i can edit manually?

[♥toyicebear 206]

thanks toyice..i did change the urls to re-write..like you suggested..so it now looks like this: http://www.insidertrips.com/todays-trips-c-1.html

 

so i guess my main concern is just the page titles on my product pages which all look the same. So you are saying because of the custom build, this will not work correctly? Any other modules where i can edit manually?

 

 

There are several alternative seo and meta add-ons but you in all likelihood get the same issue with any of them.

 

The problem is not the add-ons in themselves but that none will just automatically pick-up the changes you have done to the structure, you will have to modify them to do so.

 

For instance in standard oscommerce index.php have 4 "stages" front page, category, sub-category and manufacturer pages which will be picked-up by the seo/meta add-ons...

 

But the extra "stage" you have added will just be ignored, so you will have to modify the add-ons used to account for this "stage" too.

 

 

Just a quick question, why did you add this extra stage instead of just using the product info pages directly?

[cdogstu99 0]

There are several alternative seo and meta add-ons but you in all likelihood get the same issue with any of them.

 

The problem is not the add-ons in themselves but that none will just automatically pick-up the changes you have done to the structure, you will have to modify them to do so.

 

For instance in standard oscommerce index.php have 4 "stages" front page, category, sub-category and manufacturer pages which will be picked-up by the seo/meta add-ons...

 

But the extra "stage" you have added will just be ignored, so you will have to modify the add-ons used to account for this "stage" too.

 

 

Just a quick question, why did you add this extra stage instead of just using the product info pages directly?

Thanks, guess i'm screwed then..i actually didn't develop the site myself..someone else did.

[♥toyicebear 206]

You can then have them or someone else modify the used seo/meta add-ons to work with your custom set-up or just make a new custom meta/seo url mod specifically for your site.

 

 

Or you can change the structure "back" to the normal one and add in category and products the "normal" way.

 

Which would give this

 

Front page, giving something like this:

 

/index.php

 

category pages, giving something like this:

 

/index.php?cPath=1

 

product pages, giving something like this:

 

/product_info.php?products_id=1

 

 

Then adding the meta and seo packages all would get individual meta info and all the urls would be rewritten to seo style ones.

 

with USU5 Pro, something like this:

 

Front page

 

/

 

category pages

 

/category-name-c-1.html

 

product pages

 

/product-name-p-1.html

 

or alternatively with USU 5 pro path options active:

 

/category-name/product-name-p-1.html