Comments on: Why URLs Should Contain Your Keywords

By: How Should You Select Categories for Your Business Blog?

How Should You Select Categories for Your Business Blog? — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:40:56 +0000

[...] Why is this? Because you should configure your blog to make category labels part of your blog post’s URL (permalink). If your category labels are keyword rich, displaying keywords in the URL will enhance SEO. [...]

By: Danielle Ingram

Danielle Ingram — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 07:46:15 +0000

I completely agree, it seems to make sense that if you are on a particular web page the URL should reflect that.

If i was on a page for high heeled shoes I would expect the URL to say http://www.blahblahblah.co.uk/high-heeled-shoes, or something along those lines.

It seems to make sense and if it is going to help with search engine optimisation then I ask why do people not do it more?
[rq=17461,0,blog][/rq]Website Headers And Footers – June 14, 2009

By: Fred H Schlegel

Fred H Schlegel — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:07:16 +0000

Excellent Point. Fred H Schlegels last blog post..Do You Have Just One Creative Department?

By: Brad Shorr

Brad Shorr — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:17:21 +0000

Fred, The lengths to which you take content optimization depend on your objectives and common sense. Sure, you can optimize a blog to a great extent without meticulous attention to keywords, provided you write a lot of quality content around your important themes. However, if certain keyword phrases are competitive and also very important to you, you'll probably have to go the extra mile. My main point here is not to suggest that we try to optimize for 100 keyword phrases - that's something more suitable to midsize or large firms, or entrepreneurs with heavy reliance on e-commerce. Rather, it is to say, why say nothing in your URL when you can easily configure your blog to say something. Brad Shorrs last blog post..Overcoming Adversity in Sales - A Short Story

By: Fred H Schlegel

Fred H Schlegel — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 02:59:16 +0000

If your blog is focused doesn't this run the risk of having repetitive URLS that blur distinctions between posts? It feels as if the overlap of tags, categories, titles and URLs paints a picture for our master Google that should be good enough... Can you sense some frustration leaking through? Fred H Schlegels last blog post..Do You Have Just One Creative Department?

By: Brad Shorr

Brad Shorr — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:18:22 +0000

Hi Bill, Thanks. Don't know if you've noticed, but the last few posts were inspired in large part by our last Panera meeting. Thanks for the help! Brad Shorrs last blog post..Why URLs Should Contain Your Keywords

By: Bill Welter

Bill Welter — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:11:27 +0000

Thanks for the great insight. Now that’s value delivered.
Bill

By: Brad Shorr

Brad Shorr — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:30:57 +0000

Hi Ulla, Believe me, none of this is intuitive – we all have to learn about URLs and optimization. And it is not a topic that gets a lot of attention, which is why I plan to write about it more frequently here. Thanks for reading and passing along a nice German expression.

Hi Iain, You bring up an interesting topic – headlines, URLs, consistency of message/context. One question your comment raises – is it better to go for an enticing, non-keyword title, or be plain, boring, and descriptive and use keywords? It’s not always easy to strike a balance.

Brad Shorrs last blog post..Why URLs Should Contain Your Keywords

By: Iain Broome

Iain Broome — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:07:30 +0000

You're right Brad, apart from the obvious SEO benefits, it's just good web usability and accessibility practice. If you're using WordPress, you can also use plug-ins to take it a step further and distinguish your article title from the URL. A lot of people do this to emphasise keywords, though I'd rather stick with the full title to keep context. Good reminder for us all! Iain Broomes last blog post..How to write about your life (without upsetting friends and family)

By: Ulla Hennig

Ulla Hennig — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:37:44 +0000

Brad, Up to now I knew that the customization of URLs existed in Wordpress, but I didn't know why. Having read your blog post I now know. Smack on the forehead - or - as we say in German "Aha Erlebnis" (aha event). Thanks a lot! Ulla Hennigs last blog post..Spring has arrived!