Internal website linking - Best practice?

Using mod_rewrite to handle various content issues

Internal website linking - Best practice?

Postby skygod12000 » Fri Aug 20, 2010 9:33 pm

Hi,

I've been asked to assist in some SEO tweaking for a Real Estate site in order to improve Search engine placement on a couple of key phrases.

Having been given access to the code, I have discovered that the site is using mod_rewrite to serve the pages in a 'friendly' term which is quite useful.
Code: Select all
RewriteRule ^(.*)/(.*)/(.*) index.php?p=$1&name=$2&id=$3

A potential problem that I have is that internally, many of the links are hard coded to use the 'friendly' URL such as :
Code: Select all
<a href="<?php echo $domain;?>list-your-property/town-name/" title="LIST YOUR PROPERTY">LIST YOUR PROPERTY</a>
and
<a href="<?php echo $domain;?>detail-property/<?php echo $arr['ref'];?>/<?php echo $arr['id_property'];?>"><strong>Property Reference Number :&nbsp;</strong><?php echo $arr['ref'];?></a>


Is there any benefit in using friendly internal links (as these will be 'seen' by the search engines) or would it be best to go through the whole site changing references to the 'true' dynamic URL thereby allowing changes to the RewriteRule to not 'break' the site?

Following on from this, would it then be necessary to add a redirect rule to send any visitors using an old link to the new one?

Any advice or opinions on the best way to go gratefully accepted.

Thx
skygod12000
 
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Joined: Wed Aug 05, 2009 3:13 am

Re: Internal website linking - Best practice?

Postby mojito » Wed Mar 23, 2011 1:41 am

I was so annoyed to learn that search engines were benefiting friendly urls. This must have been due to a lack of a better way to gain inteligence about the page. I can only imagine that it is due to them rationalizing that it must be a better site than the one not doing it as they have spent the time and money to make them SEF friendly. Also google says that it hates you buying links, still if you are on the first page of google you probably have done or have a great piece of link bait or a really helpful friendly and useful resource that it is of benefit and people naturally link to you.

So why was I annoyed - well it carries issues for us webmasters and has seen me have to spend hours on this subject when it would be better to have better content. And these days I have to think that the content is king more than ever. Yes they are of benefit to the search engines as keywords were so abused and I think google uses the url words to replace keywords somewhat.

I would not change hard coded links at this stage. You need to do a cost benefit analysis. The urls sound ok unless they need to change the keywords but I would't do that as I don't think they will benefit so much.
mojito
 
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Joined: Fri Mar 21, 2008 2:48 pm
Location: London


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