undefined
Skip to content
Moz logo Menu open Menu close
  • Products
    • Moz Pro
    • Moz Pro Home
    • Moz Local
    • Moz Local Home
    • STAT
    • Moz API
    • Moz API Home
    • Compare SEO Products
    • Moz Data
  • Free SEO Tools
    • Domain Analysis
    • Keyword Explorer
    • Link Explorer
    • Competitive Research
    • MozBar
    • More Free SEO Tools
  • Learn SEO
    • Beginner's Guide to SEO
    • SEO Learning Center
    • Moz Academy
    • SEO Q&A
    • Webinars, Whitepapers, & Guides
  • Blog
  • Why Moz
    • Agency Solutions
    • Enterprise Solutions
    • Small Business Solutions
    • Case Studies
    • The Moz Story
    • New Releases
  • Log in
  • Log out
  • Products
    • Moz Pro

      Your all-in-one suite of SEO essentials.

    • Moz Local

      Raise your local SEO visibility with complete local SEO management.

    • STAT

      SERP tracking and analytics for enterprise SEO experts.

    • Moz API

      Power your SEO with our index of over 44 trillion links.

    • Compare SEO Products

      See which Moz SEO solution best meets your business needs.

    • Moz Data

      Power your SEO strategy & AI models with custom data solutions.

    NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic
    Moz Pro

    NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic

    Learn more
  • Free SEO Tools
    • Domain Analysis

      Get top competitive SEO metrics like DA, top pages and more.

    • Keyword Explorer

      Find traffic-driving keywords with our 1.25 billion+ keyword index.

    • Link Explorer

      Explore over 40 trillion links for powerful backlink data.

    • Competitive Research

      Uncover valuable insights on your organic search competitors.

    • MozBar

      See top SEO metrics for free as you browse the web.

    • More Free SEO Tools

      Explore all the free SEO tools Moz has to offer.

    NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic
    Moz Pro

    NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic

    Learn more
  • Learn SEO
    • Beginner's Guide to SEO

      The #1 most popular introduction to SEO, trusted by millions.

    • SEO Learning Center

      Broaden your knowledge with SEO resources for all skill levels.

    • On-Demand Webinars

      Learn modern SEO best practices from industry experts.

    • How-To Guides

      Step-by-step guides to search success from the authority on SEO.

    • Moz Academy

      Upskill and get certified with on-demand courses & certifications.

    • MozCon

      Save on Early Bird tickets and join us in London or New York City

    Unlock flexible pricing & new endpoints
    Moz API

    Unlock flexible pricing & new endpoints

    Find your plan
  • Blog
  • Why Moz
    • Small Business Solutions

      Uncover insights to make smarter marketing decisions in less time.

    • Agency Solutions

      Earn & keep valuable clients with unparalleled data & insights.

    • Enterprise Solutions

      Gain a competitive edge in the ever-changing world of search.

    • The Moz Story

      Moz was the first & remains the most trusted SEO company.

    • Case Studies

      Explore how Moz drives ROI with a proven track record of success.

    • New Releases

      Get the scoop on the latest and greatest from Moz.

    Surface actionable competitive intel
    New Feature

    Surface actionable competitive intel

    Learn More
  • Log in
    • Moz Pro
    • Moz Local
    • Moz Local Dashboard
    • Moz API
    • Moz API Dashboard
    • Moz Academy
  • Avatar
    • Moz Home
    • Notifications
    • Account & Billing
    • Manage Users
    • Community Profile
    • My Q&A
    • My Videos
    • Log Out

The Moz Q&A Forum

  • Forum
  • Questions
  • Users
  • Ask the Community

Welcome to the Q&A Forum

Browse the forum for helpful insights and fresh discussions about all things SEO.

  1. Home
  2. SEO Tactics
  3. Technical SEO
  4. Sizes and numbers in friendly urls - syntax

Moz Q&A is closed.

After more than 13 years, and tens of thousands of questions, Moz Q&A closed on 12th December 2024. Whilst we’re not completely removing the content - many posts will still be possible to view - we have locked both new posts and new replies. More details here.

Sizes and numbers in friendly urls - syntax

Technical SEO
3
7
1.4k
Loading More Posts
  • Oldest to Newest
  • Newest to Oldest
  • Most Votes
Reply
  • Reply as question
Log in to reply
This topic has been deleted. Only users with question management privileges can see it.
  • jbcul
    jbcul last edited by May 5, 2015, 9:42 PM

    Ok, I'm trying to establish some business rules of syntax for SEO friendly URLS.

    I'm doing this for an OpenCart online store which uses a SEO-url field to construct the "friendly URL's".  The good news of that is I have total control over the urls' the bad news is I had to do some tricky Excel work to populate them.

    That all said, I have a problem with items that have sizes. This is a crafts store so many of the items are differentiated by size. Examples:

    Sleigh Bells, come in 1/2", 3/4", 1", 1 1/2" etc.

    So far Ive tried to stay away from inch mark "  by spelling it out.  Right now its inch but could be in.

    The numbers, fractions, sizes etc. create some ghastly friendly URL's.  Is there any wisdom or syntax standards out there that would help me. I'm trying to avoid this:

    www.mysite.com//index.php?route=craft-accessories/bells/sleigh-bells/sleigh-bells-1-one-half-inch-with-loop

    I realize that the category (sleigh-bells) is repeated in the product name but there are several 1 1/2" items in the store.

    Any thoughts would be useful, even if it's links to good SEO sites that have mastered the myriad of issues with dimensions in the urls.

    thanks

    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
    • jbcul
      jbcul last edited by May 5, 2015, 11:58 PM May 5, 2015, 11:58 PM

      I'll have to dig deeper than my local big-box retail store.  This is a url from a random screw at Home Depot:

      http://www.homedepot.com/p/Grip-Rite-8-x-2-1-2-in-Phillips-Bugle-Head-Coarse-Thread-Sharp-Point-Polymer-Coated-Exterior-Screws-1-lb-Pack-PTN212S1/100173447

      This product exhibits the issue.  Product name, size (8 x 2 1/2), style (Phillips, Bugle Head), Thread (Coarse), Point (sharp), Coating  etc.

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • jbcul
        jbcul last edited by May 5, 2015, 11:40 PM May 5, 2015, 11:38 PM

        This is a good question and harkens back to original data modeling.  Each size item is a different sku.  There are modules for OpenCart that will make a "series" record to mask via interface that they are all different records (think click on different color) but in our case they have different sku's, can be out of stock, can even have different prices.  The nature of the crafts store is American Indian supplies.  So just in seed beads there are five common sizes, up to 200 different colors per size and some of those can have faceted beads or non-faceted (we call them cuts).  Add all that up and there are a ton of products that come in and out of stock etc.

        That's it generally. My comment about sizes is that there are many many things across the materials (bells, silver broaches, etc.) that are chosen by the buyer by material (brass vs silver) but then by size (1", 1.5" etc.)  The size is a key component so since each one is a different "product record" it will naturally have its own URL.  All these inches, millimeters, fractions and odd sizes (thread come D, O, OO, YO etc.) it's enough to make one bonkers.  I have an SEO url for each product and am looking for input from others thougths before I go medieval on shortening them.

        Hope that answers your question.

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • MoosaHemani
          MoosaHemani Banned last edited by May 5, 2015, 11:27 PM May 5, 2015, 11:27 PM

          Some very powerful resources shared by Patrick as always but while I was reading the question several ideas were popping up in my mind.

          You are saying you have several different products that are in different sizes. If this is the case, why not you make it one product and in the product section offer the size in the dropdown? #justwondering

          In my opinion the best URL structure for you would be domain.com/category/product-name.php

          Once you decide what URL structure you will follow, do go through the instruction given by Patrick so that there should be no technical problem with regards to indexing and ranking.

          Hope this helps!

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • PatrickDelehanty
            PatrickDelehanty @jbcul last edited by May 5, 2015, 11:21 PM May 5, 2015, 11:21 PM

            Hi John

            Okay cool - keep me posted - want to make sure you get to here you need to be! Good luck!

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • jbcul
              jbcul last edited by May 5, 2015, 11:16 PM May 5, 2015, 11:16 PM

              Thanks. I've read many of these but will do so again looking for details on the technical data in the URL. It strikes me that hardware stores (Home Depot and Lowes) must have this issue with screws etc.  Will go there too.

              PatrickDelehanty 1 Reply Last reply May 5, 2015, 11:21 PM Reply Quote 0
              • PatrickDelehanty
                PatrickDelehanty last edited by May 5, 2015, 10:08 PM May 5, 2015, 10:05 PM

                Hi John

                Take a look at the following resources:
                URL Best Practices (Moz)
                15 SEO Best Practices for Structuring URLs (Moz)
                SEO Cheat Sheet: Anatomy of A URL (Moz)
                SEO Optimal Ecommerce URLs (PracticalEcommerce)
                Information Architecture for SEO - Whiteboard Friday (Moz)
                Canonicalization (Moz - in case aliases or parameters appear)

                Don't forget to update your sitemap, upload it to Google and Bing Webmaster Tools, and also check your internal links so they are up to date.

                There is a lot here, but these resources should help you get started on structuring your website and also your URLs in a logical and user friendly fashion. Let me know if you need anymore help! Good luck!

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • 1 / 1
                1 out of 7
                • First post
                  1/7
                  Last post

                Got a burning SEO question?

                Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.


                Start my free trial


                Browse Questions

                Explore more categories

                • Moz Tools

                  Chat with the community about the Moz tools.

                • SEO Tactics

                  Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers

                • Community

                  Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!

                • Digital Marketing

                  Chat about tactics outside of SEO

                • Research & Trends

                  Dive into research and trends in the search industry.

                • Support

                  Connect on product support and feature requests.

                • See all categories

                Related Questions

                • WSteven

                  Flat vs Hierarchical URL Structure

                  Hi, We are redoing our site structure and I was wondering what are the benefits of having a flat url structure. For example store.com/product instead of doing store.com/category/product. I noticed sites doing it both ways, even moz.com has both structures ex: moz.com/learn/seo and when you clck on something it brings you to moz.com/seo-expert-quiz (even though following the previous logic it should be moz.com/learn/seo/seo-expert-quiz) Please advise, Thanks!

                  Technical SEO | Sep 9, 2014, 1:53 PM | WSteven
                  0
                • Troteclaser

                  Is there a maximum sitemap size?

                  Hi all, Over the last month we've included all images, videos, etc. into our sitemap and now its loading time is rather high. (http://www.troteclaser.com/sitemap.xml) Is there any maximum sitemap size that is recommended from Google?

                  Technical SEO | Jul 16, 2014, 12:00 PM | Troteclaser
                  0
                • KempRugeLawGroup

                  Phone Number In Meta Description

                  People are more likely to call us, than email us. However, if they're using a mobile device, there's a click to call button on that site. My question is this: google does not include our phone number in our meta description. I could try to get the description changed, but it doesn't seem like it would make that big of a deal for just the desktop site. Am I missing something about the importance of the phone number on a desktop site? Any experience with this situation? Thanks, Ruben

                  Technical SEO | Oct 16, 2013, 3:58 PM | KempRugeLawGroup
                  3
                • joechicago

                  MozBar picking up iFrame source as URL

                  Running a WordPress site with a custom theme. Using a standard wp_head or wp_footer hook to insert the standard code for a Facebook Like, Twitter count / Google Plus count into the site - basically that hook just places the code, programmatically, into the HEAD (where applicable) or right before the BODY closes. For some reason, MozBar is picking up the URL of the iFrame that gets inserted with this code as the URL of the site. I don't have it live right now due to the issues, but I can turn it "on" for anyone who wants a look. Anyone else have this issue? I'm using the code directly from developers.facebook.com for the Like box, and the Google Plus button, Twitter too. Nothing fancy here.

                  Technical SEO | Jun 5, 2012, 8:25 PM | joechicago
                  0
                • ChristianMKTG

                  Drupal URL Aliases vs 301 Redirects + Do URL Aliases create duplicates?

                  Hi all! I have just begun work on a Drupal site which heavily uses the URL Aliases feature. I fear that it is creating duplicate links. For example:: we have http://www.URL.com/index.php and http://www.URL.com/ In addition we are about to switch a lot of links and want to keep the search engine benefit. Am I right in thinking URL aliases change the URL, while leaving the old URL live and without creating search engine friendly redirects such as 301s? Thanks for any help! Christian

                  Technical SEO | Nov 11, 2011, 5:29 AM | ChristianMKTG
                  0
                • AmericanOutlets

                  Singular vs plural in urls

                  In keyword research for an ecommerce site, I've found that widget, singular gets a lot more searches than widgets, plural AND is much less competitive. Is it better for SEO purposes to have the URLs (and matching title tags) in the catalog as /brass-widget.html, /steel-widget.html, etc., or /brass-widgets.html, etc.? I'm worried that a) searches for widgets will pass by the singular urls but not vice versa, and b) the singular form will strike visitors as bad grammar. Any advice?

                  Technical SEO | Feb 8, 2012, 5:47 PM | AmericanOutlets
                  0
                • pauledwards

                  Image Size for SEO

                  Hi there I have a website which has some png images on pages, around 300kb - is this too much? How many kbs a page, to what extent do you know does Google care about page load speed? is every kb important, is there a limit? Any advice much appreciated.

                  Technical SEO | Oct 7, 2011, 12:12 AM | pauledwards
                  0
                • brightonseorob

                  Someone is redirecting their url to mine

                  Hello, I have just discovered that a company in Poland www.realpilot.pl is directing their domain to ours www.transair.co.uk. We have not authorised this, neither do we want this. I have contacted the company and the webmaster to get it removed. If you search for the domain name www.realpilot.pl we (www.transair.co.uk) come up top. My biggest worry is that we will get penalised by Google for this re-direct as it appears to be done using some kind of frame. Does anyone know anything about this kind of thing? Many Thanks Rob Martin

                  Technical SEO | Sep 16, 2011, 3:34 PM | brightonseorob
                  0

                Get started with Moz Pro!

                Unlock the power of advanced SEO tools and data-driven insights.

                Start my free trial
                Products
                • Moz Pro
                • Moz Local
                • Moz API
                • Moz Data
                • STAT
                • Product Updates
                Moz Solutions
                • SMB Solutions
                • Agency Solutions
                • Enterprise Solutions
                Free SEO Tools
                • Domain Authority Checker
                • Link Explorer
                • Keyword Explorer
                • Competitive Research
                • Brand Authority Checker
                • Local Citation Checker
                • MozBar Extension
                • MozCast
                Resources
                • Blog
                • SEO Learning Center
                • Help Hub
                • Beginner's Guide to SEO
                • How-to Guides
                • Moz Academy
                • API Docs
                About Moz
                • About
                • Team
                • Careers
                • Contact
                Why Moz
                • Case Studies
                • Testimonials
                Get Involved
                • Become an Affiliate
                • MozCon
                • Webinars
                • Practical Marketer Series
                • MozPod
                Connect with us

                Contact the Help team

                Join our newsletter
                Moz logo
                © 2021 - 2025 SEOMoz, Inc., a Ziff Davis company. All rights reserved. Moz is a registered trademark of SEOMoz, Inc.
                • Accessibility
                • Terms of Use
                • Privacy

                Looks like your connection to Moz was lost, please wait while we try to reconnect.