Is using dots in URL path really a problem?
-
we have a couple of pages displaying a dot in the URL path like
domain.com/mr.smith/widget-mr.smith
It displays fine in chrome, firefox and IE and for the user it may actually look better than replacing it by _ or -.
Did this ever cause problems to anybody?
Any statement from google about it?
Should I change existing URLs?If so, which other characters can I use in the URL instead of underscore and dash, since in our system dash and underscore are already used for rewriting other characters.
Thanks
-
Hi Andrews,
While the difference between dashes and underscores use to be a big issue a few years back its something that seems to hold minimal merit now. The two can be used rather interchangeably without any major impact. This was phased out around the same time as exact-match-domain value was as far too many people were abusing the long-tail dash page method.
-
While I've never come across this exact problem before I can share with you one my mantras that applies here:
"If a system (browser, search engine, etc) needs to perform a data re-write, you aren't accessible enough."
Google loves accessibility. It always wants the user to be able to easily access information and it wants it's spiders to be able to easily index and categorize the information. When accessibility options such as javascript versioning or if a site is using flash or not have an impact then it would only logically follow that more obvious structural access issues do come into effect.
From a technology stand point I can tell you that "." is not traditionally used in the scope of a URL/file structure as it a reserved character and therefore your structure is being re-written to display those. Much like international domains like the chinese internationalized domain name extension .中国 (which is basically a visual re-encode of the unicode: xn--fiqs8s) For the sake of accessibility, proper structure formatting and system practicality you should avoid using non-standard characters such as the . in your url
-
Hi!
As far as I know, this really isn't a huge problem (could be mistaken). I guess it depends...
In regards to readability, I prefer using dashes (-), as they tend to be easier to read. Underscores may be mistaken for a space). Here's what Matt Cutts had to say about this some years ago: http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/whitehat-seo-tips-for-bloggers/ (and http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/dashes-vs-underscores/)
I believe I have read that Google and other search engines read URLs like this when looking for semantic meanings:
- /this-is-part-of-a-website-address = this is part of a website address
- /this_is_part_of_a_website_address = thisispartofawebsiteaddress
At least that used to be the case...It could be changed now.
In your example, I would not obsess too much about it, as it gives perfect semantic meaning. Have you considered removing special characters, instead of replacing them with a "-" ?
Hope this helps.
Best regards,
Anders
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
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.
Related Questions
-
Is there any set benefit in using a URL tracking engine on a domain for passing link juice?
Is there any set benefit in using a URL tracking engine on a domain for passing link juice? I.E. xxxx.com?$id=1111 to then redirect to shareasale? The client has an affiliate program and is thinking of running one in-house as well. Is there a benefit to a “redirect engine” that uses the website root domain?
Intermediate & Advanced SEO | | KellyBrady1 -
"Category" word in URLs of blog is it SEO Friendly URL ??
Hello respected community members, I saw many times that "Category" word comes in URL of blog. So my que is that is this negative for SEO or Positive. & if we don't wanna to come CATEGORY in URL how can we remove while URL Optimization ?
Intermediate & Advanced SEO | | sourabhrana390 -
Canonical url question
i just search seomoz tooll it say duplicate content for www.mysite.com and www.mysite.com/index.php should i use canonical url for this ? is yes then is this right ?
Intermediate & Advanced SEO | | constructionhelpline0 -
Keywords repetition in both post/page title+url path or spread between both of them?
Hello all, I have one doubt concernig SEO optimization as I am buiding the structure of my website to be sound with the Keywords I am targeting: I have read that the post/page name is very important (selecting the right keywords you are targeting and the lenght) and also the url path name, taking into account both keywords+lengt. I still have the doubt if (Imagine I am considering 5 keywords for SEO.): 1) OPTION 1 I should use as far as it is possible, the 5 keywords in the post/page title and repeat the 5 same keywords in the url path name? OR 2) OPTION 2 I should use these 5 keywords spread between title and url path? I mean maybe I use 3 keywords in the post/page name and 2 keywords in the url path, but my main concern is as search engines gives more weight in SEO for post/page name rather than to the url path name, maybe I will miss 2 of the keywords I used in the url path name? My choice would be OPTION 2 as I can have: Shorter post/page name - Shorter url path name. More caracters for targeting the keywords: 75 (from post/page name) + 115 (from url path name). I avoid repetition of keywords in both title and url path. Thank you very much, Antonio
Intermediate & Advanced SEO | | aalcocer20030 -
Guest Blogging Funny Problem!
Well it made me laugh and then cry a little after anyway. I have a keyword which is ranking page 1 position 7, I created a really nice article with content relevant to the keyword maybe around 600 words. I spent maybe half hour researching blogs on myblogguest looking for one that was based in the same country, had really good mozbar stats, even checked out how quickly other posts got indexed. I put 2 anchor text links in the article and managed to get the blogger to post the article. Next day checked the rankings and the post on the blog is now position 7, and has knocked me to position 8. I'm tempted to ask the blogger to change the title tag not to include my targeted keyword. Anyone got an advice on this?
Intermediate & Advanced SEO | | activitysuper0 -
Multiple URLs for the same page
I am working with a client and recently discovered that they have several URLs that go to the same page. http://www.maps.com/FunFacts.aspx
Intermediate & Advanced SEO | | WebMarketingandDesign
http://www.maps.com/funfacts.aspx
http://www.maps.com/FunFacts.aspx?nav=FF
http://www.maps.com/FunFacts.aspx?nav=FS
http://www.maps.com/funfacts.aspx?nav=FF
http://www.maps.com/funfacts.aspx?nav=ffhttp://www.maps.com/FunFacts.aspx?nav=MShttp://www.maps.com/funfacts.aspx?nav=
http://www.maps.com/FunFacts.aspx?nav=FF#
http://www.maps.com/FunFacts
http://www.maps.com/funfacts.aspx?.nav=FF I am afraid this is happening all over the site. So, my question is: Is this hurting the SEO and how? If so what is the best way to go about fixing this problem? Thanks for your help!0 -
How to fix duplicated urls
I have an issue with duplicated pages. Should I use cannonical tag and if so, how? Or should change the page titles? This is causing my pages to compete with each other in the SERPs. 'Paradisus All Inclusive Luxury Resorts - Book your stay at Paradisus Resorts' is also used on http://www.paradisus.com/booking-template.php | http://www.paradisus.com/booking-template.php?codigoHotel=5889 line 9 | | http://www.paradisus.com/booking-template.php?codigoHotel=5891 line 9 | | http://www.paradisus.com/booking-template.php?codigoHotel=5910 line 9 | | http://www.paradisus.com/booking-template.php?codigoHotel=5911 line 9 |
Intermediate & Advanced SEO | | Melia0 -
Is it fine to use an iframe for video content? Will it still be indexed on your URL?
If we host a video on a third party site and use an iframe to display it on our site, when the video is indexed in SERPs will it show on our site or on the third party site?
Intermediate & Advanced SEO | | nicole.healthline0