Creating search engine optimized url for your component Azrul Rahim www.azrul.com

Why Bother ? Search engines analyze your URLs for keywords, and will highlight it in the result avoid duplicate content issues Default Joomla SEF url are very common URL should be friendly to us, HUMAN. Better click through rate visitor know what to expect Make your site looks more professional! http://www.alledia.com/blog/joomla-urls/in-defense-of-search-engine-friendly-urls/

Search engines analyze your URLs for keywords, and will highlight it in the result

avoid duplicate content issues

Default Joomla SEF url are very common

URL should be friendly to us, HUMAN.

Better click through rate

visitor know what to expect

Make your site looks more professional!

Joomla 1.0 approach to SEF-url 3 rd party component required SEFAdvance OpenSEF sh404SEF Each one uses different approach Need to maintain separate plug-in for each component.

3 rd party component required

SEFAdvance

OpenSEF

sh404SEF

Each one uses different approach

Need to maintain separate plug-in for each component.

Joomla 1.5 and SEF url SEF-url engine comes built-in with every installation of Joomla ! Works with/without mod_rewrite Nice human-readable url Not as flexible as 3 rd party component No url caching

SEF-url engine comes built-in with every installation of Joomla !

Works with/without mod_rewrite

Nice human-readable url

Not as flexible as 3 rd party component

No url caching

sef-url in Joomla 1.5 Backend config Specify menu title alias Some limitations No choice over url suffix. One will be assigned automatically. Potential multiple link to the same content If multiple menu item use the same link title, only the first will be accessible

Backend config

Specify menu title alias

Some limitations

No choice over url suffix. One will be assigned automatically.

Potential multiple link to the same content

If multiple menu item use the same link title, only the first will be accessible

2 approach in SEF rewriting No caching, logic-based syetem. create and resolve url on the fly Cached url system

No caching, logic-based syetem.

create and resolve url on the fly

Cached url system

1. Non-caching (my preferred technique) Able to resolve url that has never been used before Twice the amount of work to develop the plugins Example OpenSEF sefAdvance Joomla 1.5 default SmartSEF

(my preferred technique)

Able to resolve url that has never been used before

Twice the amount of work to develop the plugins

Example

OpenSEF

sefAdvance

Joomla 1.5 default

SmartSEF

2. Cached url system url are created and saved Little overhead to parse the url, need a single database call Normally require only the code to ‘create’ the url url has to be created first, otherwise it cannot be resolved Can break your site, damage your SEO ranking when cached cleared sh404SEF smartSEF

url are created and saved

Little overhead to parse the url, need a single database call

Normally require only the code to ‘create’ the url

url has to be created first, otherwise it cannot be resolved

Can break your site, damage your SEO ranking when cached cleared

sh404SEF

smartSEF

Creating sef-url for your component Plan your url List down all your required normal url List down how they should look like, SEF-ed Tips “ Human readable!” Meaningful, with a hint of the content Contain targeted keywords

Plan your url

List down all your required normal url

List down how they should look like, SEF-ed

Tips

“ Human readable!”

Meaningful, with a hint of the content

Contain targeted keywords

Create a file ‘router.php’ in your component folder Create 2 function within router.php function [Com name]BuildRoute( &$query ) function [Com name]ParseRoute( $segments)

Create a file ‘router.php’ in your component folder

Create 2 function within router.php

function [Com name]BuildRoute( &$query )

function [Com name]ParseRoute( $segments)

… BuildRoute(&$query) Take a reference to an array $query is built from JRoute::_(…) function call, split-up into array Return value should be an array, $segments = array() $segments[]=‘path1'; $segments[]='path2'; $segments[]='file'; Will create path1/path2/file.html Need to unset all variables that you have assign a segment

Take a reference to an array

$query is built from JRoute::_(…) function call, split-up into array

Return value should be an array,

$segments = array() $segments[]=‘path1'; $segments[]='path2'; $segments[]='file';

Will create path1/path2/file.html

Need to unset all variables that you have assign a segment

Notes & gotchas Do not add ‘.html’ to your SEF url, Joomla will add this automatically if required. Create a menu entry to use component ‘alias’ . Otherwise, it will show as ‘/components/com_name/…’ Alias has to be unique. If there is a duplicate, only the first link will be accessible

Do not add ‘.html’ to your SEF url, Joomla will add this automatically if required.

Create a menu entry to use component ‘alias’ . Otherwise, it will show as ‘/components/com_name/…’

Alias has to be unique. If there is a duplicate, only the first link will be accessible

… ParseRoute($segments) Called to resolve the segment-based url to their original url Given an array with url segment Return array of actual $_GET values

Called to resolve the segment-based url to their original url

Given an array with url segment

Return array of actual $_GET values

Notes… Joomla convert the first dash ‘-’ to ‘:’ There is no reliable way to encode/decode url that might contain combination of dash and double colon Where do we specify Itemid ? . Don’t worry, menu alias will take care of it!

Joomla convert the first dash ‘-’ to ‘:’

There is no reliable way to encode/decode url that might contain combination of dash and double colon

Where do we specify Itemid ? . Don’t worry, menu alias will take care of it!

Other alternative SmartSEF ( www.smartsef.org ) Each sef plugin can have their own params Sitemap support Some security check SEFAdvance Sh404 H1 tags SEF Patch (joomlatwork.com) (metadata/no-follow)

SmartSEF ( www.smartsef.org )

Each sef plugin can have their own params

Sitemap support

Some security check

SEFAdvance

Sh404

H1 tags

SEF Patch (joomlatwork.com)

(metadata/no-follow)

Questions & Discussions Please ask questions… www.azrul.com

Please ask questions…

www.azrul.com