SEO Tycoon

**Hideous** · 02-11-2008, 06:15 AM

hello all,

I have my layout finished and am read to start mass producing pages when it dawned on me...

Should I create folders strictly for SEO

what I mean is this..;

My site is www.keyword1keyword2keyword3.com

now i can have

www.keyword1keyword2keyword3.com/keyword1-keyword2/merchant-keyword2-keyword3.html

or

www.keyword1keyword2keyword3.com/merchant-keyword2-keyword3.html

now if I add the folder then it makes it slightly easier to handle the site but not much. so my main focus here is the seo ramifications.

does the folders keywords help vs the fact of the page being deeper into the site ?

Are there other ramifications of doing either that I may be missing ?

TIA

**chrishirst** · 02-11-2008, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Are there other ramifications of doing either that I may be missing ?

Yep!

It's pretty much a total waste of time!

The minute boost your pages might get from a keyword name is outweighed by the hassle it can give you for site management.

Give MORE consideration to site management and maintenance than the SEO value, That will be more beneficial in the long run.

**ADAM Web Design** · 02-11-2008, 11:53 AM

You might have a deeper traffic issue (I'm not going to say an SEO issue because this goes beyond just SEO), based on what you've said.

If your domain name is keyword1keyword2keyword3.com, then I would suggest to you that it's the kind of domain that's created for a site that doesn't have sufficient quality content to be put onto a more meaningful, easy-to-remember domain name that would appeal to users more (what that is, exactly, I can't tell you, since I don't know what your site is). This means that the types of links to your site that you'd want to get for traffic purposes won't be anywhere near as easy to get your hands on (quality content generates organic inbound links.)

Having said all of that, the site management point of view is what you should be considering. The easier you make it on yourself, the more unique content you can add to your site, which in turn provides user and SEO benefits.

**Hideous** · 07:48 PM

I understand what you all are saying.

I am just wondering it there any benefit to SEO by creating a folder that you don't "need" just so you can keyword it.

So I have 130 pages of coupon codes do I get more benefit if they are all in the root.(I read somewhere that the closer to the root the more wieght pages are given) or should I break them up into 2 folders one that has the category pages and one that has the merchants own page.

so

www.mysite.com/coupon-code-category/arts-crafts.html
www.mysite.com/coupon-code-category/automobiles-parts.html
etc

then

www.mysite.com/coupon-code-merchant/"merchantname".html

or

www.mysite.com/arts-crafts.html
www.mysite.com/automobiles-parts.html
www.mysite.com/"merchantname".html
www.mysite.com/nextmerchantname".html

now if i was willing to wade through 130 pages in the root and eventually 500 3000 etc is it when i had to update is it beneficial in SEO ?

now my next question is ..

If I do use folders should i name them logically of just use keywords

for example instead of folder /coupon-code-category/ could i use /coupon-code/

then

instead of /coupon-code-merchant/ could i use /coupon-codes/

as long as I know that /coupon-code/ is for categorys and /coupon-codes/ is for individual merchants then isn't it better then adding a useless word to each folder name ?

**chrishirst** · 02-11-2008, 08:17 PM

Quote:

If I do use folders should i name them logically of just use keywords

Yep, Naming folders in an unambiguous logical way means that you are less likely to need any disruption as the site gets bigger. If it happens that a keyword can be used as well then it's not a problem.

Where possible have everything as folders with a default page, that way it will make no difference to you should you want (or need) to change technologies.
site.tld/folder/folder/ is the same in any coding language, and nobody can tell whether the site is built with HTML, ASP, PHP, ColdFusion.

There is NO benefit/difference at all to a page in the root to a page 10 levels deep in the site structure.
The difference is in how they are LINKED. It is the click depth that counts.
Pages linked from the root pages (1 click away) are treated as more important than a page that is only linked from 3 clicks away from the root.
The physical (or virtual) structure doesn't come into it.

**Hideous** · 09:12 PM

okay last question then

I suppose this has more to do with spam and getting my site in trouble as well as SEO

If I went ..

www.mysite.com/category/arts-crafts.html

and

www.mysite.com/merchant/xyzcorp.html

as opposed to

www.mysite.com/coupon-code-category/arts-crafts.html

and

www.mysite.com/coupon-code-merchant/xyzcorp.html

is one seen as spammy by users and or search engines namely google ?

is there any benefit to reusing the same keywords in a folder and file name and domain name ?

just so you know my site name has the words coupon and code. I am mentioning this because in method 1 there would be a need to use coupon-code in the file name just so users knew that the site was about. By telling you all that those words are in there you understand that I am duplicating words already found in the domain name. Otherwise the first example www.mysite.com/category/arts-crafts.html wouldn.y be associated with coupon codes.

so site name is

www.couponcode"thirdword".com

I thank you all for answering. I know many in the SEO world place little value on keywords in file name compared to other factors. That said this is a new site and I wish to take advantage of smart naming before I realize later that i did something that was less effective etc.

TIA

**Learning Newbie** · 02-11-2008, 09:14 PM

Quote:

www.keyword1keyword2keyword3.com/keyword1-keyword2/merchant-keyword2-keyword3.html

I've heard of scripts that let you create links (directories, 2nd rate social bookmarks) that limit you to 50 or 100 characters for the URL. I wouldn't go around looking for low quality links, but on the other hand, I'd probably think twice before using the type of URL structure you mention above.

Is there any reason you want the same keyword to show up more than once in the URL? I doubt that helps any with Google, or whoever those other 2 search engines were again?

**Hideous** · 02-11-2008, 09:50 PM

learning newbie

how would you set up my naming structure ?

**ADAM Web Design** · 02-12-2008, 02:48 AM

I hear they're called Yippee and Mike O'Soft.

Anyway, as far as "smart naming" goes, the best thing you can do for both sides of the equation is exactly what Hirst told you to do: name the files and folders in such a way as to make their contents obvious to someone with a 90 IQ or higher. If the content of the folder relates to arts and crafts, call it arts-crafts. If it relates to animals, call it rosie-o-donnell-and-other-fat-pigs-like-her.

Easy.

**Hideous** · 02-12-2008, 03:51 AM

I made a decicion i am going with

www.couponcodexxxxxx.com/gamefly-coupon-code/

for individual merchants and

http://www.couponcodexxxxxx.com/arts...s-coupon-code/

for categorys

I hope this works because i spent all day researching it... sigh

**seo_specialist** · 02-16-2008, 07:44 AM

You should try to include keywords in your url rather than folders.

Take for example, I am concentrating on keyword seo, then I would create article page as given below :=

site/seo-articles/seo-marketing-guide.php

Your folder /seo-articles/ should be accessible as standalone page. This is where the cake lies, and it should have most important keywords.

This is just a basic of SEO. Google /Yahoo will look at several other factors, rather than your seo-optimized folder/ or webpage

**chrishirst** · 02-16-2008, 10:50 AM

Ahh! Isn't it great that along comes a SEO specialist and gives us the benefit of his (lack of) knowledge.

I take it that you fail to understand that in your example "/seo-articles/" IS A FOLDER!!!!!

**Hideous** · 02-17-2008, 09:53 AM

i went with

www.couponcodexxx.com/gamefly-coupon-code/

for the merchants and

www.couponcodexxx.com/arts-crafts-coupon-code/

for categorys.

I like the idea that if i go from index.html to index.php i am good becasue as far as i have read to google etc its the same **** thing.

Hopefully i read good info