Will this mean that people will actually believe us when we say the keywords in the URL are of such minuscule value it's not worth disrupting your site for??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRzMhlFZz9I

Or not?

I believe it Chris. Besides, I can't stand those long-keyword-strings-in-a-domain.com

No I don't think this is enough to stop seo's from obsessing over putting keywords in their urls. People will pick up on the fact that Matt Cutts did not say that keywords in the url don't help. He just said that it helps only a very small amount. In SEO people will do everything they can to gain even the smallest advantage. People still obsess over minor things like keyword density and tld's.

Originally Posted by Jeremy80

No I don't think this is enough to stop seo's from obsessing over putting keywords in their urls. People will pick up on the fact that Matt Cutts did not say that keywords in the url don't help. He just said that it helps only a very small amount. In SEO people will do everything they can to gain even the smallest advantage. People still obsess over minor things like keyword density and tld's.

Yet they fail to see that content is the biggest factor in SEO.

I still believe it's worth something. I also noticed that it also shows on the search results. So I think it gives a little help with the rankings. I just don't like the idea of stuffing all the keywords in URL.

I don't care what anybody else says regarding their own campaigns and theories. It's your opinion that it doesn't make a difference, but there are those who will choose to consider it.

I've split tested pages with keywords in the URL and seen better results. Not better results on a life changing scale, but good enough return to merit implementing them.

Yet they fail to see that content is the biggest factor in SEO.

Bit of a general statement, really.

There are plenty of excellent SEO specialists out there who are willing to experiment without zapping quality from the content. You're not really an SEO guy if you have to rip your site apart to rank well. You're just a Google tool.

I don't agree with Chris's post at all. I think, if you believe something might work - split test it, split test it, split test it - and if it works, keep it. Forget what the rest of the industry or any so-called expert says.

Regardless of whether they're effective for SEO, I think they have value in that they are far more readable and usable. The URL is actually part of the user interface.

Originally Posted by zeruel

I still believe it's worth something. I also noticed that it also shows on the search results. So I think it gives a little help with the rankings. I just don't like the idea of stuffing all the keywords in URL.

Not really, the bolding in the SERPs is done at the display stage and is purely a user aid.

Originally Posted by tehfincheh

I don't care what anybody else says regarding their own campaigns and theories. It's your opinion that it doesn't make a difference, but there are those who will choose to consider it.

I've split tested pages with keywords in the URL and seen better results. Not better results on a life changing scale, but good enough return to merit implementing them.

Sure if you have tested it in isolation and believe it makes a difference, then do it.

Originally Posted by tehfincheh

Bit of a general statement, really.

There are plenty of excellent SEO specialists out there who are willing to experiment without zapping quality from the content. You're not really an SEO guy if you have to rip your site apart to rank well. You're just a Google tool.

Of course my point was in the last sentence

such minuscule value it's not worth disrupting your site for

Originally Posted by tehfincheh

I don't agree with Chris's post at all. I think, if you believe something might work - split test it, split test it, split test it - and if it works, keep it. Forget what the rest of the industry or any so-called expert says.

Absolutely test, test & test it again.
Unfortunately the majority of people who bandy this stuff about as being "the SEO secret sauce" haven't a clue how to test anything for SEO/SEM.

Their idea of a split test is stretching while wearing new trousers or a new shirt to see if anything gives way!

Using keywords in url is helpful from the seo point of view but it should be done in a proper way so it do not look like stuffing and consider more on other promotional parts.

I believe him. From my experience, static URLs means more. Content means a lot. Anchor text of inbound links means greater.
Keywords in URL matters, but if you can't change it, it's OK. Other things matter more.

yes it is very much helpful that you are using your keyword in URL.like if you have two URL 1.http://www.xxx.com/cityid=9 and 2.http://www.xxx.com/California and you are using california as a werch keyword then 2nd URL will make good effect.

Originally Posted by chrishirst

Not really, the bolding in the SERPs is done at the display stage and is purely a user aid.

Good point. I noticed that as well. Oh well, I don't really focus on the domain name. I still believe that anchor text with the targeted kws works out a lot better.

yes key words in URL is helpful for Search Engine point of view as well as SEO.