what's a better URL for seo?

Discussion in 'Search Engine Optimization' started by Pixelrage, Apr 12, 2007.

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  1. #1
    Just wondering for my own information, what are your thoughts for the better URL type:

    1) mysite.com/homeappliances

    or

    2) mysite.com/home-appliances

    ...or, would it even matter in this case?
     
    Pixelrage, Apr 12, 2007 IP
  2. exponent

    exponent Peon

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    #2
    According to v7n's seo guide, they are equally as valid.
     
    exponent, Apr 12, 2007 IP
  3. aaron_nimocks

    aaron_nimocks Im kind of a big deal Staff

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    #3
    I think they are both equal but some will say go with the hyphen.
     
    aaron_nimocks, Apr 12, 2007 IP
  4. mad4

    mad4 Peon

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    #4
    If you are storing the product names in a database then its harder to work with homeappliances than home-appliances
     
    mad4, Apr 12, 2007 IP
  5. excaliburwebdesigners

    excaliburwebdesigners Peon

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    #5
    if you allready have the domain name and its not keyword rich your better of with keyword.domain.com thats if you have the ability to set up subdomains.
     
    excaliburwebdesigners, Apr 12, 2007 IP
  6. kh7

    kh7 Peon

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    #6
    I'd go with the hyphen, unless it's a directory name.
     
    kh7, Apr 12, 2007 IP
  7. Justin Nijs

    Justin Nijs Well-Known Member

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    #7
    2 Is better for seo but it won't make a big change (in visitorscount.)
     
    Justin Nijs, Apr 12, 2007 IP
  8. lyndonmaxewell

    lyndonmaxewell Peon

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    #8
    I'll go with the latter as well. Makes it easier to see if you have loads of links that way.
     
    lyndonmaxewell, Apr 12, 2007 IP
  9. Neale

    Neale Peon

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    #9
    I would also go with two its easier to read & manage with regards to SEO I doubt their is a lot of difference
     
    Neale, Apr 12, 2007 IP
  10. askax

    askax Peon

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    #10
    I think two is better :D.
     
    askax, Apr 12, 2007 IP
  11. boyponga

    boyponga Banned

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    #11
    I choose the second one, dashes are considered spaces in URLs
     
    boyponga, Apr 12, 2007 IP
  12. Comenius

    Comenius Peon

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    #12
    Yes, the hyphens in the path seem to be the preferred approach.
     
    Comenius, Apr 12, 2007 IP
  13. MidwestMerchant

    MidwestMerchant Banned

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    #13
    From what I have read and learned in my time, I would go with the hyphen..although, I don't think the difference is really all that huge.
     
    MidwestMerchant, Apr 12, 2007 IP
  14. Swordfish

    Swordfish Active Member

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    #14
    hyphen here
     
    Swordfish, Apr 12, 2007 IP
  15. paulaa

    paulaa Peon

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    #15
    eh.. don't see how :\

    both work fine, but I prefer home-appliances, however if its a directory name then homeappliances
     
    paulaa, Apr 12, 2007 IP
  16. LinkBliss

    LinkBliss Peon

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    #16
    LinkBliss, Apr 12, 2007 IP
  17. Comenius

    Comenius Peon

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    #17
    Avoid underscores and use hyphens. The other differences between your two examples don't matter.
     
    Comenius, Apr 12, 2007 IP
  18. LinkBliss

    LinkBliss Peon

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    #18
    Thanks for the tip. Do you know what's wrong with underscores?

    just curious if there is a real reason.
     
    LinkBliss, Apr 12, 2007 IP
  19. Comenius

    Comenius Peon

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    #19
    As it was explained to me, search engines parse hyphens into words, but treat underscores like one big word. As no one searches for the one big word, it won't help bring search engine traffic to your site.
     
    Comenius, Apr 12, 2007 IP
  20. DavidK1

    DavidK1 Peon

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    #20
    I agree from an seo perspective, the difference if any would be minute. I would use dashes to make the URL more readable to the user. I feel anything that helps understanding, helps your CTR which should lead to a better conversion rate. I personally would click on http://www.somewebsite.com/keyword-phrase-i-am-looking-for over http://www.somewebsite.com/keywordpharseiamlookingfor


    Comenius is correct.

    Matt Cutts summed it up pretty nicely here: http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/dashes-vs-underscores/
     
    DavidK1, Apr 12, 2007 IP
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