URL improvement

[rotpar]

Hi,

my forum thread urls always show like page.com/forums/thread-title.87
Is there any way to remove this .87 ??? This is pretty annoying for SEO

THX

 

[Mr Lucky]

Hi,

my forum thread urls always show like page.com/forums/thread-title.87
Is there any way to remove this .87 ??? This is pretty annoying for SEO

THX

Does it affect SEO?

 

[rotpar]

It does yes, not significant but it does, because google doesnt like for example "." characters in your url titles. Beside that (just a matter of taste) it makes absolutely no sense to have these numbers in the url

 

[Mr Lucky]

because google doesnt like for example "."

Do you have a reference for that?

Beside that (just a matter of taste) it makes absolutely no sense to have these numbers in the url

I would agree the numerals have no meaning for the user of the site, but I was under the impression that xenforo requires the thread id in the URL so that, for example, we admins can change a thread title without incuring 404s or us having to create 301s. This could be eveb more of anissue when forum users can edit thread titles which are then regerenced in the URL (as they should be).

 

[Chris D]

Does it affect SEO?

No it does not.

 

[Mr Lucky]

No it does not.

That's what I thought.

 

[Chris D]

Hi,

my forum thread urls always show like page.com/forums/thread-title.87
Is there any way to remove this .87 ??? This is pretty annoying for SEO

THX

Sorry to answer your question properly, no there is no way to remove the .87. This is the identifier of the content. Without that XenForo wouldn't be able to locate the content.

There is no SEO impact.

 

[rotpar]

Thanks a lot Chris I just thought the identifier if necessary woild make from a SEO perspective more sense if it would be domain.com/forum/threads/threadnames/87.
The "." as now is not really good for the SEO regardless what some others say here but I am about 20 years in the business and it does affect SEO.

 

[djbaxter]

Thanks a lot Chris I just thought the identifier if necessary woild make from a SEO perspective more sense if it would be domain.com/forum/threads/threadnames/87.
The "." as now is not really good for the SEO regardless what some others say here but I am about 20 years in the business and it does affect SEO.

Really it doesn't. I'd like to see a source for what makes you believe it does.

 

[Mr Lucky]

The "." itself is listed as a "safe character" in a URL so I don't see why Google would penalise for it.

I look at SEO in two broad categories:

• Direct optimisation for Google indexing and subsequent SERPS, which now seems to involve content, usebility and performance
• What makes somebody choose to open that site once they see it in the search (including the title, description/snippet and to some extent the URL.

I think seeing key words in the URL can help a little bit in this regard, if they happen to indicate to the user that the page will be useful. The only downside I can see is if the number is very long and kind of detracts visually from any potentially eye grabbing key words.

But a far bigger problem with forums in this regard is users just using useless and irrelevant thread titles such as "newbie question"

 

[Anatoliy]

But a far bigger problem with forums in this regard is users just using useless and irrelevant thread titles such as "newbie question"

That's what a button "Edit" for.

 

[Anatoliy]

If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there.
A.P.Chekhov

I guess today Chekhov would say: "If you see that in the first post someone is asking a question about URL improvement, be sure that in the second or third post he absolutely must to fire that he's 20 years in the business". )

 

[Hoffi]

Oh, wait. That can be easily negotiated.

I am more than 20 years in this business, and Google don't care about the dot and the number.

Thats how SEO works. Ask 3 people, and you have 4 opinions.

 

[Kirby]

Thats how SEO works. Ask 3 people, and you have 4 opinions.

From my experience, I'd say this figure is vastly underrated

 

[Anatoliy]

I am more than 20 years in this business, and Google don't care about the dot and the number.

I am even more, than more then 20 year in the business. And Google does care bout the dot and the number. On Tuesday about the dot and on Friday about the number.

 

[Chris D]

Suddenly the Google algorithm starts to make more sense. Everything is wrong on different days of the week.