Keywords in the URL name
By Yelena Shapiro
What
is a URL name?
The URL name is the name of the site, such as searchengines. Although
the whole URL would look like this:
http://www.searchengines.com, the part that the search engines are interested
in is "searchengines."
Why should I have keywords in my URL name?
Recently, search engines started to use keywords in the URL as a part
of their ranking formula. One of the search engines that uses it is Google.
Google is extremely
important because Yahoo!
selected it as a provider of their non-directory search results. Google's
ranking formula should receive more attention than ever because Yahoo!
accounts for at much as 50% of traffic to many sites.
Asides from Google,
Inktomi uses keywords
in the URL as a part of their algorithm as well.
What
if I can't get a URL name with keywords in it?
Unless you're one of the lucky ones who registered their domain name
back in 1996, you will probably have little luck finding a name with your
keywords in it.
Fortunately, you can partially rectify this problem. The solution is to
name your files with appropriate keywords. Let's say that you sell
puppy food.
You have a choice between naming your file "puppyfood.html"
or "info.html," definitely choose the one with the keywords
in it. You should try to insert a keyword in the name of every single
file, if possible.
Alphabetical priority
and its influence
Some smaller engines still use alphabetical hierarchy as a part of their
ranking formula. Directories, such as Yahoo!
and LookSmart list sites using
alphabetical hierarchy. Click here to learn how
alphabetical hierarchy is structured and how it should affect your
decisions when buying a URL name.
Avoid the use of
spam
Although directories may penalize for misrepresenting your company's
name, neither search engines nor directories penalize for URL names. This
means that you can buy any URL name you want (as long as it complies with
rules about trademarks and so on) and search engines will not penalize
you for it.
Some search engines don't index URLs with "?" in them. However,
major search engines can index URLs with numbers and characters such as
"@."
An overview
URL Keywords
- Name files with keywords
- Consider alphabetical priority
- Look for a URL name with keywords in it
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