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Open discussion on SEO


burt

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Did anyone yet try the keywords search engine?

 

As in....in shop search?

 

I have a site with that installed. Using it like this.

 

Product name is something like BigBoots Brand Shoes.

 

Customers may search Big Boots Brand Shoes so for keyword I have bigboots, big boots

 

As well, if I'd think someone would forget the name and put in humongous, i put that keyword in there too and it yields a hit on that item if someone searches just for humongous even though that word is not in the title nor description.

 

so i hope i have the concept correct in using it that way

I am not a professional webmaster or PHP coder by background or training but I will try to help as best I can.

I remember what it was like when I first started with osC. It can be overwhelming.

However, I strongly recommend considering hiring a professional for extensive site modifications, site cleaning, etc.

There are several good pros here on osCommerce. Look around, you'll figure out who they are.

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  • 2 weeks later...

For a canonical entry for the index.php page (ie the page that is the welcome page in your site), should it output;

 

<link rel="canonical" href="http://www.site.com/catalog/" />

 

or

 

<link rel="canonical" href="http://www.site.com/catalog/index.php" />

 

Anyone have any input on that please? In other words, should the "index.php" part be included in the output.

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For a canonical entry for the index.php page (ie the page that is the welcome page in your site), should it output;

 

<link rel="canonical" href="http://www.site.com/catalog/" />

 

or

 

<link rel="canonical" href="http://www.site.com/catalog/index.php" />

 

Anyone have any input on that please? In other words, should the "index.php" part be included in the output.

 

If the manufacturer and category canonicals are producing correctly, I don't know if it would matter as long as there is a distinct canonical for the index.php page. So unless I am missing something and if the canonical is only to used by the search engines I'd say

 

<link rel="canonical" href="http://www.site.com/catalog/index.php" />

 

as long at it doesn't effect shops that show the actual shop url without index.php, such as mine. Meaning its shows: 'http://www.site.com'

No catalog nor index.php shows. I hope that makes sense.

I am not a professional webmaster or PHP coder by background or training but I will try to help as best I can.

I remember what it was like when I first started with osC. It can be overwhelming.

However, I strongly recommend considering hiring a professional for extensive site modifications, site cleaning, etc.

There are several good pros here on osCommerce. Look around, you'll figure out who they are.

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  • 3 weeks later...

@@Gergely

 

Hi,

 

I found duplicate content errors in google webmester tools reports.

 

When cPath parameter is false but give result on server

cPath=1_17 is correct

cPath=1_2_17 duplicate content

 

My quick solution in the application_top.php....

 

 

I am using this to help clean up duplicate content issues on one of my sites.

 

After installing the code in application_top.php the invalid URL now shows a blank page with no page source info so that's helpful I presume. Before it would show a duplicate page.

 

I set up a 404 error code page (404.shtml) on my site but the error page not showing in this case.

 

Thanks

I am not a professional webmaster or PHP coder by background or training but I will try to help as best I can.

I remember what it was like when I first started with osC. It can be overwhelming.

However, I strongly recommend considering hiring a professional for extensive site modifications, site cleaning, etc.

There are several good pros here on osCommerce. Look around, you'll figure out who they are.

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@Gergely

 

Just noted that I am seeing this as an FYI

 

Correct cPath: my-product-c-115_32_197.html

 

With the quick fix installed:

 

Incorrect cPaths:

 

my-product-c-133_32_197.html yields a blank page. 404 code

 

my-product-c-32_197.html still shows listing but with incorrect cPath. 200 code

I am not a professional webmaster or PHP coder by background or training but I will try to help as best I can.

I remember what it was like when I first started with osC. It can be overwhelming.

However, I strongly recommend considering hiring a professional for extensive site modifications, site cleaning, etc.

There are several good pros here on osCommerce. Look around, you'll figure out who they are.

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@@altoid

 

This problem is more complicated. I am testing the full version at this moment. I need cPath cache for validation. ASAP it will be full stabilised I will commit. Test page is gumisarok.hu

:blink:
osCommerce based shop owner with minimal design and focused on background works. When the less is more.
Email managment with tracking pixel, package managment for shipping, stock management, warehouse managment with bar code reader, parcel shops management on 3000 pickup points without local store.

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@@altoid

 

This problem is more complicated. I am testing the full version at this moment. I need cPath cache for validation. ASAP it will be full stabilised I will commit. Test page is gumisarok.hu

 

OK...I'll watch for that. Thanks.

I am not a professional webmaster or PHP coder by background or training but I will try to help as best I can.

I remember what it was like when I first started with osC. It can be overwhelming.

However, I strongly recommend considering hiring a professional for extensive site modifications, site cleaning, etc.

There are several good pros here on osCommerce. Look around, you'll figure out who they are.

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Hi,

 

I think would be usefull if login redirected links added "nofollow" relation. The main store has product notification, write reviews, account and login buttons. There are two cases for.

  1. decrase not referal page links
  2. not use 302 redirection

The button's issue is more dramatic but others are easy.

:blink:
osCommerce based shop owner with minimal design and focused on background works. When the less is more.
Email managment with tracking pixel, package managment for shipping, stock management, warehouse managment with bar code reader, parcel shops management on 3000 pickup points without local store.

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@@Gergely

 

This problem is more complicated. I am testing the full version at this moment. I need cPath cache for validation. ASAP it will be full stabilised I will commit. Test page is gumisarok.hu

 

As noted the code you provided is not capturing all the duplicate content but the good news for me anyway it is capturing a significant amount and saving me some work over in google webmaster tools. But still some are getting through. Just this morning webmaster tools listed some more of what they see as duplicates.

 

For now I am handling these by setting up redirects to the correct page.

 

But my question is what is causing these incorrect categories to show up in the first place.

 

Meaning product-category-c-179.html is not part of the site structure but it shows that way if you click the link in google webmaster tools. The correct listing one sub category deeper and actually is product-category-c-130_179.html

 

Where are urls like product-category-c-179.html coming from when should not exist?

I am not a professional webmaster or PHP coder by background or training but I will try to help as best I can.

I remember what it was like when I first started with osC. It can be overwhelming.

However, I strongly recommend considering hiring a professional for extensive site modifications, site cleaning, etc.

There are several good pros here on osCommerce. Look around, you'll figure out who they are.

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:blink:
osCommerce based shop owner with minimal design and focused on background works. When the less is more.
Email managment with tracking pixel, package managment for shipping, stock management, warehouse managment with bar code reader, parcel shops management on 3000 pickup points without local store.

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@@Gergely

 

I installed the modifications you provided and that seems to have fixed the issues I was seeing in google webmaster tools.

 

First I removed the 301 redirects that I set up in my htaccess file, then ran some of the urls that webmaster tools have been showing as duplicate titles.

 

If I understand what the code is doing now it appears to identify an incorrect cpath and then generate a 301 taking that to the correct cpath that the code generates or finds.

 

It's a great concept!

I am not a professional webmaster or PHP coder by background or training but I will try to help as best I can.

I remember what it was like when I first started with osC. It can be overwhelming.

However, I strongly recommend considering hiring a professional for extensive site modifications, site cleaning, etc.

There are several good pros here on osCommerce. Look around, you'll figure out who they are.

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Google rarely uses the meta description, so it's not as important as you seem to think. In any case, stock osCommerce has a module that generates the meta description from the page text. To add your own description, use one of the addons such as Modular SEO Header Tags (see link below).

 

Regards

Jim

See my profile for a list of my addons and ways to get support.

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The meta description, while not influencing where Google ranks your page (all that much, if at all), is still critically important. It is the difference between a human looking at your page entry in the search engine results and saying "meh", or saying "hey, this looks interesting -- I think I'll click on it and see more." After all, isn't that the ultimate objective?

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Alt Tags for Images

Should never be used for SEO purposes. They are used to describe a representation of the image for those who cannot view them.

 

In 2.3.3 there is an extra input in the multiple images feature which is for (eg) the embed code of a youtube video. if you have no use for that, this could easily be changed to insert the "alt" text for the relevant image. I did in fact do this on my own site, worked very well.

 

This fairly recent article explains that alt tags are still actually quite important, so I would not say that alt tags should never be used for SEO. It's not really an accurate statement.

 

http://www.brafton.com/news/google-needs-text-cutts-advises-pretty-content-for-seo

"The doorstep to the temple of wisdom is a knowledge of our own ignorance."

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Burt and I had an exchange of posts last May or so regarding this. Alt tags definitely are useful for SEO, as a spider can't look at (or inside) an image and figure out what it is. Alt and title tags are about all it has to add to its keyword list. Just accurately describe the image so that a blind person could get an idea of what the image is, with some keywords useful for indexing, and leave it at that. Don't get elaborate and go overboard with trying to keyword stuff or something in an alt tag.

 

Alt tags do help with SEO, so I agree that Burt is misstating things here. Just don't abuse them.

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Alt tags are used solely to describe the image in a way that someone who cannot see the image knows what the image is. That is it, not more, not less. Anyone who promotes alt tags as part of an overall SEO strategy is a cowboy.

 

It is of course very possible that a good website owner can write appropriate alt text that is also good for seo.

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Anyone who promotes alt tags as part of an overall SEO strategy is a cowboy.

 

It is of course very possible that a good website owner can write appropriate alt text that is also good for seo.

Make up your mind.

 

Search engines do read the alt= and title= tags, looking for keywords to use. The use of alt tags has always been recommended not only for aiding the visually handicapped, but as a little something extra to help with SEO. In that sense, alt tags are part of an overall SEO strategy. Not a major part, but still a part. If that makes me a cowboy, then all I can say is, "giddyup!" Keep in mind that in the U.S., a "cowboy" is an honored part of our culture and history, not a derogatory term. Real cowboys were, and are, nothing like what you see in the movies (scattering women and children as they stampede into town, six-guns a-blazin'). Just remember that the primary purpose of alt tags is to provide text replacement for those (people or bots) who can't see the image, so don't distort that usage trying to cram in as many keywords as possible. But also remember that search engines will look at alt text to pick up keywords.

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I suggest to you to re-read my comment which is taken out of context by mommaroodles and by you (as is usual these days). Again, just so it's ultra clear:

 

Alt tags should never be used as part of a SEO strategy. They are solely for describing the image for those who cannot see it. It is possible that a well written description of an image is helpful for SEO.

 

Clear?

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@@Gergely

 

 

Gergely, after I installed this the duplicate title tags that google wasn't happy about have been reducing dramatically. I removed all 301 redirects I had set up in my .htaccess file and have been relying on your code exclusively. I have been testing the remaining duplicates that webmaster tools is still showing. The duplicates are being handled correctly now thanks to the code. Those dups should disappear in the next cycle or so I'd think.

 

Should your modification be included in the core package somewhere along the way? For situations like I ran into it would save a lot of grief in dealing with duplicate content errors.

 

Thanks

I am not a professional webmaster or PHP coder by background or training but I will try to help as best I can.

I remember what it was like when I first started with osC. It can be overwhelming.

However, I strongly recommend considering hiring a professional for extensive site modifications, site cleaning, etc.

There are several good pros here on osCommerce. Look around, you'll figure out who they are.

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@@altoid

 

My website was 200.000 duplicate contents before. :)

I think something similar code should be merged on github. This solution can handle cPath variable cache and could be more faster shop. I will try consult with Harald and Burt about it.

:blink:
osCommerce based shop owner with minimal design and focused on background works. When the less is more.
Email managment with tracking pixel, package managment for shipping, stock management, warehouse managment with bar code reader, parcel shops management on 3000 pickup points without local store.

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@@altoid

 

My website was 200.000 duplicate contents before. :)

I think something similar code should be merged on github. This solution can handle cPath variable cache and could be more faster shop. I will try consult with Harald and Burt about it.

 

I think it's worth consideration for SEO most definitely. One of my sites was penalized recently because of a lot of duplicate content after I did some site reorganization. This code would have fixed most of that and the duplication would never have appeared. Thanks

I am not a professional webmaster or PHP coder by background or training but I will try to help as best I can.

I remember what it was like when I first started with osC. It can be overwhelming.

However, I strongly recommend considering hiring a professional for extensive site modifications, site cleaning, etc.

There are several good pros here on osCommerce. Look around, you'll figure out who they are.

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