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    Can URLs be shortened?

    Since discovering that I cannot use the category tree module since it won't let me edit the code to make it a top navigation bar rather than a left one, I've decided to use the navigation bar I originally created via Dreamweaver. So I was looking at how the URLs are set up for the categories and they are too long with all that unnecessary extra stuff.

    What Miva is providing me as the URL for my Home & Office category is: http://www.purpleirisplaza.com/mm5/m...de=home-office. Can it simply be http://www.purpleirisplaza.com/home-office? If so, how can I edit those?

    Also, can the same be done for things like the About page? It's currently pointing to http://www.purpleirisplaza.com/mm5/m...IP&Screen=ABUS when it should simply be http://www.purpleirisplaza.com/about.

    Thanks for your help. :)

    Nicole

    #2
    Re: Can URLs be shortened?

    Yes, check the Reference Guide for SEO Settings to control those. www.miva.com/referenceguide
    Thanks,

    Rick Wilson
    CEO
    Miva, Inc.
    [email protected]
    https://www.miva.com

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Can URLs be shortened?

      BTW: I would caution you about using something like:

      http://www.purpleirisplaza.com/home-office/

      better would be

      http://www.purpleirisplaza.com/catalog/home-office.html

      -or-

      http://www.purpleirisplaza.com/categ...me-office.html

      Reason is, Short links are as much for 'humans' as they are for Search Engines

      /catalog/home-office.html

      tells me (the human) exactly what I am going to find there.
      Bruce Golub
      Phosphor Media - "Your Success is our Business"

      Improve Your Customer Service | Get MORE Customers | Edit CSS/Javascript/HTML Easily | Make Your Site Faster | Get Indexed by Google | Free Modules | Follow Us on Facebook
      phosphormedia.com

      Comment


        #4
        Re: Can URLs be shortened?

        If short link structure had any effect on humans, every large retailer would be a failure. Seriously. Go to any major retailer and click a link on the home page.

        Comment


          #5
          Re: Can URLs be shortened?

          Originally posted by nottheusual1 View Post
          If short link structure had any effect on humans, every large retailer would be a failure. Seriously. Go to any major retailer and click a link on the home page.
          Yeah, things that make you go hmmmm....
          Leslie Kirk
          Miva Certified Developer
          Miva Merchant Specialist since 1997
          Previously of Webs Your Way
          (aka Leslie Nord leslienord)

          Email me: [email protected]
          www.lesliekirk.com

          Follow me: Twitter | Facebook | FourSquare | Pinterest | Flickr

          Comment


            #6
            Re: Can URLs be shortened?

            Ah, ok, sure...lets do everything the way a "big retailer" does it...that will make a small business thrive!
            Bruce Golub
            Phosphor Media - "Your Success is our Business"

            Improve Your Customer Service | Get MORE Customers | Edit CSS/Javascript/HTML Easily | Make Your Site Faster | Get Indexed by Google | Free Modules | Follow Us on Facebook
            phosphormedia.com

            Comment


              #7
              Re: Can URLs be shortened?

              I can't find a scintilla of data/evidence that says users of any size business' Ecom Website read URLS when navigating. Please share your sources. Information is good.

              Comment


                #8
                Re: Can URLs be shortened?

                Yea, so is google:

                "effects of human readability of URLs"
                Bruce Golub
                Phosphor Media - "Your Success is our Business"

                Improve Your Customer Service | Get MORE Customers | Edit CSS/Javascript/HTML Easily | Make Your Site Faster | Get Indexed by Google | Free Modules | Follow Us on Facebook
                phosphormedia.com

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: Can URLs be shortened?

                  Semantic URLS and SEO was the topic? I'm sorry - I was laboring under the impression we were discussing how humans view/use URLs when moving thru a Web site.

                  If that is what you meant by your post, my apologies.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: Can URLs be shortened?

                    No, I didn't mean folks look at a URL ON a web site and go, "oh my, look, I'm on a category page", rather when they view the URL outside of the site, they get additional information about the nature of the page the URL refers too...

                    No problem, I'm only on my first cup of coffee myself. I just see too many people labor under the impression that the "shorter" the URL the better, rather than just a "better" URL.
                    Bruce Golub
                    Phosphor Media - "Your Success is our Business"

                    Improve Your Customer Service | Get MORE Customers | Edit CSS/Javascript/HTML Easily | Make Your Site Faster | Get Indexed by Google | Free Modules | Follow Us on Facebook
                    phosphormedia.com

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: Can URLs be shortened?

                      Sorry I'm just now getting back to this...been super busy trying to get the site done and products ready for uploading. Thank you for the assistance and suggestions. I did find the section I needed in the manual not long after posting the question. I actually found the answer long before my question was even approved for posting. LOL Otherwise I would have deleted it.

                      My reason for shortening them is for SEO purposes. While I'm one who does look at URLs when browsing the 'net, shortening them for humans wasn't a concern. Search engines (particularly Google) prefer shorter URLs and they also look at keywords. So, having all that extra stuff would make them too long and have useless "words" that do nothing for SEO.

                      When opting to shorten them in the settings, it did produce URLs including notations like category, product and such (ie, http://www.purpleirisplaza.com/categ...me-office.html). While I don't think the second level is necessary, I'm okay with it as long as the URL remains short.

                      However, one thing I'm not okay with is how it uses the Product Code/SKU in the URL rather than the product title. That has absolutely no SEO value. Is there a way to make it use the product title instead? Better yet, can one customize each product's URL? I tend to use the maximum character limit on product titles and using that in the URL would make them too long in those cases, so being able to create a custom URL with only the main keywords from the title would be great.

                      Thanks again! =)

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: Can URLs be shortened?

                        P.S. -- Why do my posts require approval prior to posting? When someone has questions, it really doesn't help to get answers in a timely manner. As stated above, I found the answer on my own before my initial question was even posted. It could possibly have saved me some time if my question was posted immediately.

                        I know I've posted to these forums before, so I'm not sure why it's showing my initial post as my first. Maybe it has something to do with having to reset my forum account a year or so ago, but I could have sworn I've posted since then. Anywho, I'm not complaining -- just curious. ;)

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: Can URLs be shortened?

                          Only your first 3 posts require approval, it's to stop spammers (which there are a lot of).
                          Thanks,

                          Rick Wilson
                          CEO
                          Miva, Inc.
                          [email protected]
                          https://www.miva.com

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Re: Can URLs be shortened?

                            A bit of work, but perhaps Miva could figure out how to automatically "trust" as new login from within the Merchant Admin.
                            Bruce Golub
                            Phosphor Media - "Your Success is our Business"

                            Improve Your Customer Service | Get MORE Customers | Edit CSS/Javascript/HTML Easily | Make Your Site Faster | Get Indexed by Google | Free Modules | Follow Us on Facebook
                            phosphormedia.com

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: Can URLs be shortened?

                              @purpleiris

                              There are a few ways to do what you need. You can do exactly what you are looking for, but you will also need to product code in the url:

                              http://www.domain.com/product_code/seo-friendly-product-name.html

                              Or:

                              http://www.domain.com/seo-friendly-product-name_product_code.html

                              Basically Miva needs the product code (or category code) in order to know what product to display.

                              Here are some instructions on how to do this:

                              http://extranet.miva.com/forums/show...770#post430770

                              Another option is a module called pagefinder. It allows you to specify your own custom URL string that is not based on the product code or the product name. I believe it cost $199 for the module.

                              Lastly, it is worth mentioning that we are currently in the process of revamping how short links work in Miva and all of this functionality will be built in very soon where you can specify any custom URL you want to any product or category.
                              Last edited by Brennan; 04-28-15, 01:24 PM.
                              Brennan Heyde
                              VP Product
                              Miva, Inc.
                              [email protected]
                              https://www.miva.com

                              Comment

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