How to Optimize Magento Store URLs in 3 Easy Steps

Among several other factors, optimizing Magento store URLs is an essential part of any Magento search engine optimization strategy. It ensures that you secure a higher rank in search engine results. Such URLs are ideal for allowing users to spend little time on finding the exact products and services that they are looking for.

Before proceeding with making SEO-friendly URLs, ensure to make a backup so that any undesired changes can be dealt with later, just in case. Here is the step by step instruction about optimizing URLs for enjoying the best Search Engine Optimization for Magento:

• Step 1 – Go to System->Configuration->Web. Here, you will find a number of options such as URL Options and Search Engine Optimization.
• Step 2 – Now, set Auto-Redirect to Base URL to Yes (301 Moved Permanently). Doing so will automatically redirect Magento to your base URL.
• Step 3 – Set Use Web Server Rewrites to Yes. This will remove index.php string from the base URL.

In addition to removing the index.php string, you should also enable Magento canonical URLs to allow search engines, like any Magento SEO Company will do, recognize only one version of your URL. For doing so, go to System->Configuration->Catalog->Search Engine Optimization. There will be several options available here. Each one of them is defined as follows:

1. Auto Generated SiteMap

Sitemaps are meant for informing search engines about webpages for crawling. Set this option for allowing Magento to create 2 pages on your website. These 2 pages will guide search engines crawlers through the site and to the various important webpages.

2. Popular Search Terms

Enabling the Popular Search Terms will allow webpages to display the most popular search terms.

3. Product URL Suffix

This option allows you to change the suffix added at the end of your product URL. It is recommended to not change Product URL Suffix from the default.html.

4. Category URL Suffix

Category URL Suffix is similar to the Product URL Suffix but is added at the end of the category URL. It is also recommended to not change.

5. Use Categories Path for Product URLs

As a product can belong to multiple categories, it is recommended to let the Use Categories Path for Product URLs stay disabled. The same product will be called by multiple URLs and because not all of them are SEO-friendly, it’s better to ignore category name from the URLs especially for larger eCommerce stores.

6. Create Permanent Redirect for URLs if URL Key Changed

Setting Create Permanent Redirect for URLs if URL Key Changed option to Yes allows any page to automatically redirect to your store in case there is any change in the URL identifiers or keys.

7. Page Title Separator

This option allows you to enter a character for separating page titles at the front-end of your Magento SEO Company

8. Use Canonical Link Meta Tag for Categories

Setting Use Canonical Meta Tag for Categories to Yes automatically adds a canonical tag in the HTML code of your category page. It will then display only the main version of your category page.

9. Use Canonical Link Meta Tag for Products

Setting this option to Yes will make only one page of your product visible to visitors.

If you find the task too much for you then it’s perhaps a better idea to go for some Magento SEO company to help you with the task.

For more information please visit www.seocorporation.net