SEO – Search engine optimization, is one of the knowledge that most of the webmaster like to study intensively. Although SEO is a shortcut way to increase your page’s traffic, but the number of people who really mastered this technique actually still in minority, and normally charged expensively. However, in order to prevent the objectivity of searched result, most of the main search engine (especially Google) will change their page ranking techniques after a period of time, and also castigate those fraudulent websites. In other word, do not cheat !!
Page ranking, SEO,static URL,dynamic URL
Question Mark ‘?’ in URL
Let us see an example of URL:
http://www.techblogy.com/?p=126 (this URL not exist)
Yes, this is a wordpress default permalink look like. And you can see a question mark ‘?’ in URL. This type of URL called dynamic link, and usually be a problem. And there is a internet parlance, ‘Google dislike URL with ‘?’ mark’. Regarding this question, there has an explaination on WordPress support forum:
Remember Google is much different than Yahoo, Msn etc.
Google does take keywords in the URL into consideration but does take much more into consideration also, when judging a website.
The other search engines on the other hand consider it much more.
So, I would say don’t bother to do it for google because there is much more that go into the Google algorithm BUT, it definately will help in the rest of the engines.
Which in other word means, google will take the keyword in URL in consideration of judge. Other search engines much more.
If you still confuse or be doubtful of this parlance, you may read an article on webcredible.co.uk entitiled “Does a question mark in the URL affect ranking?“. The author plotted a graph to compare the affects of dynamic link in Google and Yahoo (as below):
(Note: The ranking in Axis X is not referring to PageRank in Google, but the position in searched result. 1st is the best position.)
As we can see, those link using dynamic URL (with ‘?’ mark in URL) will have low priority in Google and Yahoo, but those link using non-dynamic URL will in higher position.
How to Optimize?
Easy. Does not use dynamic URL. WordPress user can change this default setting from admin control panel to change the format of permalink (the server must support mod_rewrite function). Change the format to put your post title words in permalink URL.
Include some keywords in every of your post title. Becaue now the permalink will included your post title as part of URL.
The title of post is “Blogging Terms Glossary“. The permalink will now include the title in the URL. As mentioned above, Google and some other search engines will take this URL in consideration of judge.
For other blog platform (e.g. blogger, blogspirit) users, Kea suggest to use static URL (with keyword in URL). Try not to use dynamic URL, especially those with ‘?’ mark.