Zikula Community

• **unknown user**
  
  

  • Rank: Registered User
  • Registered: Mar 16, 2002
  • Last visit: Oct 21, 2009
  • Posts: 9

  Posted: Aug 26, 2004 - 07:22 AM

  After a recent story i decided to revisit my site and see what the best mix of modules, hacks and rituals [NOTE: didn't find any ritauls - anyone know of any? :) ] that I could put into practice to best optimise my site for the almighty google and it's less mighty peers.
  
  Not a whole lot had changed since i first looked at this area a long while back. Most people were implementing some mix of ShortUrl's using mod rewrite and SnakeSEO.
  
  However, there seems to be widespread confusion and a distinct lack of useful resources on the topic (despite the very useful information available in these forums).
  
  As a result:
  
  - many people are not sure what mod rewrite rules they should be using in their .htaccess files
  - do not know what the 'best' way is to optimise PN for search engines (NOTE: i refer to issues such as; using .phtml V .html file extensions, problems with API Compliant modules, problems using ShortUrl's with SNakeSEO, whether SnakeSEO leads to risking a ban from google)
  
  I think it's time for this topic to be discussed and evolved.
  
  SEO is vital.
  
  PN still sucks at providing support for even foundation SEO rules (e.g. Semantic Markup, valid HTML/CSS)
  
  So, let's get to the bottom of this once and for all! Below I've listed my thoughts on the 2 main methods I've had experience with.
  
  I know AutoTheme also has an implementation but i've not looked at that yet.
  
  
  What's on the table?
  
  1.) dpShortUrl's
  
  - Good
  
  Don't need to modify themes to run
  Can switch on/off short urls from the PN admin area
  
  - Bad
  
  - Requires mods to the core of PN
  
  2.)ShortUrl's
  
  I've linked to the lastest incarnation of this ShortUrl's implementation but there's many which have built on the good work of others in the past
  
  (i.e.
  
  http://news.postnuke…ead&order=0&thold=0
  http://www.mtrad.com/SimpleURL.php
  
  - Good
  
  No PN core modifications
  
  - Bad
  
  Theme modifications required - easy for the PN user who knows basic PHP and the theme.php structure but still messy nonetheless.

  • 
  •  
• **unknown user**
  
  

  • Rank: Senior
  • Registered: Mar 16, 2002
  • Last visit: Oct 21, 2009
  • Posts: 2204

  Posted: Aug 26, 2004 - 09:36 AM

  Xanthia & AT also have the ability to enable ShortURL's.. providing Apache is used..
  
  I was reading a really incredible, extensive article with relative links at St. Ego's site too.. I'll find that link and add it to the conversation.. [edit: LINK]
  
  I don't necessarily feel that a modification to the core, as required by dpShortURL's, is necessarily a bad thing.. PN is a framework which is intended to be extended (traditionally through themes and modules, now with Xanthia and pnRender plug-ins..etc.), but some core hacks can provide "global" (throughout the app.) benefits (others may denegrate the system's integrity).
  
  I have personally relied heavily on the information provided by CRS @ mtrad.com for ShortURL's (with Gallery additions by Raider @ pnaddons.com).. ShortURL's became a huge topic sometime ago and sort of took the backseat as an "unimproved standard".. but recently, I've come accross more and more articles on variations of shortURL's using similar techniques with multiple outcomes..
  
  I'm glad to see the topic being raised again in so many places.. if for not the evolution of SEO, it still makes a good read.. for pseudo-tech-geeks like myself anyway.. :D
  
  -IR

  • 
  •  
• Slugger
  
  

  • Rank: Expert
  • Registered: Mar 11, 2003
  • Last visit: Oct 21, 2009
  • Posts: 1104

  Posted: Aug 28, 2004 - 04:21 AM

  Shouldn't pnMeta and/or the TitleHack be mentioned here?
  
  Better than any current offering (I'm aware of) would be a single module that would:
  
  

  • Allow one to name and re-name short urls as they want (i.e. Rewrite module "X" and call it module "Y" for one language or "Z" for another...etc.)
    
  • 
    
  • Allow one to set up titles (again ideally a different one for each language like you can with PNMeta)
    
  • 
    
  • Allow one to set up "security" urls...i.e. that would change each session so someone couldn't "map" your site or portions of your site.
    
  • 
    
  • Do all this internally, "on the fly", and w/out .htaccess

  
  
  Slugger

  • 
  •  
• **unknown user**
  
  

  • Rank: Freshman
  • Registered: Mar 16, 2002
  • Last visit: Jun 26, 2009
  • Posts: 64

  Posted: Aug 31, 2004 - 02:50 AM

  Slugger

  • 
    
  • Allow one to set up "security" urls...i.e. that would change each session so someone couldn't "map" your site or portions of your site.
    
  • 
    
  • Do all this internally, "on the fly", and w/out .htaccess

  
  
  I was right there with you up until the above. Random URL changing to prevent mapping seems a bit extreme, and doing any of the above w/o htaccess is... well, not feasible, IMHO.
  
  I'm working out a revised version of pnMeta that incorporates the pnTitle hack and allows (using the pnTitle component) not just customized page titles, but also customized meta keyword and description (not just global to the module, but dynamically specific to individual items).
  
  With pnMeta and pnTitle already available, this endeavor has not been prioritized for development yet. How much interest/need is there within the community?

  • 
  •  
• Slugger
  
  

  • Rank: Expert
  • Registered: Mar 11, 2003
  • Last visit: Oct 21, 2009
  • Posts: 1104

  Posted: Aug 31, 2004 - 03:34 AM

  St.Ego

  I was right there with you up until the above. Random URL changing to prevent mapping seems a bit extreme, and doing any of the above w/o htaccess is... well, not feasible, IMHO.

  
  
  Perhaps, but why not push an idea to the limit? Sometimes life surprises us with solutions and implementations we never thought were possible or necessary.
  
  Slugger

  • 
  •  
•  
•  

Users on-line

• mesteele101

This list is based on users active over the last 60 minutes.