What are the rules for generating a custom URL while editing a document? How can users manually modify it to optimize SEO?

As an experienced website operations expert, I know that every detail can affect the performance of a website in search engines.URL, as the 'address' of website content, its structure and readability are crucial for SEO.AnQiCMS (AnQiCMS) provides high flexibility in URL management, allowing operators to fine-tune control and effectively improve the search engine friendliness of the website.

Today, let's delve into the custom URL generation rules when editing documents in Anqi CMS, as well as how users can manually modify these URLs to optimize SEO.

Optimize website URL: How can AnQi CMS help you give a helping hand

In the world of digital marketing, a clear and meaningful URL is not only a guide for users to access the path, but also an important signal for search engines to understand and evaluate web content.Anqi CMS is well-versed in this, providing website operators with powerful URL customization features, allowing you to better control the SEO performance of your website.

Default generation rules for AnQi CMS document URL

When we first create or edit a document (whether it's an article, product, single page, or tag content) in AnQi CMS, the system will not allow you to build the URL from scratch.It comes with a smart, friendly default generation mechanism.

Generally, AnQi CMS will be based on the settings you make for the documentTitleConvert it automatically to the correspondingpinyin stringFill in the URL alias field. For example, if you create an article named "Anqi CMS Optimization Guide", the system may automatically generate a URL alias like "anqicms-youhua-zhinan".This automatic generation method saves the trouble of manual input, especially suitable for websites with large amounts of content.In the update of AnqiCMS v2.0.0-alpha2, it specially emphasized the feature of 'automatically generating pinyin based on the title and updating it to the url_token field', which reflects the system's consideration of ease of use.

However, this default generation rule based on pinyin, while convenient, does not always meet the **practice or specific brand needs of SEO.

The necessity and SEO value of custom URLs

Why do we need to manually modify these seemingly 'intelligent' URLs? The main reasons are as follows:

1. Keyword integrationThe default pinyin URL may not accurately contain the target keywords, but manual modification can allow you to naturally embed the core keywords in the URL, improving the search engine's understanding of the page topic.
2. Improve readabilityA concise and readable URL is not only friendly to search engines but also improves user experience.When sharing on social media or judging content through links, a clear and semantically meaningful URL will be more popular.
3. Enhance brand recognitionIn some cases, you may want the URL to include brand words or specific English abbreviations to enhance the professionalism and consistency of the brand.
4. Avoid duplicate contentIf the system-generated URL alias conflicts with other existing pages, Anqi CMS will intelligently add random numbers at the end to ensure uniqueness.Although this solves the technical problem, the readability of a URL with random numbers is greatly reduced for SEO.

How to manually modify the custom URL to optimize SEO

The AnQi CMS provides a 'custom URL' field in the editing interface for documents (articles, products), categories, tags, and single pages, allowing you to break the default rules and achieve fine-grained control.

1. Locate the custom URL field:

   • Document (article, product): On the 'Add document' or 'Edit document' interface, you will find an input box named 'Custom URL'.
   • CategoryIn the add or edit interface of 'Document Classification', there is also a 'Custom URL' field.
   • TagIn the add or edit interface of the 'Document Tag', a 'Custom URL' field is also provided.
   • single pageIn the 'Page Management' add or edit interface, you can also find the 'Custom URL'.

2. Understand the field functionThe 'Custom URL' field is designed to work with the website'sStatic rulesIt exists. Only when the pseudo-static rules of your website are used{filename}(used for documents, single pages, tags) or{catname}(Used for classification) The custom URL you enter here will truly take effect and determine the final displayed URL path when these variables are used.

3. Manually modify the strategy:

   • Keyword priority：Integrate the most critical keywords of the article into the URL in English or pinyin (without tone) in a concise and clear manner. For example, for the article "AnQi CMS Tutorial", you can modify its custom URL toanqicms-tutorialoranqicms-jiaocheng.
   • Use a hyphen ( - ) to separate: Search engines generally consider hyphens as a **word separation method, which helps them identify keywords in URLs. Avoid using underscores (_).
   • Keep it concise.The long URL reduces readability and may be truncated by search engines. Try to keep the URL short and meaningful.
   • Ensure uniquenessThis is the most important. Anqi CMS will strictly require that the custom URL is unique throughout the site.If you enter a URL alias that is already taken, the system will prompt you or automatically add a random number at the end.At this time, you can try adding years, dates, or more specific modifiers to ensure uniqueness, for exampleanqicms-tutorial-2023.
   • Avoid special characters: Avoid using special characters other than hyphens and numbers in URLs to prevent parsing errors or compatibility issues.

How do custom URLs work with pseudo-static rules?

After manually modifying the URL alias, you need to ensure that the website'sStatic rulesCan correctly parse and apply these custom values. The "Static Rules" setting in the "Function Management" of Anqi CMS is the key to achieving this goal.

AnQi CMS provides four preset static rules such as 'number mode', 'model naming mode', 'category naming mode', etc., each with its own focus. To fully utilize the power of custom URLs, it is usually necessary to switch toCustom Mode.

In custom mode, you can flexibly combine various variables to build URL structures. The variables directly associated with the custom URL field we manually modify are:

• {filename}Custom URL alias for documents, single pages, and tags.
• {catname}Custom URL alias for categories.
• {id}: Unique ID of the content.
• {module}Custom URL alias for the model the content belongs to (such asarticle/product)
• {page}Page number.

Example rule fragment： Assuming you want the article URL format to bedomain.com/article/您自定义的URL别名.htmlThen in the pseudo-static rule, it can be configured like thisarchiveRule:archive===/{module}/{filename}.html

Similarly, if the category URL format isdomain.com/category/您自定义的分类别名.html:category===/{module}/{catname}.html

With this configuration, the system will prioritize using the "custom URL" alias you manually enter in the editing interface when generating URLs, rather than the default pinyin.

Conclusion

The custom URL feature provided by AnQi CMS is a powerful weapon for website operators to perform SEO optimization.It is not just a simple input box, but also the key to controlling your website's 'address number'.By understanding the default generation rules, mastering the manual modification features, and combining flexible pseudo-static rule configuration, you will be able to build a high-quality URL structure that meets the search engine's taste and enhances the user experience, laying a solid foundation for the long-term development of the website.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: I modified the custom URL of the document, but the link on the front page did not change. What is the matter? A1:This situation usually has several reasons. First, make sure your website isStatic rulesenabled and the rules use{filename}(for documents, single pages, tags) or{catname}Variables for carrying your custom URL alias for categories.If the rule does not include these variables, the manually modified alias will not take effect.The second, AnQi CMS may existcacheMechanism, you need to clear the system cache and then refresh the page to view the effect.

Q2: What should you do when the system prompts 'Alias already exists' while editing a custom URL? A2:This indicates that the URL alias you entered has been taken by other documents, categories, or pages on the website.The URL alias must be globally unique in AnQi CMS.At this time, you can try adding numbers after the alias (such asmy-article-01), year (such asmy-article-2023），or use more specific keyword phrases to ensure their uniqueness, while keeping the URL concise and semantically meaningful.

Q3: Besides articles, what other content types support custom URLs? A3:Anqi CMS provides custom URL functionality for various content types on the website, including but not limited toarticle (document)/product/Document Category/Document Tagas well assingle page. You can find the 'Custom URL' or similar field in each editing interface to make modifications.This ensures that you can perform URL-level SEO optimization for almost all accessible content on the website.