In website operation, URL (Uniform Resource Locator) plays a vital role. It is not only the path for users to access website content but also an important basis for search engines to understand and index website information.An easily readable, semantically friendly URL that can significantly improve the website's search engine optimization (SEO) and bring more natural traffic.AnQiCMS as an efficient and customizable content management system, provides flexible URL structure customization functions, helping us easily build SEO-friendly websites.

Understanding SEO-friendly URL structure

Before delving into the AnQiCMS URL customization feature, we must first clarify what characteristics an ideal SEO-friendly URL should have:

  1. High readability:URL should be clear to users, allowing them to roughly judge the content of the page from the URL. Avoid using long URLs that contain meaningless numbers or complex parameters.
  2. Include keywords:Integrate core keywords highly relevant to page content in the URL, which helps search engines understand the page topic and may improve rankings.
  3. Hierarchical clarity:The URL structure should reflect the logical hierarchy of the website, helping users and search engines understand the organization of the website.
  4. Simplicity:As much as possible, keep the length of the URL moderate, as long URLs are not easy to remember and share.
  5. Staticized pseudo:Dynamic parameter-rich URLs (such asexample.com/article.php?id=123&category=news）Not friendly to search engines. Fake static URLs (such asexample.com/news/article-title.html）look more like static pages and are more favored by search engines.

AnQiCMS provided URL structure customization options

AnQiCMS knows the importance of URL structure to SEO, and therefore has integrated a powerful pseudo-static rule management feature in the system backend. We can find it through the following steps: Log in to the AnQiCMS backend, navigate toFunction Managementthen selectStatic rules.

Here, AnQiCMS provides various built-in static rules to meet the needs of different types of websites:

  1. Digital Mode:This is one of the simplest URL patterns, usually identified by the content ID. For example: /article/123.htmlThis pattern has the advantage of simplicity and efficiency, but lacks semantic information, which is not conducive to search engines understanding the content directly through the URL.
  2. Model Naming Pattern:This pattern incorporates the content model (such asarticle/product）and the custom name or ID of the content. For example：/article-seo-friendly-url.htmlor/product/product-id.html. It is more semantically meaningful, especially suitable for English websites, and can clearly show the type of content.
  3. Category Naming Pattern 1/2:These two modes combine classification information. For example：/category-name/article-id.htmlor/category-name/article-title.htmlThis helps to build the hierarchical structure of the website, making the URL more logical and navigable.

In addition to these built-in options, the most powerful feature of AnQiCMS lies in itscustom mode.This allows us to finely design URL structures based on the characteristics of our own website and SEO strategy.

  • {id}:Content or the unique ID of the category.
  • {filename}:Custom URL name of the content (article, product, single page, etc.), usually the pinyin or English alias of the title.
  • {catname}:The custom URL name of the category.
  • {catid}:The unique ID of the category.
  • {module}:The alias of the content model (e.g.)article/product).
  • {page}:The page number for pagination, often used on list pages.

For example, if we want the URL structure of the article to be/{module}/{filename}.html, and the category URL structure is/{catname}/, then we can configure as follows in the custom mode:

archive===/{module}/{filename}.html
category===/{catname}/

By flexibly combining these variables, we can create URLs that not only conform to SEO practices but also have the distinctive features of the website. For example, an e-commerce website can set up the product URL as/products/{category-name}/{product-name}.htmlThis includes product categories and product names, with a high level of semanticization.

How to configure the URL structure while maintaining SEO advantages

AnQiCMS's URL customization is not just a setting item in the backend, it runs through the entire process of content creation and management.

  1. Global configuration in pseudo-static rules:InFunction management -> URL Rewrite RuleInterface, select an embedded mode according to our needs or enable itcustom mode，then configure according to the above variable rules. Be sure to save after configuration.

  2. Optimize the content hierarchy using the "Custom URL" field:When creating and editing articles, products, categories, tags, and single pages, AnQiCMS provides aCustom URLfield (in "Other Parameters" or corresponding settings item).

    • Content (article, product) and single page:By default, the system will automatically generate a custom URL in English or Pinyin based on the title.But in order to better integrate with keywords or make it more readable, we strongly recommend manually filling in this field.anqicms-ruhe-youhua-seoWe can optimize it to:anqicms-seo-optimization-guideMore concise and keyword-specific. Make sure that the custom URL is unique across the entire site.
    • Categories and tags:Similarly, these custom URL fields of the hierarchy also support manual editing.Set meaningful, keyword-containing English or pinyin aliases for categories and tags, which can further enhance the SEO performance of the website.

Through these detailed controls, we can ensure that every page of the website has a 'door number' that is friendly to search engines.

Adjustment of URL structure after SEO maintenance

It is not enough to just configure the new URL structure; especially for websites that have already been launched and indexed by search engines, any adjustment to the URL structure must be handled with caution to avoid traffic loss and ranking decline.

  1. 301 Redirect Strategies:

    • Importance:If we change the old URL structure, and the old URL has been indexed by search engines or has external links, then a 301 permanent redirect must be set.301 redirect tells search engines that 'this page has permanently moved' and transfers the ranking weight of the old URL to the new URL.
    • Practice in AnQiCMS:AnQiCMS comes with built-in 301 redirect management feature (inFunction ManagementWe can redirect the old URL to the new URL accurately here, effectively preventing traffic and weight loss caused by URL changes.
    • The "fixed link" in the document:In the "Other Parameters/download），This is also a special URL handling method.

  2. Application of Canonical Tag:

    • Purpose:When a website has multiple URLs with similar or identical content (such as tracking parameter URLs accessed through different channels, or multiple pages with minor content changes), search engines may consider it duplicate content, which could affect ranking.Canonical tag can tell search engines which is the "preferred" version of the content.
    • Practice in AnQiCMS:In the AnQiCMS document editing interface 'Other Parameters', we can setstandard links (Canonical Url). In the template, you can use