Our company provides us with many flexible and powerful tools in content operation, among which the 'Custom URL' feature is a very valuable feature.It not only concerns the website's search engine optimization (SEO), but also directly affects the perception and trust of users in the content.So, under what circumstances does this custom URL function take effect, and how can we ensure its uniqueness to optimize content display?

The timing when the custom URL feature takes effect

In AnQi CMS, custom URLs are not always in the 'working state'.Its effectiveness is closely related to the 'pseudo-static rules' we set for the website.In simple terms, if you want the custom URL of articles, categories, single pages, or tags to display as you wish, then the pseudo-static rules of the website must be selected to support the 'naming mode' rules.

When we enter the background "Function Management" and find the "URL Rewrite Rule" setting, we will find that the system has built-in several rules, such as "Number Pattern" and "Model Naming Pattern".

  • Numeric patternusually based on the content ID for generating URLs, such as/article/123.html.In this mode, even if you enter a custom URL while editing the content, the system will prioritize using the numeric ID of the content to generate links, and the role of the custom URL field is very limited.
  • naming pattern(especially when used{filename}/{catname}The rules of variables are the stage where custom URLs really shine. For example, if your pseudo-static rules are set to/{module}/{filename}.html, then when you fill in the "custom URL" field in the articleanqicms-tutorialWhen, the final link of the article may be displayed as/article/anqicms-tutorial.htmlSimilarly, the custom URL of categories and tags (through{catname}and other variables) is also the same.

So when planning the website URL structure, we first need to clarify whether we need a customized, semantic URL. If the answer is yes, then we need to select or customize the static rules to include named variables such as{filename}The rule. Only then can the custom URL we have painstakingly filled out truly be displayed to users and search engines.

How to ensure the uniqueness of the custom URL

Another core requirement of a custom URL is 'uniqueness'.Aqiji CMS considers this point very thoroughly.When editing documents, categories, or tags, you will see a prompt next to the "Custom URL" field: it will automatically generate a pinyin version of the URL based on the title you enter.Of course, if you are not satisfied with this automatically generated URL, you can manually modify it.

However, after manual modification, we need to pay special attention to its uniqueness. The system explicitly states:The custom URL must ensure that it is unique throughout the entire site. If it is not unique, the system will add random numbers at the end to ensure its uniqueness.This means that if you create two articles, both will have a custom URL setanqicms-featuresThen one of the URLs might becomeanqicms-features-123(Where "123" is a randomly generated number by the system to ensure that the URL is not duplicated.)

To avoid the appearance of random numbers, maintain the simplicity and aesthetics of the URL, we have several practical suggestions:

  1. Make good use of keywords and thematic words: Integrate the core keywords of the article, category, or tag into the URL.This not only helps with SEO, but also makes the URL more readable.anqicms-multi-site-management.
  2. Avoid overly broad or general vocabulary：Avoid using words such as 'news', 'detail', 'index', etc. as custom URLs, especially when the amount of content on the website is large.
  3. Combine date or number: For series articles or time-sensitive content, consider adding a date (such as2023-01-anqicms-guide) or a simple number to further increase its uniqueness.
  4. Follow URL friendly character standards: Although the system will automatically handle it, it is best to only use lowercase letters, numbers, hyphens (-), or underscores (_) when manually entering it.Avoid using special characters, Chinese characters, or spaces to ensure that the URL can work normally in various environments.
  5. Regularly check and optimize: Although the system has an automatic processing mechanism, we can still check the URL structure of the website irregularly to ensure it meets expectations.If you find unnecessary random numbers, you can try to modify the custom URL to make it more semantically clear and unique.

By carefully setting up custom URLs, we can create clear and meaningful addresses for website content, which not only improves user experience but also provides convenience for search engines to crawl and understand page content, thereby optimizing the overall display effect of the website's content.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Will the custom URL I set be lost if I switch back to the 'numeric mode' URL rewrite rule after using it?

Will not be lost.The custom URL data you set before will be retained on the content editing page.When you switch the pseudo-static rule to numeric mode, the system will prioritize generating URLs based on the content ID.If you switch back to the support of named pattern pseudo-static rules in the future, these custom URLs will take effect again without the need to re-enter them.

2. Can custom URLs use Chinese characters or special symbols?

The AnQi CMS usually converts custom URLs to pinyin or English characters when automatically generating them.If you manually enter Chinese characters or special symbols, the system may automatically escape or remove them to ensure the validity of the URL.To obtain the most concise and SEO-friendly URL, it is recommended to only use lowercase letters, numbers, hyphens (-), or underscores (_) when manually entered.

3. Will changing the custom URL of the content affect SEO? How should I handle it?

Changing the URL that has already gone live and been indexed by search engines can indeed have a short-term impact on SEO.Because the old URL may become invalid, causing search engines to not be able to find the page.AnQi CMS provides the "301 Redirect Management" feature, which is the key to solving this problem.When you change the custom URL, you should immediately set up a 301 redirect in the background, permanently redirecting the old URL to the new one.This will automatically redirect search engines and users visiting old links to the new links, thereby passing the weight of the old links to the new links, and minimizing SEO loss as much as possible.