Even the top URLs managers like SEO-G require proper configuration. SEO-G has a complex set of options that must be configured in order for the URLs to be exposed properly. Here we will examine some of the control switches that may alter the behavior of the SEO-G module. The SEO-G Renegade Edition is designed specifically for the I-Metrics layer which is also developed by Asymmetric Software. It comes with a number of configuration settings to be able to adapt and operate under differently structures eCommerce stores and eShops.
SEO-G MASTER SWITCH
The master switch should be set to true for production stores and after thorough testing. SEO-G will immediately begin translating the regular URLs into SEO URLs therefore mistakes inside the code/framework with incorrect parameters will propagate inside the SEO tables.
SEO-G EXTENSION
There were various discussion about problems when using/accessing physically present HTML pages as conflicts could arise with the way SEO-G processes links. All of the problems reported are due to incorrect configuration of the extension setting.
If you are using SEO-G in mod-rewrite mode the extension setting must match the .htaccess rewrite setting. Second to avoid conflicts an unused extension should be used. The .html default value can be altered depending how a store is setup. You could use one of the popular extensions that you know an eCommerce store with the given framework will never use. For instance .asp or .jsp as these extensions are guaranteed not to be used in a php/apache environment. Alternatively if you decide to use the .html extension make sure the folders beneath the catalog that contain html files that can be invoked by various scripts like from the administrator's end, have either an .htaccess rule that removes the parent's folder or the apache server is configured such that the catalog folder where the eCommerce code resides is the only one using the SEO-G rewrites.
If you are using SEO-G in error handling mode for server compatibility, the module will process every invalid page thus the extension switch is irrelevant. Physical pages are accessed as before and the ones converted to friendly links will be handled via the error. This approach is useful with servers where the mod-rewrite is not implemented.
SEO-G ERROR HEADER
When a page is not found or the SEO-G needs to perform a redirection and has no other information the header that emits is defined by this setting. The 301 indicates a permanent redirect. It will take place for links that no longer exist and when no redirection entries are defined. For example http://my-ecommerce-store.com/some-old-product.html will be redirected using the 301 for 2 reasons. First the SEO-G table has no reference for the link and second because no html physical file exists at the given location.
SEO-G REDIRECT PAGE
When the destination of a redirect is unknown in other words when no entry for a particular URL exists in the redirection table, SEO-G will use the page defined under this setting as the destination of the redirect operation. With the Renegade Editions of SEO-G this setting can be empty. Having the REDIRECT page field as empty indicates the redirection will go to the root of the eCommerce store. In other words to http://example.com/. See also the redirection methods in our blog pages.
SEO-G STRICT VALIDATION
This switch improves the security of URL parameters for links recorded by SEO-G. There are several issues having this switch enabled for the stock eCommerce site code. If you set this switch to true you need to ensure that all pages SEO-G processes, have a valid value for each parameter. Just one parameter with an empty field is enough for SEO-G not to process the URL. Mistakes inside the core files of the eShop, will force the SEO-G to leave the URLs in their original form.
SEO-G AUTO NAMES BUILDER
SEO-G deploys an advanced mechanism driven by the entity tables of an eCommerce store to build and maintain URLs on the fly. When this switch is set to true, the SEO-G builder automatically populates the SEO tables. In extreme cases where the eShop owner wants complete control of the URLs and names generated this switch can be turned off. URLs names will only be used if and only if the entity names have already created. Otherwise URLs will contain the standard eCommerce store's parameters. It is strongly recommended by Asymmetrics to have this switch on. See the SEO-G types for the existing and custom classes that can be created with SEO-G to support new entities or enhance existing ones.
SEO-G CONTINUOUS CHECK
SEO-G uses a couple of caching mechanisms to speed up the URL construct. When the continuous switch is set to true the cache methods are not invoked. Instead SEO-G will re-build friendly URLs for every link request via the tep_href_link function. During a development stage of the eShop and configuration stages of the SEO-G it is useful to activate the continuous check in order to analyze the recorded URLs without the need of deleting the reports table. For production is highly recommended to set this switch to false so the SEO-G cache methods will have effect thus reducing the load times of each page.
SEO-G PROCESS SECURE PAGES
For regular eCommerce stores where the shopping cart and checkout facilities interact with shipping and payment gateways, processing secure pages may result into problems as SEO-G will attempt to record URLs preceded with the https URL element. However inside the eCommerce framework the tep_href_link function analyzes the presence of an SSL regardless whether a store operates with a certificate or not. For eShops without certificate where the payment/shipping is processed directly from information or product pages this switch could be left to the enabled state.
SEO-G REDIRECTION TABLE
SEO-G deploys an internal, user defined redirection table. The purpose of this table is to utilize old links traffic by inserting the old links and specifying the redirect details. When the switch is on the redirection table will be examined for every request. Also this switch controls the proximity redirects as is it acts as a master redirect switch.
SEO-G SAFE MODE
Safe operation of the friendly URLs signals the SEO-G to not generate URLs for non-handled parameters. This is another development related switch and under normal circumstances should be left to the true state. When safe mode is off, the SEO-G module will append each parameter to the URL regardless of origin and store them in the SEO-G recorded URLs table. Custom versions of the module further segment and process parameters. They can show up on the administrator end and can assist or alert a merchant against malicious or XSS attempts. For regular operation it is recommended to set this switch to true. Use the server logs initially for URL monitoring and do not switch off safe mode unless you absolutely have to.
SEO-G URL CONSTRUCT SEPARATORS
With the Renegade Editions of SEO-G the default settings of these switches are set to '-'. This change was necessary to ensure the URL parts present the intended keywords to all search engines. This targets eCommerce stores where the plain structure needs to be maintained. When a directory structure is desired the Parts and Inner Separator fields should be set to '/' while the words separator must be set to '-'. Separators must be one letter and should not include the apostrophe's listed here. Also note these switches are used in conjunction with the prefix and subfix parameters of the SEO-G types script.
SEO-G MINIMUM WORD LENGTH
Durung the URL construct the SEO-G module filters words that are less that the value specified here. In certain cases the eCommerce store owner may alter the density of keywords appearing with the URLs by adjusting the value of this switch. Default value is 1. Higher values may shift keywords density to favor the eShop's products and services but they run the risk of omitting URLs. The higher the value the higher the risk as SEO friendly URLs may not be distinguished. The limit is to have all urls point to the home page by setting a high enough value to omit the longest keyword the URL construct of the store will ever have. Deleting the reports, activating a 302 redirect and setting this switch to a high enough value maybe used when the eShop undergoes maintenance.
SEO-G LISTINGS PAGE SPLIT
This setting is only applicable on the administrator end and signifies how many entries will be listed with the various scripts SEO-G offers. It plays no role on the catalog end of the eShop.
SEO-G SITEMAP FILENAME
The SEO-G module includes a sitemap generator where the recorded URLs are grouped and exported in the file specified by this setting. The sitemap generator includes an XML converter. Therefore the format will be XML and the finalized file can be used submitting the eShop's site content to Google. It is important to use the built-in generator for sitemap as the scripts are aware of the SEO-G database specific tables. Usage of external tools for sitemap generation, that do not follow the SEO-G format are not recommended and may lead to problems because of incorrect URL description.
SEO-G XML COMPRESS
In addition the Sitemap switch SEO-G allows the eShop owner to specify whether compression is necessary for the generated sitemap file.
SEO-G USE META-G EXCLUSION LIST
SEO-G may use the META-G exclusion dictionary when this switch is set to true. The exclusion dictionary contains a set of phrases or keywords where the eShop owner may configure in order to eliminate irrelevant keywords from his products or services keywords density/context. When SEO-G constructs a URL it performs an additional filtering operation via the META-G Exclusion list. Matched keywords or phrases are then removed before the finalized URL is stored. Use this switch with caution as incorrect phrases may force friendly SEO URLs removal of eShop products that match the criteria.
SEO-G USE META-G LEXICO
SEO-G may use the META-G dictionary for phrase/keyword replacement when it structures the SEO friendly URLs, when this switch is set to true. The inclusion dictionary contains a set of phrases or keywords where the eShop owner may setup in order to boost certain keywords within the context of his products/services and other information pages. When SEO-G constructs a URL it performs an additional filtering operation via the META-G dictionary. Matched keywords or phrases are replaced from the dictionary to amplify the significance of keywords within the friendly SEO link shifting the density to the desired keywords towards every link that is found to match the given criteria. Use this switch with extreme caution, as incorrect phrases may force friendly SEO URLs alteration and removal.
SEO-G PROXIMITY REDIRECT AND CLEANUP
Renegade Editions of SEO-G use an advanced method for redirection of URLs. As an example, when a product or page is removed and this switch is active, the module approximates the URL and brings up the closest URL it finds in the database as the target redirect. So instead of the default redirect page the module goes through a progressive proximity detection phase. If a match is found at the end of the search process, the new redirection link is invoked. A proximity tolerance switch is also available. Another function of the same switch is during deletion of entities via the G-Controller entities that approximate the name are automatically remove the relative entries from the recorded URLs table.
SEO-G PERIODIC REFRESH TIMER
SEO-G periodically refreshes links that have not being accessed. When a link exceeds the pre-defined period configured here it is marked for update. Incorrect use of the timer may introduce latencies with your eShop. This setting must be adjusted according to the store's type. For example stores where products are updated automatically on regular intervals should adjust the timer to match the update period. Stores that do not frequently update their products or other pages could specify a much higher value to the refresh timer. The Periodic Refresh is used in conjunction with the Continuous Check switch.
SEO-G CACHE SWITCH AND CACHE REFRESH
SEO-G employs 3 different comprehensive cache methods. For each page all links can be cached and invoked automatically thereafter. The purpose of this switch is to control the cache behavior. When the cache is enabled latency times when loading pages are negligible. The Cache refresh switch signifies the prefered period in seconds for the cached URLs to be maintained before the garbage collector takes place. Note the cache does not alter the recorded URLs and acts as an intermediate layer.
SEO-G PATH CASCADE LEVEL AND REVERSE PATH
This switch signifies the SEO-G depth level for paths. Category paths for instance can be maintained upto a pre-specified number of hierarchy levels as well as the output string can be reversed so the lower path in hierarchy becomes to the top name for the generated URL. Based on the e-shop's URLs structure a merchant may wish to expose the links of multiple categories. By setting the cascade level and reverse switches to the approprate values, this can be easily achieved without extra programming.
SEO-G UPDATE TIMEOUT
SEO-G deploys an efficient cache mechanism for the recorded links. With the Renegade Edition of this module, there is a read-only update timeout that flushes the cache on the fly. A pre-determined period can be set to configure when the cache should be flushed. SEO-G stores the last update of the cache in this configuration variable of the database.
SEO-G GENERAL TIPS
It is also very important to monitor the generated links. As the eshop grows, new pages will be added and SEO-G will record new URLs. Using the SEO-G reports, an overview of the recorded URLs is shown and the merchant has complete control over them. Traffic from old - now deleted - URLs can be redirected using the dedicated redirection table SEO-G provides. The proximity redirect is also a great asset for deleted URLs, because its mechanism automatically seeks the nearest name in the database for any entity, thus speeds up the links update and synchronizes the site's content with search engines. Use the exclusion list for pages that are not handled by the I-Metrics Layer and still exist in the root of the domain. SEO-G will attempt to redirect unknown links that match its pre-configured links extension. You should also use the SEO-G exclusion list for pages that handled externallly by payment gateways. When an IPN type of payment module is used there will be a callback page that will be invoked once the payment gateway verifies a transaction. Therefore a redirect in this case will void posted parameters. Be aware, forms that setup links on the fly may not be passed via the tep_href_link function and therefore SEO-G will not translate those.
For additional information see the SEO-G and META-G frequently asked questions in our blog. |
