Sites that use page=main, page=aboutus

[GeXus]

As far as SEO goes, Obviously a site that is using parameters for its pages, such as index.php?page=home, page=aboutus, page=contact
this is not good.. If you had a client who has this setup, would you recommend redoing the whole structure so that it is using individual pages?

[Johan007]

The technical word you want to use when describing a variable in a URL is QueryString. As long as you don’t have too many in one url then that’s fine.

You could use a server mod re-write to take out the QueryString and replace is with a directory name or .htm but IMO its not worth it.

[disgust]

why is it "not worth it"?

in many instances, it's DEFINITELY worth it- especially if you have a lot of content that's just sitting there that can't get in otherwise.

[Johan007]

its not worth it cos they do get in... just use Google and see

[clasione]

I don't believe that index.php?page=home

is any worse than index.php

HTML is, in my opinion always better, but that one parameter shouldn't matter....

[ferret77]

In my experience

if you keep the parameters down to one

google will index the content fine

it won't show pr properly though

so if you get hung up on the green bar you should have pages with no parameters in the url

[MrMean]

Well, Thats wrong, I use it and I have PR, it just stays the same for all the pages which could be considered better couldn't it. If your PR is high enough

[ferret77]

um no its not wrong

pretty sure anyone who has had multiple sites will agree that pages wihtout parameters in the url usually show pr better then ones with it in the url

[awall19]

Originally Posted by ferret77

um no its not wrong

pretty sure anyone who has had multiple sites will agree that pages wihtout parameters in the url usually show pr better then ones with it in the url

I think it primarily depends on how a site is structured. usually large databases have a ton of pages that the link popularity is spread across so the individual pages do not usually show a ton of pagerank.

its the same reason most forum pages have a low pagerank as compared to the home page of that forum.

[Johan007]

Having a QueryString parameter has no effect on PageRank - why should it? Is it the sign of the devil or other evils like porn sites? As Awall19 said those types of sites have generally more pages.

These page has a PR5 on a PR6 site*
http://www.futuremovies.co.uk/future.asp?Page=2
http://www.futuremovies.co.uk/review.asp?ID=210

* I refer to "site" as the page with highest PR usually the homepage.

[clasione]

I've nmoticed that anything after page.php? will generally have the same PR....

If the main page has a PR3 at page.php?

than page.php?article=13

will have the same and article=14

should have the same and so on....

[awall19]

Originally Posted by clasione

I've nmoticed that anything after page.php? will generally have the same PR....

If the main page has a PR3 at page.php?

than page.php?article=13

will have the same and article=14

should have the same and so on....

that is because if the page is not indexed it gets a phantom pagerank and if it is indexed often the link network into each page is very similar.

[MrMean]

Originally Posted by awall19

that is because if the page is not indexed it gets a phantom pagerank and if it is indexed often the link network into each page is very similar.

And thats a bad thing for the run of the mill webmaster, or a bonus?

this is a flaw in google IMO

[awall19]

Originally Posted by MrMean

And thats a bad thing for the run of the mill webmaster, or a bonus?

this is a flaw in google IMO

it is neither good or bad. just how it works. its phantom so it has no real effect and if you put a page there it would likely start at a 0 after it was indexed and then go to whatever it should.

i do not think of it as a flaw, just a simple way for google to guess at the popularity of an unknown page

[clasione]

This way it doesn't have to caluate ever page after the ? - there could be thousands...

[awall19]

Originally Posted by clasione

This way it doesn't have to caluate ever page after the ? - there could be thousands...

but it does calculate everyone after the ?

its just random unspidered pages get a random guessed value.

[Johan007]

At the end of the day Page Rank is based on link structure and not if it contains a Query String or not. Also try and call it a Query String becuase thats what they are called and I not making it up .

[ferret77]

Having a QueryString parameter has no effect on PageRank - why should it? Is it the sign of the devil or other evils like porn sites?


http://www.futuremovies.co.uk/future.asp

you have no idea what you are talking about and I doubt you have worked much on dyanamic sites

I am still fixing sites that I put a dynamic link directorys on

becasue after 6 monthes they still don't show pr

create site that all its link go to urls with parameters and no links go the url wihtout parameters and see how much pr it shows

oh yeah and i believe the query string is everthing after the question mark

not the whole url

[awall19]

all of my .php?cat=309 type links all show a PR of 5 (even multiple levels deep) and the home page PR is PR6...so its all in structuring in my opinion.

[ferret77]

where?

do all of your pages have links pointing at the url without the query string?

like this page

http://www.lakeviewstudios.com/index.htm?param=fakeurl

that page doesn't even exist yet it shows pr