How careful do you need to be about changes to readable URLs?

[alzheimerssoc]

We are moving to Sitecore where the standard out the box is that if you change page title it amends the URL as well.

I am worried that this will lead to SEO issues and am considering whether we need to get it locked down so that if the page title is amended (only in a minor way) it does not also change the URL.

I have never worked with readable URLs before - what are the implications of the URL not exactly matching the wording of the page title?

[Linda-Vassily]

I use Sitecore and it doesn't change the URL if the title is changed. In my case, you first enter the name of the item, which becomes the URL, and then you go on to add the title and content and so forth. (But this may have been an add-on--I wasn't here when it was set up.)

If yours changes the URL if you change the title, I'd definitely get that fixed. You don't want a nice outside link to get broken because someone decides to tweak a title and changes the URL!

In Sitecore you can easily add aliases however, in case your URL gets changed and you want the old one to still be available (just be sure to add the appropriate canonical--that is a custom field you'd have to have added, or at least it was in my case).

There is also a "rename" option you can use to change the URL to whatever you want, again just be sure there weren't any good links to the old URL or if there were, use alias and canonical as above.

And as others have said, the title and URL do not need to match exactly, but they should be closely related.

[ColeLusby]

"you don't want to go changing your page titles frequently"

Very good thought too Andy!

[Andy.Drinkwater]

You don't need to worry about the page title and URL matching exactly. Google doesn't give any inherent SEO boost to sites that have URL's and titles that match.

That said, there are most certainly benefits to having a good URL structure. It will help with usability and can help with click through rates, which in a roundabout way, can impact your positions.

An an example, if you look at the following, what do they say to you?

• ../armani/emporioarmani/suits   <-- This tells me all I need to know about the page I am on
• ../product/cat63/23487HA.html    <-- This tells me absolutely nothing useful

"...am considering whether we need to get it locked down so that if the page title is amended (only in a minor way) it does not also change the URL."

This would be fine to do. However, you don't want to go changing your page titles frequently. Pick a format that you are happy with and try to stick with it. Only change this if something significant on the page also changes that would call for rewording.

-Andy

[ColeLusby]

Hi,

If you're changing the Page Title to represent an accurate keyword for that page (or what that page is about), then I would suggest actually changing the URL (or in this case allowing the URL) to represent that targeted keyword.

For example, I have a page about an alzheimer's game for people diagnosed with alzheimer's. My page title will be "Fun Alzheimer's Game for Loving Family Members with Alzheimer's." My URL may be "fun-alzheimers-game-for-family-members.  (something along those lines - I am creating something here that may not be accurate of course).

So you would want your URL and Title Tag to be not necessarily be exactly the same (although plenty of mine are) but very, very similar to tell search engines what this page is about.

Keep in mind that if you do change the URL (from changing the Title Tag), to do a 301 redirect. That is to tell search engines that the old URL now is this new URL.

I hope this helps.

Cole