URL with .html or not

[Sert_Sibiu]

Hello,
I have an online shop for printer consumables
Categories url's are like that https://www.sertit.ro/consumabile-imprimante.html
And products https://www.sertit.ro/cartuse-toner/xerox/cartus-toner-xerox-phaser-3020-workcentre-3025-1500-pagini.html
Is better to have .html or not?

[Smartliving1111]

The decision to include or exclude ".html" extensions in your URLs is generally a matter of personal preference and can depend on your website's technology stack, SEO considerations, and user experience. Both approaches have their advantages, and it's essential to consider how they align with your specific needs. Here are some factors to consider

[skchad13j]

@Sert_Sibiu said in URL with .html or not:

Hello,
I have an online shop for printer consumables
Categories url's are like that https://www.sertit.ro/consumabile-imprimante.html
And products https://www.sertit.ro/cartuse-toner/xerox/cartus-toner-xerox-phaser-3020-workcentre-3025-1500-pagini.html
Is better to have .html or not?

Hello,

It's generally better not to have ".html" in your URLs for a cleaner and more modern appearance. Shorter, more user-friendly URLs are easier to remember and share. However, the choice between having ".html" or not won't significantly impact your online shop's functionality or SEO if your website is properly configured. Focus on creating a clear and organized structure for your URLs and providing high-quality content for better results.
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(Study abroad) (Masters In Computer Science In Canada ) (Canada PR)(PMP Exam Prep)

[BlueprintMarketing]

@BlueprintMarketing

It’s essential to clarify that unless your URLs are exceedingly lengthy, Google won’t discern any difference in how it processes the URL structure. Nonetheless, it’s vital to acknowledge that most individuals don’t retain the ‘.html’ at the end of URLs. So, if they remember the link, that particular segment may elude them. While this confers a minor advantage, it merits consideration. The significance of this aspect is contingent on your situation; if you possess very long URLs, addressing this could be worthwhile, yet it’s imperative to adhere to the guidelines delineated above should you opt for alterations.
Furthermore, remember that it’s feasible to enforce a trailing slash / or opt for no trailing slash. It’s your choice. The paramount concern is ensuring 301 redirects and uniformity in the URLs and reflected accurately across the canonicals, XML sitemap, and the browser.

[BlueprintMarketing]

Google's preference doesn't lean towards having the ".html" extension in your URLs. While removing it may tidy up the links, the SEO impact is negligible. The removal process is fairly straightforward, depending on your CMS and server setup. Employ regex for creating redirects if you proceed, but ensure to implement 301 redirects to avoid harming your site.

For instance, https://example.com/example-subfolder.html must 301 redirect to https://example.com/example-subfolder/

Decide on enforcing a trailing slash like “example-subfolder/” or removing it "/example-subfolder", aligning this with your rel canonicals and XML sitemap.

General Considerations:

• Maintain URL structure consistency to avert duplicate content issues.
• Always execute 301 redirects for updated URL structures.
• Align your rel=canonical tags and XML sitemap with the new URL setup.

Server Configuration:

Apache:

# To force a trailing slash:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteRule ^(.*[^/])$ /$1/ [L,R=301]

# To remove .html extension:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteRule ^([^\.]+)$ $1.html [NC,L]

Nginx:

# To force a trailing slash:
rewrite ^([^.]*[^/])$ $1/ permanent;

# To remove .html extension:
location / {
    try_files $uri $uri.html $uri/ =404;
}

• For Apache, input in .htaccess.
• For Nginx, input in nginx.conf.

WordPress (via Redirection Plugin):

1. Install and activate the Redirection Plugin.
2. Set up redirects:
   • To force a trailing slash:
     • Source URL: /^(.*[^/])$
     • Target URL: /$1/
     • Regex: Enabled
   • To remove .html extension:
     • Source URL: /^(.*)\.html$
     • Target URL: /$1
     • Regex: Enabled

Canonical and Sitemap Updates:

Before:

<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/example-subfolder.html" />

<url>
  <loc>https://example.com/example-subfolder.html</loc>
  <lastmod>2023-10-01</lastmod>
  <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
  <priority>0.8</priority>
</url>

After (with trailing slash enforced):

<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/example-subfolder/" />

<url>
  <loc>https://example.com/example-subfolder/</loc>
  <lastmod>2023-10-01</lastmod>
  <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
  <priority>0.8</priority>
</url>

[Sert_Sibiu]

@educationedge012
Thank you for your reply.
My first consideration is how Google "see" that.
Because the lenght of url's and copy/paste facility. Nobody will remind an URL, in my opinion.

[inovies-new]

@Sert_Sibiu said in URL with .html or not:

Hello,
I have an online shop for printer consumables
Categories url's are like that https://www.sertit.ro/consumabile-imprimante.html
And products https://www.sertit.ro/cartuse-toner/xerox/cartus-toner-xerox-phaser-3020-workcentre-3025-1500-pagini.html
Is better to have .html or not?

The decision to include or exclude ".html" extensions in your URLs is generally a matter of personal preference and can depend on your website's technology stack, SEO considerations, and user experience. Both approaches have their advantages, and it's essential to consider how they align with your specific needs. Here are some factors to consider:

Advantages of Including ".html" Extensions:

File Type Recognition: Including ".html" in URLs makes it explicit that you're dealing with HTML web pages, which can be beneficial for search engines and browsers.

Historical URLs: If your website has used ".html" extensions in URLs historically, removing them could lead to broken links or issues with existing bookmarks and references.

Static Website: If your website is primarily composed of static HTML files, using ".html" extensions might better represent your content.

Advantages of Excluding ".html" Extensions:

Cleaner URLs: Removing ".html" can make your URLs appear cleaner and more user-friendly, which can enhance the user experience and the aesthetics of your website.

SEO: Search engines generally don't require ".html" to understand the content. Including it doesn't significantly impact SEO rankings, but cleaner URLs can be easier for search engines to understand and index.

Flexibility: Excluding ".html" allows you to switch to different technologies or content types without needing to change your URLs. It provides more flexibility for future site developments.

Ultimately, the decision is up to you. If your website already uses ".html" extensions and changing it would be a significant effort, it might be best to leave it as is. However, if you have the flexibility to make changes, and you prefer cleaner, extension-free URLs, you can consider removing ".html" and implementing proper URL redirects to maintain SEO and user experience. Additionally, ensure that your URL structure is well-optimized for SEO, including relevant keywords, and follows best practices for canonicalization.

Thanks
inovies

[educationedge012]

Hello,

Whether to include ".html" in your category and product URLs depends on your website's structure and your personal preferences. Both approaches have their advantages and potential considerations.

Having ".html" in your URLs:

Explicitness: It clearly indicates that the page is in HTML format.
Static URLs: Some users and search engines prefer static URLs, as they can be more descriptive and memorable.
Not having ".html" in your URLs:

Cleaner URLs: Removing ".html" can make your URLs look cleaner and more user-friendly.
Easier to change technology: If you ever decide to switch to a different technology or content management system that doesn't use ".html" extensions, it can be a smoother transition.
Ultimately, the decision should be based on your website's structure, your SEO strategy, and what you believe will provide the best user experience. Both options can work effectively if implemented correctly.
(PMP Exam Prep) (PMP Exam ) ( Business Intelligence Analyst Salary) (Study abroad) (Canada PR)

[Mprus]

@Sert_Sibiu Hi, I try not to use ".html" in category and product urls.