Is it Worth Risking Page Rank to Optimize Keyword Plural Forms in Page URLs / Subdirectories?

gsherpa · 02-02-2011, 11:10 PM

I'm considering changing a couple of the urls / subdirectories for my site pages to optimize the keywords depending on whether the plural or singular forms gets more traffic and has less competition.

I'm fairly new to this but have gotten the sense that the overall SEO strategy for the site is quite a bit more important. Still, it seems like having the best keywords in the page urls has been helping so far.

I used the Google keyword tool to determine whether plural or singular looks to be better for the target keyword roots.

My question and concern is whether it's worth changing the url's and risk having page ranks and/or indexed urls go down? I think since the site is fairly new (about 4 months old) and there don't seem to be many direct links to the pages in question, it's better to bite the bullet now and get the best keywords in the urls before much more time goes by.

I would be very grateful for any advice that other members with more experience and knowledge in this area can offer. Thanks very much for your help!

Jason

raviv · 02-02-2011, 11:38 PM

Hi,
It is not worth changing the URLs as they are indexed by the major search engines. By updating the URLs, the old ones will lose the link juice by virtue of the backlinks you have built to them. You have to create the new URLs first and get those pages ready and do a 301 redirect in your .htaccess file.

When you have written that it is to test the plural form of keywords, it is a lot of work doing 301s and not worth it.

There is a concept called word stemming and singular form is a subset of the plural form. So you dont have to be obsessed by them.

Having keyword in URL is one of the multitude of factors that helps in SEO. It is not the ultimate solution. So do not get too hung up on it.
Best
Raviv

02-02-2011, 11:10 PM	#1
gsherpa Warrior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Chicago Posts: 2 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Social Networking	Is it Worth Risking Page Rank to Optimize Keyword Plural Forms in Page URLs / Subdirectories? I'm considering changing a couple of the urls / subdirectories for my site pages to optimize the keywords depending on whether the plural or singular forms gets more traffic and has less competition. I'm fairly new to this but have gotten the sense that the overall SEO strategy for the site is quite a bit more important. Still, it seems like having the best keywords in the page urls has been helping so far. I used the Google keyword tool to determine whether plural or singular looks to be better for the target keyword roots. My question and concern is whether it's worth changing the url's and risk having page ranks and/or indexed urls go down? I think since the site is fairly new (about 4 months old) and there don't seem to be many direct links to the pages in question, it's better to bite the bullet now and get the best keywords in the urls before much more time goes by. I would be very grateful for any advice that other members with more experience and knowledge in this area can offer. Thanks very much for your help! Jason

02-02-2011, 11:38 PM	#2
raviv HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 264 Thanks: 66 Thanked 44 Times in 40 Posts	Re: Is it Worth Risking Page Rank to Optimize Keyword Plural Forms in Page URLs / Subdirectories? Hi, It is not worth changing the URLs as they are indexed by the major search engines. By updating the URLs, the old ones will lose the link juice by virtue of the backlinks you have built to them. You have to create the new URLs first and get those pages ready and do a 301 redirect in your .htaccess file. When you have written that it is to test the plural form of keywords, it is a lot of work doing 301s and not worth it. There is a concept called word stemming and singular form is a subset of the plural form. So you dont have to be obsessed by them. Having keyword in URL is one of the multitude of factors that helps in SEO. It is not the ultimate solution. So do not get too hung up on it. Best Raviv