Will this affect current rankings?

edpudol1973

9 years ago

I don't think so, as long as the pages will redirect well. If you're using wordpress nothing to worry

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AdwordsMogul

9 years ago

Originally Posted by edpudol1973

I don't think so, as long as the pages will redirect well. If you're using wordpress nothing to worry

Well, I'm not using Wordpress, but a custom CRM - so basically, I have to make sure that the old URLs redirect properly?

Do I have to a 301 header and stuff like that?

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SEO-Dave

9 years ago

Originally Posted by AdwordsMogul

Well, I'm not using Wordpress, but a custom CRM - so basically, I have to make sure that the old URLs redirect properly?

Do I have to a 301 header and stuff like that?

If an Apache server easiest way to 301 redirect is via a root .htaccess file.

One line for each URL like this:

Code:

RewriteEngine On
Redirect 301 /?page=2 http://example.com/new-url-name-2/
Redirect 301 /?page=32 http://example.com/new-url-name-32/

See 301 Redirect Htaccess for more details and examples of redirects.

David

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SEO-Dave

9 years ago

Originally Posted by AdwordsMogul

Hello,

I have a site that is ranking very well for several keyword. However, it uses "ugly" urls e.g. example.com/?page=32 - you get the idea.

I'm having the site redesigned, and possibly use "SEO friendly" urls - e.g. example.com/post-title

Will this change affect the ranking negatively?

Thanks!

Jean Paul

The way to do this right is setup 301 redirects of the old dynamic URLs to the new URLs to recover link benefit/PR. Some CMS's like WordPress automatically setup the 301s for WordPress posts, so check if you use a CMS if it's automated.

This could have an impact on current SERPs, a 301 redirect costs ~15% of the pages incoming PR. Since you won't be 301 redirecting your home page any home page links will be unaffected (most backlinks tend to come in via a home page), but if you have articles with a decent link profile you'll loose 15% of their value.

So how much PR benefit you'll loose will be based on how many backlinks you have directly to articles that the URLs will change. If most of your links go to the home page, you won't loose a great deal of PR, if most links are to deep content, you could loose around 15%.

How much this will impact actual SERPs is hard to say. If you use WordPress and name your posts with relevant keywords like "Best SEO Advice about 301 Redirects" your new URLs will be keyword rich and URLs are a small ranking factor (not as important as backlinks/PR).

You'll gain a little from the keywords in the URLs, loose a little more than you gain due to the redirects most likely.

David

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SEO Power

9 years ago

Originally Posted by SEO-Dave

The way to do this right is setup 301 redirects of the old dynamic URLs to the new URLs to recover link benefit/PR. Some CMS's like WordPress automatically setup the 301s for WordPress posts, so check if you use a CMS if it's automated.

This could have an impact on current SERPs, a 301 redirect costs ~15% of the pages incoming PR. Since you won't be 301 redirecting your home page any home page links will be unaffected (most backlinks tend to come in via a home page), but if you have articles with a decent link profile you'll loose 15% of their value.

So how much PR benefit you'll loose will be based on how many backlinks you have directly to articles that the URLs will change. If most of your links go to the home page, you won't loose a great deal of PR, if most links are to deep content, you could loose around 15%.

How much this will impact actual SERPs is hard to say. If you use WordPress and name your posts with relevant keywords like "Best SEO Advice about 301 Redirects" your new URLs will be keyword rich and URLs are a small ranking factor (not as important as backlinks/PR).

You'll gain a little from the keywords in the URLs, loose a little more than you gain due to the redirects most likely.

David

Where did you get that 15% from? In my experience 301 redirects pass 100% of the link juice to the target site. Whenever I do redirects, rankings remain consistent, sometimes higher after the redirect.

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SEO-Dave

9 years ago

Originally Posted by SEO Power

Where did you get that 15% from? In my experience 301 redirects pass 100% of the link juice to the target site. Whenever I do redirects, rankings remain consistent, sometimes higher after the redirect.

Matt Cutts.

See the video and explanation at WordPress SEO Tutorial 2014 301 Redirects

Consider 15% isn't that much and you'll change your internal links to the new URL, so it won't be that high. Would be 15% if all old links came in via a new 301 redirect.

David

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dannysimon

9 years ago

I agree with what Dave said. Be sure to put the right 3013 redirect. This will make sure that your the url you are using before will be redirected to the new url.

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Brown2

9 years ago

If 301 redirection is done properly then it will not affect your ranking negatively.

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alexjames212

9 years ago

changing urls to static versions are going to help your site ranking rather than decreasing it. However, this is a small singal to ranking as compared to the rest of 200 signals

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AdwordsMogul

9 years ago

Thanks, I'm still digging into this, but it's helpful.

I have one keyword that's been ranking #1 for months, and I'm scared to lose that ( we 58% of the traffic for that keyword)

What I'll do is:
- focus on the top 10 pages,
- do 301 redirects for them,
- use pretty URLs for new content
- once everything is steady, I will then convert the URLs for the older content.

If there are any more tips, I will appreciate them!

Thanks

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satvikpatel

9 years ago

A proper 301 redirect will be the best option. But it will take some time to rank on same positions.