Keep in mind that Google sees a URL with a / at then end as a totally different URL from one without.

Uh, not that kind of slashing!

Let’s say you are setting up your keyword rich links to point to a subdirectory. Should the link point to:

http://www.somedomain.com/subdirectory or to http://www.somedomain.com/subdirectory/ with a “/” at the end?

Most new SEOs won’t know the difference, thinking that if it gets the visitor there, it works, right?

There is a problem with this thinking. Let me introduce you to checking server headers. To do this, I’ll use my favorite server header tool over at http://www.seoconsultants.com/tools/headers.asp . You just pop a URL in the field and you’ll get a page back telling you how it did. Here are some of the possible results:

200 OK - This means everything’s cool.

301 Moved Permanently – The URL you typed in is properly being redirected to a new location.

302 Found – This means your URL has temporarily been moved and found at the new location.

There are several other status indicators, but for the purpose of this article, we’ll concentrate on these three. Actually, your server header status can come back as a combination of these. For instance, if you have a good 301 redirect in place, you’ll first see a 301 Moved Permanently message and then a 200 OK message below it.

With a non-redirected page, you just want to see a 200 OK message when you enter any URL. As an example, if you do a server header check for http://www.weboptimist.com or http://www.weboptimist.com/ you’ll get a 200 OK for either.

But, that’s not always the case. Sometimes, particularly on Microsoft IIS web servers, what you will get back will be totally different when you check server headers with the “/” or without it. On such servers, what you can get is a 302 Object Moved message and then the 200 OK message when you check for the subdirectory URL without the “/” included. This means that the web server automatically 302 redirects the non-slashed URL to the slashed version.

This is not good and not particularly SEO friendly. Although there are good reasons to use a 302 redirect at times, it is meant to be used as a temporary redirect, not permanent. Web sites have been known to get into trouble with the search gods for using 302 redirects instead of the 301 permanent redirect and most link juice is said to be passed with a 301 redirect. Such is not the case with a 302 redirect, where no link juice is passed. Again, it is supposed to be temporary.

What can you do? First, check your URLs to see if you have this issue. If not, don’t sweat it, though I recommend that you stick with a standard way of writing your URLs -preferably with the “/” at the end – http://www.somedomain.com/subdirectory/. Pointing to exactly the same URL every time is always a good thing in SEO, not unlike the canonical issue with using www or not in a URL. It’s best to choose one and always use it. Don’t mix and match.

If you do find that your non-slashed subdirectory URLs are being 302 redirected, make a point of always, always, always, using the slash at the end. Do a link audit on your site and check for this type of link and change them so that they include the ending slash.

In the long run, you and your site’s SEO will be better off. Your links will be better focused without unwanted (and unexpected) 302 redirects in the way.

For a Spanish translation, see Cortar o no Cortar, esa es la Cuestión…del encabezado en el servidor.

To Slash or Not to Slash. That’s A Server Header Question is a post from: SEO in The Desert | More about Palm Springs SEO

SEO and Social Media optimization are pretty much integrated these days.

As promised, though delayed a bit, here is the follow-up to SEO & Social Media Integration with some tips for optimizing your social media and integrating it into your overall SEO mix. Naturally, the more social links you have, the more you’ll be noticed (Hey, I’m here!) and linked to and crawled, natural SEO in any book.

• Complete your profiles and put your web site or blog URL in ALL of your profiles. Including your web site link should be a no brainer, but LOTS of folks forget this. Social content is definitely showing up in search results. For instance, a search for my name in Google comes up with several of my profiles (LinkedIn, WebPro News, Plaxo, etc.)  as I write this. Include jobs, use keywords, never turn down interview or podcast opportunities that can be included.
• Check industry trends through services like Google Alerts. Jump into breaking subjects with blog and social media posts.
• Promote blogs, social media and RSS feeds of those who link to you through your own RSS feeds. This has a viral effect that sends more links to you.
• Develop a series of “How to” videos and post them on video sites like YouTube (now 25% of Google searches). People LOVE these and will embed the videos or link to them. Post them on your own blog and in the social sites, too.
• Content is king on Twitter, just like in standard, run of the mill SEO, so use keywords and hashtags (like the #bsg tag for Battlestar Galactica fans).
• Utilize Facebook fan pages. These can have unlimited followers and can be optimized.
• Subscriptions are gold! Social Media Content = Subscriptions + Links!
• Transcribe your podcasts and post them on your blog.  Include keywords and links.
• Create widgets that will pull your RSS feeds from blogs, social media and news feeds. As a rule, links in RSS feeds are direct links without redirection or the dreaded “nofollow” tag!
• Re-optimize blog posts after their “shelf” life. Rework them and monetize them for breaking subjects. Any given blog post URL or page has history and links, so update them to keep current, ranking and posted in the social media.

OK, as always, these just scratch the surface, but you can see the optimizing for SEO and social media are pretty much one and the same these days. What you do with one totally effects the other.  Anyone who thinks they can be an SEO and ignore social media is, well, NOT an SEO.

Next up: Optimization for Social Media Integration: News

Optimization for Social Media Integration is a post from: SEO in The Desert | More about Palm Springs SEO

It’s a moderated directory that, at least in the beginning, will be reciprocal link based. You can submit a resource for free, but the back links will be checked and sites that remove their link back to The Web Optimist will be removed from the directory.

And, yes, I am the moderator.

To start with, I’ll include the following general categories:

1. Blogs: Blogs about search engine optimization, pay per click and related subjects.
2. News Sites: Strictly SEO news and information. No blogs, please.
3. Forums: Links to forums and discussion groups related to SEO and PPC topics.
4. Palm Springs Web Community: Links to web development and search marketing sites in the Palm Springs, CA desert area.
5. Search Friendly Directories: There are still some general directory sites out there that are search friendly and are invited to submit their links here.
6. Jobs & Recruiters: Sources for employment in the search and Internet marketing fields.

I’m open to suggestions for additional SEO and SEM related categories.

So, feel free to submit your link to the S E O Resource Directory.

Of course, if you want to be on the front page of The Web Optimist, you could always use the Tip Me link in the upper right side of almost every page on the blog.

SEO Resource Directory is a post from: SEO in The Desert | More about Palm Springs SEO