QuickSmart Web DesignerDIY SEO Tips from QuickSmart Web Designer

Root Directory  | Folders Make a big Difference

 

The root directory of your web is very important

Read also: Extending Folders to Levels

When designing a website, your root is critical and needs to be very Search Engine Friendly for your entire Website Design pages. Creating clear, index able pages is priority and paramount to Top 10 Success.

 

Root Directories must be sensible and easily followed.

 

When making your website, ensure that the root directory is filled with pages and not loaded with images, scripts, excessive folders, movie files, non web documents or any other file format that is not instantly required for you site to operate.

 

These 'non critical' pages or files can be stored under 2nd level folders.

 

Why keep my root free from any other file extension?

 

By keeping the root full of well written pages with valuable content, the indexing of pages is more assured than any other page stored in a second, third or further leveled folder.

Within your root, you should create additional sub level folders for storing images, menus, scripts, etc. These folders can contain web pages and will also be listed by the engines when their content is spidered. So, with that in mind that pages will be indexed, you can place the very important pages you determine in the root directory. Further, these pages can also be 'keyword' friendly so that you increase the overall algorithm structure of you site.

Example: yoursite.com/root-directory.html is more friendly than yoursite.com/folder1/folder2/folder3/thisisthepage.html

If you use an auto creating Website Software or Open Source program, ensure that your folder setup is minimized before creating your site. Avoid creating pages deeper than 3 folder levels.

Tip: Use less than 70 pages in the root directory and each folder therein. When you exceed this quantity of pages per folder, the spider bot may time out and not index the remaining pages. Better to keep the spider active traveling through your site than being locked in one long folder containing too many strings.

 

Put all your important pages inside your root directory.

 

Being indexed and re-indexed is the key to your sites success. By placing the important pages at Level 1, your efforts will be rewarded, remember though to keep your root directory to less than 70 files. This includes folders.

If you create smooth flowing folders, file retrieval locations, style sheet positions and image classes, your website's performance will be greatly improved, read more on these articles throughout this site.

 

Non Critical Folders:

If you need many multi level folders within your website, create a folder under a master. Then add a sub folder within this master folder.

 

Example,
/root
/all
/area
  - /menu
         /menupics
              -icon1.gif
              -icon2.gif
     menu.html
     menu2.html
  - /images
        /bigpics
        /smallpics
page1.html
page2.html

Naming Your Folders

Do not use Capitals or Spaces. Keep all folder names short and simple.

Name at least 2 folders that begin with 'a'. e.g. area
- Some search engine will show preference to alphabetical folder listings.

Use a keyword for your folder if relevant. (discussed later)

File Names and folders can contain both solidkeywordnames.html or solid-keyword-names.html with out much preference to increase keyword ratio. Don't use any special characters such as *, !, ~ etc. The only valuable linking character your must use is a  -

Learn More Folder and File Name Errors

Note: You should use lowercase for all folders and filenames.
e.g. file.html

 

Linking Back Home

Vary the linking structure when going hyper linking to the home page in your site.
Use http://www.quicksmart-design.com | ./index.html  | index.html | and www.quicksmart-design.com

By using a variety of link formats, your overall search engine listing will pick up on different directly typed entries by surfers.

 

 

 Next > Web Site Design Extension of Folders and Sub Folders

Summary

Use the root directory of your site to better manage the important content pages within your overall design or Website. You will be rewarded many times over with the engines, bots and spiders.

 

If you design your site with a correct folder/file format, your pages will flow more evenly. Also, it is encouraged by all engines to develop multi-level sites that can be ranked.

If you haven't yet read Internal web page ranks go here

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