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To use an easy URL for a difficult place kan be done very easy by using a meta tag with refresh zero. It's so easy, that I don't know more to say.
I also use meta refresh. It's really easy and requires very little to implement.
If I have somewhere I want to redirect to, and the actual URL is a horrid thing generated by php with & and things in it, and it is something I regularly want users to be able to get to easily, I simple create a directory with a friendly name, like "news", and place a single index.html file with the relevant META tags in that directory to redirect to the user-unfriendly URL.
From something like:
http://www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=34
to:
http://www.example.com/news/
A lot of open source CMSs also support this kind of thing either out of the box, or with community supplied add-ons. Such add-ons are generally classified as "SEO" but they also make things better for your users.
If I have somewhere I want to redirect to, and the actual URL is a horrid thing generated by php with & and things in it, and it is something I regularly want users to be able to get to easily, I simple create a directory with a friendly name, like "news", and place a single index.html file with the relevant META tags in that directory to redirect to the user-unfriendly URL.
From something like:
http://www.example.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=34
to:
http://www.example.com/news/
A lot of open source CMSs also support this kind of thing either out of the box, or with community supplied add-ons. Such add-ons are generally classified as "SEO" but they also make things better for your users.
While the META REFRESH method may work ok for someone using a browser, It is my experience that this method does not work in regard to major search engines like Google. What this means is that when the SE spiders your site to find content to include in their index they will not be redirected to the page you intended. Here is an article on redirection you may find useful.
http://www.aitechsolutions.net/apacheredirect.html
Proper 301 redirects are the most SE and user friendly way to acheive the desired results. Best to you!
http://www.aitechsolutions.net/apacheredirect.html
Proper 301 redirects are the most SE and user friendly way to acheive the desired results. Best to you!
I find it amusing that this was the URL in my email newsletter from TR that led to this article:
http://ct.techrepublic.com.com/clicks?t=38550166-e47e3e23c0a3a66096954d0cf59382cb-bf&s=5&fs=0
http://ct.techrepublic.com.com/clicks?t=38550166-e47e3e23c0a3a66096954d0cf59382cb-bf&s=5&fs=0
Not only is THAT ironic, but the fact that the article mentions the importance of the shorter URL, but really doesn't offer much in the way of demonstrative solutions.
Perhaps this is the reason why TechRepublic doesn't use it...?
Perhaps this is the reason why TechRepublic doesn't use it...?
That was funny, but how would such an URL be shortened? The obvious purpose is to track the source of the click for efficacy. Even if every e-mail sent to a distribution list used the same URL, TR wants to be sure to count the click. That precludes a friendlier URL that reveals the redirection URL.
One friendly URL approach would pollute a server directory with temporary files that must be cleaned out eventually.
I know I have clicked on such links from very old messages that scrolled by and they still work. How long should whatever redirection technique a friendlier URL might use be supported?
One friendly URL approach would pollute a server directory with temporary files that must be cleaned out eventually.
I know I have clicked on such links from very old messages that scrolled by and they still work. How long should whatever redirection technique a friendlier URL might use be supported?
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