Keywords In Url Folder And Filenames

[Mike1]

Hello,
The site is dynamically driven and just has one
page, Default.aspx, where all the pages are generated from.

To help with SEO, I plan on making all the Departments all static pages.

My question is about how I should create and name the folders and files.
Example:
This is the current URL when the "Books" Department
is clicked on the menu on the left side of the page:

site.com/default.aspx?DeID=5&DIN=4&Dept=Books

I want to make it look like this instead:

site.com/books/Tapestry-Books/Tapestry-Books.aspx

Questions:
1. Do the keywords in the folders help with SEO?
2. If so, how many keywords should I use for each folder/filename?
3. Should I just use one folder or no folders at all? Is it better to just
put all the files in the root directory?

Thank you

[ripplecreations]

Keeping a good structured website with more meaningful names help the search engine listings and SEO. Keeping all files in root is not a good idea, create folders with more logical and presentable way.

Enjoy!

[Mike1]

thanks ripple . .
Is there a limit on how many subfolders I should use?
Should I keep it under 2 folders? like:

site.com/books/Tapestry-Books/Tapestry-Books.aspx

thanks!

[ripplecreations]

There is not limit on the number of folders to keep. What I would suggest it to have a well organised folder structure for your contents.

Assume a book portal, I would keep the structure
online-books
---publisher-abc
------novels
------magazines
---------may-2006
---------june-2006
------fictions
---------mike (author names)
---------ripplecreations
---publisher-xyz

This will not only helps you to maintain the category, but also your site visitors. If some one is searching for book published by publisher-abc then the search engine index will easily find it on your website.

I would also suggest to keep the folder name more specific, and avoid using generic words.

[Lebowski]

Well, I have a blog, and use WordPress. I made my page looks like they are on root. So I have like "www.cars.com/ferrari-enzo.html ; www.cars.com/porsche-carrera.html". And of course I was at a time thinking about adding category in urls, so that it would look like "www.cars.com/ferrari/enzo.html" or maybe it's better www.cars.com/ferrari/ferrari-enzo.html"?
But, as I read somewhere for SE the more important page is one where the page is a step away from main page than few levels away. And link never should be more than 2 level away too, max should be like www.cars.com/ferrari/1996/model.html".
So my pages are still in root, or at least they apperas like that, because it's a blog so every post is a like a new page.
Would be better if I add category in urls, thoughts about that?

[jackson992]

I have most of my files in the root directory except for the merchant's feeds I put up. Why is it bad to have so many things in the root?

[Robert_Charlton]

Directory structure and hierarchical linking structure are generally parallel, but they don't have to be.

What matters is the linking hierarchy, not the directories. You're concerned about PageRank distribution to pages you want to be found, and a logical linking hierarchy with that in mind will help you. How deep you can go depends on available PageRank, deep links, and what you're targeting where.

A helpful article on site structure is ciml's classic post from 4 years ago on WebmasterWorld...

Search Engine Theme Pyramids and Google
Optimising the Pyramid for PageRank
http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum10003/3060.htm

The question of how theming effects work is arguable, but the idea of targeting more specific phrases deeper in your linking structure, thus working within the limitations of PageRank distribution, is tested and true.

Also, I don't think that directory names are going to matter terribly much in rankings, and I would spend my energy worrying about other things.

PS: Directories themselves are a way of organizing your files... not necessarily your linking structure.