ABOUT · NEWS · FORUM · 



Subscribe to our Newsletter
Associate-O-Matic

v4.1.2
 
 
Associate-O-Matic v4 Documentation   Last Updated: 5/31/2008
 
· What's New
· Requirements
· New Installation
· Upgrading
· Control Panel
· Amazon
· CSS
· Cache
· Categories
· Colors
· Currency
· Custom Boxes
· Custom Pages
· Display
· Errors
· Filters
· Home Page
· Images
· Layout
· Merchant
· Meta Description
· Meta Keywords
· Reports
· SEO
· Search
· Shopping Cart
· Site
· Subcategories
· Tabs
· Text
· Titles
· API
· Languages
· Graphics
· RSS
· Troubleshooting
· Known Issues
· Additional Help
· License
· Disclaimer
 
Control Panel - Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Settings
 
This section gives you SEO (search engine optimization) settings such as mod_rewrite and adding item names to URLs. Portions of this section are not available in the LITE edition such as mod_rewrite - see a comparison chart of editions.

Mod Rewrite WARNING: This feature is for advanced users only and requires that you enable mod_rewrite on your server as well as upload an .htaccess file with the mod_rewrite rules. Leave set to Off if you do not know what this is. If set to On, URLs generated inside your store will become search engine friendly and will be parsable according to the mod_rewrite rules provided below.
   
URL Separator If Mod Rewrite is set to On, this setting tells how parameters in the URL will be separated. Note: If you have a pre-existing store with mod_rewrite, it is not recommended to set this to Underscore. This will cause your old links in search engines to die. Also, the opposite character will be used to separate words in the 'x' parameter (i.e. name of the link) if URL With Name below is set to Yes.

Hyphen (-) Examples:
http://www.yoursite.com/Books-1000-0553210793.html
http://www.yoursite.com/Books-1000-0099244721-Timeline.html
http://www.yoursite.com/Books-1000-0545010225-Harry_Potter_and_the_Deathly_Hallows.html

Underscore (_) Examples:
http://www.yoursite.com/Books_1000_0553210793.html
http://www.yoursite.com/Books_1000_0099244721_Timeline.html
http://www.yoursite.com/Books_1000_0545010225_Harry-Potter-and-the-Deathly-Hallows.html
URL Home File If Mod Rewrite is set to On, this is the name used in links to your homepage from within the store (e.g. home, index.html, shop, etc...). Keep in mind the file doesn't have to exist because the URL will get rewritten to your actual store URL. NOTE: You will need to modify the first line in the mod rewrite rules we provide to reflect the name you choose: RewriteRule ^[URL Home File] shop.php
URL Ends With If Mod Rewrite is set to On, this setting determines how mod_rewritten URLs end. Be sure to use the correct rule set for the ending you've chosen (see the online documentation).
URL With Name If set to Yes, where applicable (e.g. item links, category links, review links, marketplace links, etc), the Item Name or Category Name will be added to the link (depending on context). It's sole purpose is to help with search engine ranking. Setting it to Yes or No will not affect the functionality of your store. NOTE: This setting can be used with mod_rewrite On or Off (mod_rewrite is not available in Lite version). With mod_rewrite Off, a 'x=[name here]' parameter is added to the end of the URL. With mod_rewrite On, the name is simply added to the end of the URL. Be sure to use the correct rule set for the ending you've chosen (see the online documentation).
URL Name Length If the URL With Name setting above is set to Yes, this setting tells the maximum character length (default 200 characters). Note: Setting this too long or two short is not recommended. Too long (over 2000 characters) and search engines might not like your URLs. Too short and you defeat the purpose of adding names to the URLs. We recommend keeping this set at 200.
No Follow NoFollow allows you to keep certain links from being spidered by search engines that honor this directive. We recommend using NoFollow with all of the link sections below. Check the boxes for those link sections you would like to be NoFollow (non-spiderable). Uncheck if you want search engines to spider them. This keeps unwanted links from showing up in search engine results and saves bandwidth. Note: Links to your main store Categories and Item pages are always spiderable.

Example:
<a href='http://www.yourdomain.com/' rel='nofollow'>Your Link</a>

Link Sections:
. Breadcrumbs - All breadcrumb links except the Home and first main Category link
. Similar Item Links - Any similar/related/accessory/maker links
. Marketplace Links - Links to and inside the Marketplace pages
. Review Links - Links to and inside the Review pages
. Subcategory Box - All links inside this box
. Related Category Box - All links inside this box
. Bestseller Box - All links inside this box
. New Release Box - All links inside this box
. Tag Cloud Box - All links inside this box
. Narrow By Brand Box - All links inside this box
. Narrow By Price Box - All links inside this box
. Info Box - All links inside this box


Here are the mod_rewrite rules you would use depending on how you've configured the above settings. They would either go in a .htaccess file that you'd place in the same location as your shop.php file or you'd place them in your http.conf file

NOTE: The rules have not changed in v4.1.0 though they only change applies to the user of hyphens/underscores in Custom Page IDs. If you don't have hyphens or underscores in your Page IDs then you are OK.

WARNING: DO NOT USE the Underscore setting and rules if you have an existing store using mod_rewrite. IT WILL CAUSE YOUR OLD LINKS TO DIE IN SEARCH ENGINES BECAUSE THEY USED HYPENS.

If you see a 500 or 404 error on any pages after setting up your rules, it is a problem with the rules themselves. They will need to be tweaked for your server. Let us know if you see either of these errors... we can help. Set Mod Rewrite to No until we can help you resolve the problem. Then email us the RULE SET # you are using and the URL(s) where you see the problem.


Mod Rewrite Rules
(select the rule set that matches your settings)

RULE SET 1  URL Separator: Hyphen  URL Ends With: .html  URL With Name: Yes
RULE SET 2  URL Separator: Hyphen  URL Ends With: .html  URL With Name: No
RULE SET 3  URL Separator: Hyphen  URL Ends With: [nothing]  URL With Name: Yes
RULE SET 4  URL Separator: Hyphen  URL Ends With: [nothing]  URL With Name: No

RULE SET 5  URL Separator: Underscore  URL Ends With: .html  URL With Name: Yes
RULE SET 6  URL Separator: Underscore  URL Ends With: .html  URL With Name: No
RULE SET 7  URL Separator: Underscore  URL Ends With: [nothing]  URL With Name: Yes
RULE SET 8  URL Separator: Underscore  URL Ends With: [nothing]  URL With Name: No


RULE SET 1

Last Updated: v3.0.6
URL Separator: Hyphen

URL Ends With: .html

URL With Name: Yes		 RewriteEngine on
RewriteRule ^home shop.php
RewriteRule ^reviews-([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([a-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9_]+).html shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&i=$3&p=$4&a=reviews
RewriteRule ^buy-([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([a-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z]+)-([0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9_]+).html shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&i=$3&m=$4&p=$5&a=buy
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([a-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9+_"]+)-([A-Za-z0-9+_]+)-([a-z]+)-([0-9]+).html shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&k=$3&t=$4&s=$5&p=$6
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([a-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9+_"]+)-([a-z]+)-([0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9_]+).html shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&k=$3&s=$4&p=$5
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([a-z0-9]+)-([a-z]+)-([0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9_]+).html shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&s=$3&p=$4
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([a-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9_]+).html shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&i=$3
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([a-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9_]+).html shop.php?c=$1&n=$2
RewriteRule ^page-([A-Za-z0-9+_"]+).html shop.php?a=$1
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9_]+).html shop.php?c=$1
RewriteRule ^item-([A-Za-z0-9]+) shop.php?i=$1
RewriteRule ^search-([A-Za-z0-9+_"]+) shop.php?k=$1
RULE SET 2

Last Updated: v3.0.6
URL Separator: Hyphen

URL Ends With: .html

URL With Name: No

RewriteEngine on
RewriteRule ^home shop.php
RewriteRule ^reviews-([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([a-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([0-9]+).html shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&i=$3&p=$4&a=reviews
RewriteRule ^buy-([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([a-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z]+)-([0-9]+).html shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&i=$3&m=$4&p=$5&a=buy
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([a-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9+_"]+)-([A-Za-z0-9+_]+)-([a-z]+)-([0-9]+).html shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&k=$3&t=$4&s=$5&p=$6
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([a-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9+_"]+)-([a-z]+)-([0-9]+).html shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&k=$3&s=$4&p=$5
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([a-z0-9]+)-([a-z]+)-([0-9]+).html shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&s=$3&p=$4
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([a-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9]+).html shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&i=$3
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([a-z0-9]+).html shop.php?c=$1&n=$2
RewriteRule ^page-([A-Za-z0-9+_"]+).html shop.php?a=$1
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+).html shop.php?c=$1
RewriteRule ^item-([A-Za-z0-9]+) shop.php?i=$1
RewriteRule ^search-([A-Za-z0-9+_"]+) shop.php?k=$1
RULE SET 3

Last Updated: v3.0.6
URL Separator: Hyphen

URL Ends With: [nothing]

URL With Name: Yes		 RewriteEngine on
RewriteRule ^home shop.php
RewriteRule ^reviews-([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([a-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9_]+) shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&i=$3&p=$4&a=reviews
RewriteRule ^buy-([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([a-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z]+)-([0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9_]+) shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&i=$3&m=$4&p=$5&a=buy
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([a-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9+_"]+)-([A-Za-z0-9+_]+)-([a-z]+)-([0-9]+) shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&k=$3&t=$4&s=$5&p=$6
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([a-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9+_"]+)-([a-z]+)-([0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9_]+) shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&k=$3&s=$4&p=$5
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([a-z0-9]+)-([a-z]+)-([0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9_]+) shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&s=$3&p=$4
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([a-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9_]+) shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&i=$3
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([a-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9_]+) shop.php?c=$1&n=$2
RewriteRule ^page-([A-Za-z0-9+_"]+) shop.php?a=$1
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9_]+)/?$ shop.php?c=$1
RewriteRule ^item-([A-Za-z0-9]+) shop.php?i=$1
RewriteRule ^search-([A-Za-z0-9+_"]+) shop.php?k=$1
RULE SET 4

Last Updated: v3.0.6
URL Separator: Hyphen

URL Ends With: [nothing]

URL With Name: No		 RewriteEngine on
RewriteRule ^home shop.php
RewriteRule ^reviews-([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([a-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([0-9]+) shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&i=$3&p=$4&a=reviews
RewriteRule ^buy-([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([a-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z]+)-([0-9]+) shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&i=$3&m=$4&p=$5&a=buy
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([a-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9+_"]+)-([A-Za-z0-9+_]+)-([a-z]+)-([0-9]+) shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&k=$3&t=$4&s=$5&p=$6
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([a-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9+_"]+)-([a-z]+)-([0-9]+) shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&k=$3&s=$4&p=$5
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([a-z0-9]+)-([a-z]+)-([0-9]+)/?$ shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&s=$3&p=$4
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([a-z0-9]+)-([A-Za-z0-9]+)/?$ shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&i=$3
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)-([a-z0-9]+)/?$ shop.php?c=$1&n=$2
RewriteRule ^page-([A-Za-z0-9+_"]+) shop.php?a=$1
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)/?$ shop.php?c=$1
RewriteRule ^item-([A-Za-z0-9]+) shop.php?i=$1
RewriteRule ^search-([A-Za-z0-9+_"]+) shop.php?k=$1
RULE SET 5

Last Updated: v3.0.7
2007-09-29
URL Separator: Underscore

URL Ends With: .html

URL With Name: Yes		 RewriteEngine on
RewriteRule ^home shop.php
RewriteRule ^reviews_([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([a-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9-]+).html shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&i=$3&p=$4&a=reviews
RewriteRule ^buy_([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([a-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z]+)_([0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9-]+).html shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&i=$3&m=$4&p=$5&a=buy
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([a-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9+"-]+)_([A-Za-z0-9+-]+)_([a-z]+)_([0-9]+).html shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&k=$3&t=$4&s=$5&p=$6
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([a-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9+"-]+)_([a-z]+)_([0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9-]+).html shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&k=$3&s=$4&p=$5
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([a-z0-9]+)_([a-z]+)_([0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9-]+).html shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&s=$3&p=$4
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([a-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9-]+).html shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&i=$3
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([a-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9-]+).html shop.php?c=$1&n=$2
RewriteRule ^page_([A-Za-z0-9+"-]+).html shop.php?a=$1
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9-]+).html shop.php?c=$1
RewriteRule ^item_([A-Za-z0-9]+) shop.php?i=$1
RewriteRule ^search_([A-Za-z0-9+"]+) shop.php?k=$1
RULE SET 6

Last Updated: v3.0.7
2007-09-29

URL Separator: Underscore

URL Ends With: .html

URL With Name: No

RewriteEngine on
RewriteRule ^home shop.php
RewriteRule ^reviews_([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([a-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([0-9]+).html shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&i=$3&p=$4&a=reviews
RewriteRule ^buy_([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([a-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z]+)_([0-9]+).html shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&i=$3&m=$4&p=$5&a=buy
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([a-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9+"-]+)_([A-Za-z0-9+-]+)_([a-z]+)_([0-9]+).html shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&k=$3&t=$4&s=$5&p=$6
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([a-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9+"-]+)_([a-z]+)_([0-9]+).html shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&k=$3&s=$4&p=$5
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([a-z0-9]+)_([a-z]+)_([0-9]+).html shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&s=$3&p=$4
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([a-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9]+).html shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&i=$3
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([a-z0-9]+).html shop.php?c=$1&n=$2
RewriteRule ^page_([A-Za-z0-9+"-]+).html shop.php?a=$1
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+).html shop.php?c=$1
RewriteRule ^item_([A-Za-z0-9]+) shop.php?i=$1
RewriteRule ^search_([A-Za-z0-9+"]+) shop.php?k=$1
RULE SET 7  

Last Updated: v3.0.7
2007-09-29

URL Separator: Underscore  

URL Ends With: [nothing]  

URL With Name: Yes		 RewriteEngine on
RewriteRule ^home shop.php
RewriteRule ^reviews_([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([a-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9-]+) shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&i=$3&p=$4&a=reviews
RewriteRule ^buy_([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([a-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z]+)_([0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9-]+) shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&i=$3&m=$4&p=$5&a=buy
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([a-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9+"-]+)_([A-Za-z0-9+-]+)_([a-z]+)_([0-9]+) shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&k=$3&t=$4&s=$5&p=$6
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([a-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9+"-]+)_([a-z]+)_([0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9-]+) shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&k=$3&s=$4&p=$5
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([a-z0-9]+)_([a-z]+)_([0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9-]+) shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&s=$3&p=$4
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([a-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9-]+) shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&i=$3
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([a-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9-]+) shop.php?c=$1&n=$2
RewriteRule ^page_([A-Za-z0-9+"-]+) shop.php?a=$1
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9-]+)/?$ shop.php?c=$1
RewriteRule ^item_([A-Za-z0-9]+) shop.php?i=$1
RewriteRule ^search_([A-Za-z0-9+"]+) shop.php?k=$1
RULE SET 8  

Last Updated: v3.0.7
2007-09-29
URL Separator: Underscore  

URL Ends With: [nothing]  

URL With Name: No		 RewriteEngine on
RewriteRule ^home shop.php
RewriteRule ^reviews_([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([a-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([0-9]+) shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&i=$3&p=$4&a=reviews
RewriteRule ^buy_([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([a-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z]+)_([0-9]+) shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&i=$3&m=$4&p=$5&a=buy
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([a-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9+"-]+)_([A-Za-z0-9+-]+)_([a-z]+)_([0-9]+) shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&k=$3&t=$4&s=$5&p=$6
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([a-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9+"-]+)_([a-z]+)_([0-9]+) shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&k=$3&s=$4&p=$5
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([a-z0-9]+)_([a-z]+)_([0-9]+)/?$ shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&s=$3&p=$4
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([a-z0-9]+)_([A-Za-z0-9]+)/?$ shop.php?c=$1&n=$2&i=$3
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)_([a-z0-9]+)/?$ shop.php?c=$1&n=$2
RewriteRule ^page_([A-Za-z0-9+"-]+) shop.php?a=$1
RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)/?$ shop.php?c=$1
RewriteRule ^item_([A-Za-z0-9]+) shop.php?i=$1
RewriteRule ^search_([A-Za-z0-9+"]+) shop.php?k=$1

Direct Item and Keyword Links:

Also supported by the above rules is the ability for you to manually link directly to an item if you would like to do so and also to do a keyword search through a link. The examples below use the URL Separator as Hyphen (substitute the Hyphen with an Underscore if you are using that as your URL Separator)...

A direct Item link would look like...
http://www.yoursite.com/item-[ASIN]

A direct Keyword link would look like...
http://www.yoursite.com/search-[Keyword]


Direct Custom Page Links:

Since v3.0, AOM allows you to create Custom Pages inside the Control Panel. You can link to them using the standard "a" parameter such as:

http://www.yourdomain.com/shop.php?a=[Page ID]

If you want to access your Custom Pages through mod_rewrite then you would add the line in red from the appropriate set of rules above. We have defaulted the rule "page-" though this could be anything so long as it doesn't use (home, reviews- or buy- from the rules above it).

So if you used "page-" in the rule, you would link to your Custom Page as follows:
(created inside the Control)

http://www.yourdomain.com/page-[Page ID]
 
© 2003-2008 Gyrofly, Inc.  All rights reserved. Privacy Policy  Terms of Use  Sitemap
All logos, service marks and trademarks belong to their respective owners.
 
feedback