Pretty URLs DNN module by Coding Staff allows modifying DotNetNuke portal URLs to achieve better SEO statistics and bringing portal’s URLs to one unified look. The module has a set of easy to use, clear, human-friendly and accessible options.

Module Requirements:

The Pretty URLs module has only one requirement which is the DNN portal of version 5.0 or higher.

Download user guide for this module in PDF format

Installing Pretty URL's

1. Install module package using standard module installation procedure:
   • Go to Host –> Module Definitions menu.
   • Click on “Install Module” link from action menu.
   • On the next page, click “Browse” and select from your computer the extension package with module installation files.
   • On the next page you can see the following warning message: “The package contains files with invalid File Extensions (asmx)”. By default the .asmx extension is not included into accepted file extensions list. Please, ignore it by checking “Ignore File Restrictions” checkbox and then click “Next”. It is absolutely safe because the .asmx is a standard Web Service extension, which is used in AJAX technology.
   • On the next page review the package information and click “Next”.
   • On the next page review the release notes and click “Next”.
   • On the next page review the license details, check option “Accept license” and click “Next”. It forces module installation process.
   • After installation you should be able to see under “Host” menu new sub menu called “Url Settings”.
2. To manage URLs generation settings go to the “Url Settings” page by choosing “Host -> Url Settings”.

   If you have not yet applied the settings for your site you’ll see the following message: “Warning! Module’s settings are not activated. Set up the module and press the “Activate” button.”This module replaces standard URL rewriting and URL generation features of DotNetNuke.

   Therefore, the Pretty URLs module changes the web.config file. Note: Backup the web.config file before you press the “Activate” button in case of possible incorrect setup.

MODULE SETTINGS DESCRIPTION

In this section all settings of the Pretty Urls module are described. Please, carefully read all the information provided to better understand how the module works and functions.

• Switch URL’s to lower case

  When checked, all URLs will be modified and saved as lower case letters. This option unifies portal URLs to a consistent standardized look. It also reduces a possibility of indexing pages with duplicate content by using one single variant of the URL.

• Replace Spaces in Page Titles

  This option allows the user to change spaces and special characters in pages names to make URLs more user-friendly, readable and understandable. Also it allows search engines to explicitly indicate how to parse URL’s folder and file names into search engines’ targeted keywords.

• Use Page Extension

  The final parts of the URL (separated by dots) are called extensions. For example, in http://www.codingstaff.com/Home.aspx ‘aspx’ is an extension of the home page. ‘ASPX’ is a regular extension used for indicating ASP .NET applications.

  The Pretty URL module can eliminate page extensions, which would make site’s URLs more human friendly. Also, the module allows you to define custom page extensions and replace standard .aspx part of URL with your own value.

• Ignore Files Rule

  This option allows setting up a regular expression to indicate a list of pages, files or folders which should be ignored by the module to reduce efforts spent on processing unnecessary files, for example, static images, thus improving data processing performance.

Redirect Settings Tab

• 301 redirect to a user-friendly URL

  If the option is checked, a 301 redirect will be issued for the URL which does not match a friendly URL of the page. The option is useful if you would like to keep and pass the Page Rank from older site pages to the pages with friendly URLs without losing it. In addition, any user who types in an old URL will be automatically redirected to the new one.

• 301 redirect to a single home page

  If this option is checked, all requests to domain.com/Home.aspx, domain.com/Default.aspx, domain.com/tabid/XX/Default.aspx will be given a 301 redirect to the "domain.com/" URL type. “301 redirect to a single home page” prevents search engines from duplicate content and duplicate home pages indexation which is important for SEO.

• 301 redirect to a single “www” sub-domain

  If this option is checked, the module issues a 301 redirect to the “www” sub-domain. Example: Any requests to domain.com will be given a 301 redirect to www.domain.com to prevent duplicate home pages indexed by the search engines.

Standard Module Removal

As module make changes in web.config file in addition to the standard uninstall procedure you should do some extra steps. You need to do this because the Pretty URLs module cleans only database and files from module folder during uninstall process. To correctly uninstall the module do the following steps bellow:

• Go to Host -> Url Settings.
• Press the “Remove Configuration” button.
• Uninstall module through Module Definitions.

If you remove the module incorrectly, you need to make changes in web.config file manually.

Coding Staff recommended configuration for best SEO

• Use lower case URL option to avoid duplicate content indexing.
• Use dashes to separate each word in URL for better page ranking and making human friendly links.
• Use extension-less URLs for making URLs more appealing and user-friendly.
• Use permanent redirects to avoid duplicated content and losing you PR.

Support Information

If you have any questions regarding module usage do not hesitate to contact Coding Staff support department at support@codingstaff.com.