Google's New Algorithm Might Be Penalizing Your PrestaShop Store: Fix Friendly URLs, 404 Errors, and Indexing Issues

Google's algorithm is constantly evolving to provide users with the most relevant and useful results. In recent years, Google has placed greater importance on aspects that used to be overlooked, such as friendly URLs, 404 errors, and the correct indexing of pages. These factors now have a direct impact on the SEO positioning of any online store, including PrestaShop stores.

In this article, we'll explain how these algorithm changes affect your PrestaShop store and how you can solve them with MegaSEO and Mega Pretty URLs modules from Alabaz.

What has changed in Google's algorithm?

With recent updates, Google has reinforced its focus on the user experience and technical quality of web pages. This means that not only must your content be relevant, but your store must also function correctly from a technical standpoint.

1. Friendly URLs: A key SEO factor

One of the main aspects that Google considers is the structure of URLs. Friendly URLs are those that consist of clear, descriptive words, making it easier for both the user and the search engine to understand the page’s content.

For example, Google favors URLs like:

Instead of complex, hard-to-understand URLs like:

How do unfriendly URLs affect your PrestaShop store's SEO?

• Limited crawling and indexing: Google crawls millions of pages every day, and clear URLs help the search engine understand your store's content. Confusing URLs or those with strange parameters can prevent Google from indexing your pages correctly, reducing their visibility.
• Ranking penalties: URLs that do not contain relevant keywords or are poorly structured may be considered less useful by Google, lowering the chances of appearing in top search results.
• Poor user experience: If a user sees a complicated, nonsensical URL, they are less likely to trust it or click on it. Friendly URLs, on the other hand, enhance trust and make navigation easier.

Solution: Mega Pretty URLs

The Mega Pretty URLs module from Alabaz is the perfect tool to solve this problem in PrestaShop. With Mega Pretty URLs, you can transform your store's URLs into friendly, easy-to-crawl URLs for Google.

Benefits of Mega Pretty URLs:

• SEO-optimized URLs: Eliminate unnecessary parameters and optimize your product, category, and page URLs to be clean and descriptive.
• Better Google indexing: By using relevant keywords in your URLs, Google can more effectively crawl and index your pages.
• Increased user trust: A clear and concise URL builds more trust and increases the likelihood of users clicking on it.

404 Errors: How they affect your PrestaShop store

Another aspect Google pays close attention to is the technical health of the website. 404 errors, which occur when a requested page is not found, can severely affect the SEO of your PrestaShop store.

How do 404 errors affect your SEO?

• Poor user experience: When a user encounters a 404 error, they usually leave the site immediately, increasing your bounce rate and sending a bad signal to Google.
• Loss of SEO authority: Google sees stores with multiple 404 errors as poorly maintained, negatively affecting their authority in search results.
• Loss of traffic: Every potential customer who encounters a 404 error is a lost sale. These errors can stem from discontinued products, URL changes, or internal linking problems.

Solution: 301 and 302 redirects with MegaSEO

To prevent 404 errors from damaging your SEO, it’s essential to implement 301 (permanent) or 302 (temporary) redirects. 301 redirects are especially useful for directing deleted pages or changed URLs to new, relevant pages, maintaining traffic flow and authority.

The MegaSEO module from Alabaz offers a simple and effective solution for managing these redirects in PrestaShop.

Benefits of MegaSEO:

• Easy redirect management: Easily configure 301 and 302 redirects to avoid 404 errors and maintain an optimal user experience.
• Prevention of traffic loss: By redirecting traffic from deleted pages to active ones, you ensure users don’t encounter errors and your store remains accessible.
• Improved SEO authority: Google won’t penalize your store if redirects are managed correctly, preserving your authority and rankings in search engines.

Non-indexed pages: How to fix this issue and improve your SEO

Google can’t rank pages that haven’t been indexed, meaning if your PrestaShop store has non-indexed pages, you’re losing opportunities for organic traffic. Pages may go unindexed for various reasons, including:

• Unfriendly or complex URLs that hinder crawling.
• Technical errors such as incorrect robots.txt settings or internal linking problems.
• Duplicate pages or low-quality content.

Solution: Indexing optimization with MegaSEO

MegaSEO is an essential tool for improving the indexing of pages in your PrestaShop store. With this module, you can ensure that your store’s relevant pages are properly crawled and indexed by Google, avoiding invisibility in search results.

Benefits of MegaSEO for indexing:

• Custom indexing: Control which pages should be indexed by Google and which shouldn’t, optimizing crawling and avoiding duplicate content issues.
• Increased Google visibility: Ensuring that all your important pages are indexed increases the chances of appearing in top search results.
• Prevention of technical errors: MegaSEO allows you to easily manage indexing directives and resolve issues that could prevent Google from crawling your site.

Conclusion: How MegaSEO and Mega Pretty URLs Improve Your PrestaShop Store’s SEO

Google's algorithm changes have placed even more emphasis on the technical structure of online stores, and factors like friendly URLs, 404 error management, and correct page indexing are crucial to improving your rankings.

At Alabaz, we offer two key modules to boost the SEO of your PrestaShop store:

• Mega Pretty URLs: Optimize and customize your store’s URLs, making them friendly for both users and Google, improving indexing and user experience.
• MegaSEO: Manage 301 and 302 redirects, optimize your page indexing, and prevent errors that could harm your rankings.

With these tools, you won’t just meet Google’s algorithm requirements but also offer a better experience to your users while improving your store’s SEO performance. """