Having worked on numerous Virtuemart e-commerce websites I have spend many painstaking hours trying to configure Virtuemart urls to be Search Engine Friendly (SEF). Therefore, I thought it would be useful, not only for me, to collate and compile… a list (if you like) of useful resources, utilities, plug-ins and extensions to assist in improving SEF urls.
1. SEF Router for Virtuemart
router.php is used to change the non-sef into sef urls in Joomla 1.5. This file does the same for Virtuemart component and you don’t need to use third party SEF component to make your category and products page search engine friendly.
Example:
www.yoursitename.com/category/category_id/category_name
www.yoursitename.com/category/category_id/parent_category_name/category_name
www.yoursitename.com/details/product_id/category_id/product_name
This download is free.
Video Instruction:
2. Yagendoo VirtueMart SEO
All you have to do to obtain this is to copy 1 file into your Joomla! installation, and you will promptly be able to create wonderful Virtuemart SEO links with the Joomla!-included SEO.
At the same time, you’ll be minimizing the risk from using external SEO components. For who can guarantee you that this component will always be available and not canceled, as has often been the case already? Needless to explain what this may imply for a shop. If your links change because you have to adapt to another SEO component, you will catapult your web site to the scrap pile. And possibly your existence as well?
Yagendoo Virtuemart SEO completely confides in the Joomla!-included SEO, which is bound to exist as long as Joomla! itself. Without any risk!
With our Virtuemart SEO, the following results can be obtained:
- for linked categories and products
www.domain.com/en/shop-menuitem/menuitem-alias/menuitem-alias/menuitem-alias/menuitem-alias/product.html
- for unlinked products/categories
www.domain.com/en/shop-menuitem/id-category/id-category/id-category/id-category/id-product.html
This download costs €10
3. Artio JoomSEF
SEO component to make your Joomla! URLs SEF (search engine friendly) and easily human understandable with metadata generation capabilities. Supports URL translations at multilingual sites using JoomFish. Wide component through extension system. Proved to work both with Apache and IIS. Online upgrades and extension installtion. Custom 404 Page Not Found, duplicate URLs management.
Now also with new security functions to prevent URL code injection!
Main features:
* generate SEF URLs
* generate metadata (component – based)
* can override default metadada generated by component or Joomla (title, meta tags)
* duplicates management
* support for other components through extension modules; each component extenstion has own configurable parameters
* multilinguality support (JoomFish) and URL localization
* UTF-8 URLs support
* URL caching
* editing .htaccess capability
* URL variables filtering option – prevent URL code injections! with custom filter defintions
* URL source tracing to help allocate problematic code
* 301 Redirections management
* 404 Page Not Found customization
* online upgrades and extension installations
Support for many Joomla components: AdsManager, AlphaContent, Contacts XTD, Community Builder, Datso Gallery, DocMan, EZ Realty, Fireboard forum, Glossary, iJoomla Components, JE Comparison Charts, JEvents, Jomres, Joomlaboard, JoomFish, Joomla Tags, Jomres (Joomla Residents), Portfol, Seyret Video Component, SMF Bridge, SOBI2, Marketplace, Mosets Hot Property, Mosets Tree, ReMOSitory, RSGallery2, VirtueMart, Zoom Media Gallery. …
at the moment, there is more than 90 extensions available directly from ARTIO – see http://www.artio.net/en/joomsef/artio-joomsef-extensions for complete list, plus many more from 3rd party developers.
For changelog details, see http://www.artio.net/en/joomsef/artio-joomsef-for-joomla-1-5-version-history
NEW! 3.4.0 – New GUI, improved duplicate managements, metadata generation, improved pagination and much more!
NEW! 3.3.0 – You can now specify canonical links!
…more in changelog at project homepage
Get support and download this from http://www.artio.net.
4. sh404SEF
sh404SEF rewrites Joomla URL to a more user-friendly format (SEF URL or URL rewriting): mysite.com/index.php?option=com_content&Itemid=69&id=34… becomes mysite.com/en/sh404SEF-and-url-rewriting/list-of-available-plugins.html).
It is also a security component and manages title and meta tags : automatic tags, or manual for every page. It works with or without .htaccess file. Joomfish compatible. Caching system for high speed and very small DB queries overhead.
Support many components natively but uses also sef_ext from OpenSEF/SEF Advanced. VirtueMart, Fireboard, Community Builder, mosetsTree, HotProperty, Sobi2, Docman, myBlog, iJoomla Magazine,News Portal, Remository and more supported natively. SSL switch, automatic 301 redirection from non-sef to sef and from Joomla SEF to sh404SEF, insert Google news style numerical ID,.. Many backend parameters to control URL construction behaviour.
I will employ of some these ideas…
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by IanRSmith: Search Engine Friendly (SEF) urls for VirtueMart: http://www.ianrsmith.co.uk/search-engine-friendly-sef-urls-for-virtuemart/...
Your website looks really good. Being a blog writer myself, I really appreciate the time you took in writing this article.
well hey there guys, i’ve been looking all over the internet for a GOOD black hat SEO forum.. I was looking for some suggestions
from you guys to point me in the right direction.
Thanks a bunch, this place is great btw.
Anyone know how to do things like this?
Thanks for telling together with me. Your content pages are really helping me to get more the facts about education online. I must keep to this website. Thanks and well done again.
Thanks for spreading the word about this.
Really I think that Google Buzz’s submission was a little premature, especially with the recent concern of privacy. I also think that Google’s most likely going down the path that Windows experienced around the time of Windows ME. There products and products seem to be less planned and I feel like rushed the first in the industry, and or compete with its competitors releases. The privacy issue was something that didn’t require a computer science degree to figure out, a very simple review would have identified these issues. Do you think Google may have received too much credit last year?
I think you should keep it up
Does anybody know where I can find more of this type of information? Very good post, but I’d like to learn more. Thanks anybody…
Thank you for all the guide
Couldn’t agree more! Bookmarked your blog!
Hi, i must say fantastic site you have, i stumbled across it in AOL. Does you get much traffic? If you wishto exchange the links with us please let me know.
I wish i could tell more than thanks to you for your article, it is very helpful to me for answering my problem now.
Been looking for this type of information. Everything I’ve read anywhere else hasn’t covered it very well, but your post did. Thanks…
thx for this one m8
howdy first class little website you got there
I work with the same exact design template on mine although for whatever explanation it seems to load quicker on this site eventhough your own includes way more multimedia. Are you currently utilizing different plug ins or widgets that quicken it up? If you could quite possibly share the titles so I could use these in my web pages so twilight breaking dawn users could watch twilight new moon online trailers and clips easier I’d personally be ever so pleased – kudos in advance 
Have you ever considered adding more videos to your blog posts to keep the readers more entertained? I mean I just read through the entire article of yours and it was quite good but since I’m more of a visual learner,I found that to be more helpful well let me know how it turns out. This is good…thanks for sharing
Thanks for the suggestion of posting videos here. This site has been put on the back burner to some degree as result of being so busy. It’s the same old tale of doing everything on other peoples site and never having time maintain mine. That being said I plan to develop this in due course and I will certain consider your suggetion.
Next step for the site is design a nice slick theme. The one currently showing is a free download.
Hey Mr. Eclipse,
Actually I try to use as few plugins as possible. It certainly does speed up the site.
I am currently only 7 plugins.
Have you spoken with your hosting service? If you are on shared service with other sites, and if we one of those sites has a heavy traffic load, it could have an impact on the speed of your site. The speed of a website has become very important with google’s recent annoucement that speed will form part of their ranking process.
cool stuff, cheers man
Yes, that is true, I agree with you, but I am not sure if there are no other options.
SomeThat’s great info thx. Anyone heard anything about a good SEM company that won’t do a sub-standard job? I have got sooo much search engine marketing work to do and no time….. Need to get a company involved!!
I like to visit your site a couple times a week for new entries. I was wondering if you have any other topics you write about?
Hi Helen,
Time allowing, I will posting some more articles soon.
Ian
Hi, I really enjoy the layout of your site. What theme are you using?
thanks for posting, very useful
It’s called Century availabe from http://magpress.com
Hi, it’s a bit offtopic but may I ask you where did you get this blog template? I’m going to start bloggin as well, I’m a bit noob though but I really like it
Let me know… Anyway, nice website! 
I had trouble with viewing your page properly through the latest version of Opera. Looks good in IE7 and Firefox however.Have a wonderful day.
I have got trouble with seeing your site properly in the most recent release of Opera. Looks fine in IE7 and Firefox however.Hope you have a really great day.
hi there, i just found your site via bing, and i would like to tell that you express exceptionally well via your web portal. i am actually struck by the way that you write, and the message is excellent. anyways, i would also love to acknowledge whether you would love to exchange links with my blog? i will be certainly more than happy to reciprocate and put your link on in the link exchange area. anticipating for your respond, i give my sincere thanks and gooday!
Do you have a facebook I can follow you on?
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=logo#!/pages/Web-Development-Design-Hosting-by-Ian-R-Smith/267095965595?ref=ts
I haven’t tested the site using Opera. It does work fine all other browsers.
Excellent blog you have there, thanks for sharing, iv bookmaked you!
Thanks for sharing, it’s very good information. I am always interested in this subject. Keep up the good work!
If your interested in creating your own Joomla templates I recommend using Artisteer, the software rocks! Check it out here http://bit.ly/cKvT7i