# Rewriting categories URL; Will it make future problems?
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/rewriting-categories-url-will-it-make-future-problems/29160
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [May 23, 2015, 3:54am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rewriting-categories-url-will-it-make-future-problems/29160 "2015-05-23T03:54:20Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@reaon](https://meta.discourse.org/u/reaon)
#### Post date: [May 23, 2015, 3:54am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rewriting-categories-url-will-it-make-future-problems/29160/1 "2015-05-23T03:54:20Z")
I want to rewrite URL of categories via nginx, this way:
`meta.discourse.org/c/support` → `meta.discourse.org/support`
Will it make next problems during future updates or something else?
Is there any better replacement method?
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### Author:  [@riking](https://meta.discourse.org/u/riking)
#### Post date: [May 23, 2015, 7:04am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rewriting-categories-url-will-it-make-future-problems/29160/2 "2015-05-23T07:04:46Z")
Yes, this will cause problems, erm, everywhere. I suggest not doing it.
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### Author:  [@reaon](https://meta.discourse.org/u/reaon)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2015, 12:34pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rewriting-categories-url-will-it-make-future-problems/29160/3 "2015-05-25T12:34:07Z")
> [@riking](#):
>
> Yes, this will cause problems, erm, everywhere. I suggest not doing it
I thought it will make problems related to CEO!
Can you illustrate, @riking? I don’t have any idea what kind of problems will be happened.
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### Author:  [@purldator](https://meta.discourse.org/u/purldator)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2015, 10:14pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rewriting-categories-url-will-it-make-future-problems/29160/4 "2015-05-25T22:14:43Z")
You mean SEO? Compared to other forum software, Discourse does a good job with following proper SEO url practices out-the-box. It looks like you’re trying to make the url shorter but in the end, google’s algorithms look for the following:
1. Original Content.
2. Trust & Identity.
3. Authority of the site’s subject.
4. Visitor receptivity (low bounce rate; links elsewhere that point to your site, ect.)
[You should be “worried” more about the content on your pages than the technical semantics.](http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2012/12/11/seo-the-inconvenient-truth/)
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### Author:  [@riking](https://meta.discourse.org/u/riking)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2015, 11:23pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rewriting-categories-url-will-it-make-future-problems/29160/5 "2015-05-25T23:23:14Z")
Yeah, I was talking about problems in the sense of “not working”, not SEO snake oil bullshit.
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### Author:  [@purldator](https://meta.discourse.org/u/purldator)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2015, 11:25pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rewriting-categories-url-will-it-make-future-problems/29160/6 "2015-05-25T23:25:47Z")
Aye, was replying to @reaon with the possible “CEO” typo and clear up that specific tidbit if they are a victim to said snake oil indoctrination propaganda practices.
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### Author:  [@reaon](https://meta.discourse.org/u/reaon)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2015, 1:49pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rewriting-categories-url-will-it-make-future-problems/29160/7 "2015-05-30T13:49:36Z")
> [@riking](#):
>
> I was talking about problems in the sense of “not working”
What kind of problems? plz
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### Author:  [@Mittineague](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Mittineague)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2015, 4:44pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rewriting-categories-url-will-it-make-future-problems/29160/8 "2015-05-30T16:44:38Z")
> [@reaon](#):
>
> What kind of problems?
For one, Routing.
Changing the URL format of HTTP requests is likely to result in a lot of “Not Found” errors.
Don’t think of them so much as “addresses” identifying locations, but more like instructions on “how to get something”
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### Author:  [@reaon](https://meta.discourse.org/u/reaon)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2015, 5:52pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rewriting-categories-url-will-it-make-future-problems/29160/9 "2015-05-30T17:52:48Z")
> [@Mittineague](#):
>
> likely to result in a lot of “Not Found” errors
Rewriting in the manner of redirecting! You request for `example.com/A` and it is translated as `example.com/category/A` for the CMS by the web server, here Nginx. Why should we get a 404 error?!
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### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2015, 10:48pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rewriting-categories-url-will-it-make-future-problems/29160/10 "2015-05-30T22:48:28Z")
Routing exists in 2 spots, on the server and on the client [https://github.com/discourse/discourse/blob/master/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/routes/app-route-map.js.es6](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/blob/master/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/routes/app-route-map.js.es6) ..
A rewrite on the server without doing the needed work on the client will result in stuff breaking
This is beyond your skill level and will cause problems.
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### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2015, 10:48pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/rewriting-categories-url-will-it-make-future-problems/29160/11 "2015-05-30T22:48:31Z")