links to directory or file better?

or does it not matter?

[chrisandsarah]

Hi

Which is the best one to go for?
Get webmasters to link to my site using the url

www.mydomain.com/widgets/index.html
or
www.mydomain.com/widgets/

or does it not matter which?

Many thanks,

[closed]

I would go for this one:

www.mydomain.com/widgets/

Because it's shorter, and it's independent of the underlying language (whether it's PHP, ASP, HTML, etc.) used to create the default page. I actually use index.html, but Google and DMOZ take it off in their links.

[pageoneresults]

I'll agree with closed on this one, especially about the underlying technology. Make sure to add that trailing forward slash just as you have it too. Typically most browsers will resolve to the root page and add the forward slash if it is not there.

P.S. You also need to strongly encourage your link partners to utilize a correctly formatted URI as you have above. Try not to let them subvert your guidelines.

[dirkz]

From what I know, the two
www.mydomain.com/widgets/index.html
www.mydomain.com/widgets/
are two different URLs for google. If half of your link partners link to the one, the other half links to the other one, then your PR will be distributed to both (so, in essence, sliced into halves).

I would get to link them ALL with the index.html version if you link to your main page from deep pages with index.html. Or let them ALL link to the directory version. Otherwise, you'll lose some PR.

[nakulgoyal]

Yes, pageoneresults is right. Even at ODP, a trailing slash is added automatically by a web application script if the user forgot to add. That makes our job easier there sometimes.

Good to make sure you go with the traling slash. Yes, dirkz, PR flows that way. PR is actually Page Rank. and nobody knows if it's yourdomain.com/directory/, then it is /default.php? or default.asp? or index.asp? or index.php? or index.htm? or index.html? or index.cfm?

maybe anything else....! so we have to thing carefully when we do something...! :-)