Simple URL Length Question

Does it help to reduce directory names

[codeman]

I am in the process of re-designing a site, so I have an opportunity to construct URL's to be as SEO-friendly as possible.

Right now I have URL's which will contain a directory name and a product or category name:

for category pages:
www.example.com/category/widgets

for products:
www.example.com/products/red-widgets

With some programming wizardry, I could possibly reduce the URL's to contain only the key and not the directory, so the above URL's would become:

for category pages:
www.example.com/widgets

for products:
www.example.com/red-widgets

This would make the code of the site a little less manageable, so I do not want to do this unless it will be a substantial benefit to the client. What is the general consensus of URL's such as these?

[edited by: Robert_Charlton at 7:39 pm (utc) on Oct. 21, 2007]
[edit reason] examplified further [/edit]

[buckworks]

URLs in the form

www.example.com/products/red-widgets

would make good sense for users as they are and they'd also be short enough not to break in emails. I don't see much advantage to trying to shorten them more that, especially if the programming to achieve that would introduce more complexity at your end. Leave well enough alone.

With SEO in mind, choose directory and file names that will be short but meaningful ... "products" rather than something like "proddescr", for example.