Hello Everyone and thanks for your help in advance. I am developing a content management site and need some feedback on how to structure the site layout. Typically, when I have developed any site, I have utilized on default page and then dynamically change the page via querystring parameters and dynamically loading contnrols. For example, Default.aspx?category=products&productID=5

However, this is obviously not good for search engines and, from my understanding, the better way would be to use some type of URL Rewrite to parse a URL like /Products/5.aspx. However, this would seem to imply that I would need more than one page to redirect to. Can someone give me some feedback on the best practices of accomplishing this. Obviously, the reason I am trying to use one default page is to simplify maintenance. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I'm not privy to a lot of ins and outs of SEO with database applications, but I may be able to speak to part of this. You're trying to use one page to simplify maintenance. So you're nervous about having a number of different pages in various folders, is this correct?

IF I'm understanding the problem correctly, there are a couple things I know of that could help. One, you know how when you create a new webform, it lists the name of the partial class (usually the same as the filename you created). Swap the default out for a base page class object. One that will let you reuse the same .cs file for every page that you're building. That would be one thing to help maintain consistency across any number of pages AND be able to change the behavior on all pages by updating one code behind.

Two, check out master pages. I admit, I'm only just starting to work with them myself, but the idea is very attractive. It's essentially SSI that's compiled into the page so that it doesn't require the server hit SSI takes. It lets you design an interface for any number of pages, implement it as a user control, and change ALL pages by making changes to the one master page. If you use CSS, which granted .NET does not make easy, you can control the page interface from the master page, the programming logic, from the base page code behind, and the appearance from the CSS stylesheet. That's pretty cool.

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Chroniclemaster1, Founder of www.EarthChronicle.com
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As chroniclemaster1 pointed out, master pages is a major step to making maintenance easier.

Even with URL rewriting you could technically still use the single page technique. The difference is that the querystring detail that defines that one page's behavior is masked from the user by the URL before it's re-written. You are simply re-writing it to the URL you currently use.

Despite this, with master pages and the use of super classes for your pages I think the headache of a one-page-site is easily avoidable.

-Peter