A-Z Index

On this page:

• Why it's important
• Usage
  • Adding an A-Z item
  • Editing an A-Z item
  • Deleting an A-Z item
• Viewing the A-Z lndex
• Best Practices

Why it's important

An A-Z Index is an easy to implement, high-impact tool to improve website navigation, information-finding and most importantly, boost SEO on your website. 

An A-Z Index is a user-friendly and effective search tool. Many users are already familiar with the concept as it borrows from alphabetical book indexes/glossaries.

A-Z indexes also allow users to freely browse your website. This can help to uncover other topics of interest and drive traffic to additional (potentially lesser-known) pages within your site. 

Usage

You can manage the A-Z Index by going to Manage > Content > A-Z Index. By default it lists the items by the date it was added. You can sort the table by the link name alphabetically by clicking on the sort icon on the link column.

Adding an A-Z item

1. Go to Manage > Content > A-Z Index 
2. Click + Add Item
3. Provide a URL and a Link text
   • The link text should be the title of your item
4. Save

Editing an A-Z item

1. Go to Manage > Content > A-Z Index 
2. Find the item you wish to edit
3. Click the Edit button in the operations column
4. Make your desired changes
5. Save

Delete an A-Z item

1. Go to Manage > Content > A-Z Index 
2. Find the item you wish to delete
3. Click the arrow down button in the operations column and choose Delete
   • Warning: As with all deletions in Drupal this action is permanent and cannot be reversed.
4. Confirm

Viewing the A-Z Index

The A-Z Index is a listing page with the reserved path /a-z-index. The alias is appended at the root of your site (after the site alias). For example:

• The index for the main site would be located at: utm.utoronto.ca/a-z-index
• The index for the IITS site would be located at: utm.utoronto.ca/iits/a-z-index

If you have a page or existing path that uses this alias and conflicts with it, that page would need to be removed or altered . The index path cannot be edited as it needs to be consistent from site to site for SEO.

The listing only appears in alphabetical order, grouped by the letter. This cannot be altered as it needs to be consistent from site to site.

Best Practices

• To maximize your A-Z Index, you'll want to use keywords (related to your page title) that will resonate with your website users.
• As a general example: if you wished to include a link to this Visitors page on your A-Z Index, you may consider including the following keyword phrase in your link text field: How to get to UTM.
• Your A-Z Index should primarily link to pages of interest within your own website. However, if there's a page on another UTM sub-site that your users would find value in accessing, feel free to also include that in your A-Z Index.
• When linking to pages within your own site, be sure to follow the process for creating internal links.