Let's look at the options we have if we are looking for an SEF component? Well, luckily we have an array of options to choose from and we will look at the most well known ones.
Artio JoomSEF 3: This is a semi-commercial SEF component, which means you can download and use it for free. But there is a little catch in the free version—in the metadata of all the generated pages there is an advertisement. This advertisement is probably not related to the content of your site and can harm your SEO efforts while you are linking to non-related sites. With the commercial option these links are taken out, it costs 24.99 Euro.
SEF Advance: This is one of the oldest components. It is a commercial component that will cost you 40 Euro. It is indeed a very stable version and it is well supported. However, it needs Ion Cube Loader (ICL) to be installed on your site; this is clearly mentioned in the documentation. The Ion Cube Loader is a PHP based software that needs...