URL rewriting is a process that allows you to make your website URLs more user-friendly and search engine friendly. It involves rewriting the structure of URLs, usually by making them shorter and easier to read. URL rewriting is an important part of optimizing your website for better search engine rankings.
In a nutshell, the underlying principle of URL rewriting is to make website URLs simpler, shorter and easier to remember. It also helps to improve website rankings and boosts user experience.
When you create a website, its URLs are automatically generated. The result is often a long and complicated string of characters that’s difficult to remember and even harder to type into a browser’s address bar. With URL rewriting, you can make these URLs shorter and easier to understand.
For example, a URL such as http://www.yourwebsite.com/?cid=15 could be rewritten to http://yourwebsite.com/category/15. This takes advantage of a feature on some web-hosting packages, known as ‘mod_rewrite' or ‘htaccess’ which allow you to create simpler, more streamlined URLs.
The process of rewriting URLs involves a number of steps, but the key one is to create a virtual mapping between two URLs. This mapping is then used by web browsers and search engine crawlers to direct website visitors to the correct place. The entire process can be done manually, but it’s often done automatically with the help of URL rewriting software.
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The most important element of URL rewriting is to create a virtual mapping between two URLs. This mapping can be done using ‘mod_rewrite’ or ‘htaccess’. The mapping should contain the old URL and the new URL, so that the browser knows where to direct the user.
URL rewriting can also be used to create ‘smart URLs’. This is a technique that ensures that your website URLs are descriptive and accurately reflect the content of the page. For example, rather than directing users to a page with a URL like http://yourwebsite.com/page?id=56247, you could re-route them to http://yourwebsite.com/about-us/. This gives users a better understanding of where they will end up, and it also boosts your website’s search engine rankings.
To summarise, URL rewriting is an important technique for helping make website URLs simpler, shorter, and easier to remember. It can also be used to create ‘smart URLs’ which accurately reflect the content of the page, and help to improve your website’s search engine rankings. The process of rewriting URLs can be done manually or with the help of URL rewriting software.
When it comes to URL rewriting, there are a few simple best practices you can follow. First, always create virtual mappings between URLs so that browsers and search engine crawlers can find the correct page. Secondly, ensure that your rewritten URLs are descriptive and accurately reflect the content of the page. Finally, use URL rewriting software when necessary, and make sure you keep track of all the mappings.