Apache’s mod_rewrite module solves several typical Search Engine Optimization (SEO) problems. It is a module which provides a powerful way to do sophisticated url manipulations. Not only can mod rewrite be used to avoid duplicate content, redirect moved urls or non existing inbound links, and create search engine friendly urls. It can also be used for to gain higher PageRank and search engines rankings, get your web site indexed by the search engines, and receiving more visitors. Here are some the most popular url manipulations.

Avoid duplicate content

RewriteEngine On
# Redirect non-www to www.
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^www.example.com$ [NC]
RewriteRule (.*) http://www.example.com/$1 [R=301,L]

# Redirect direct requests for "<anything>/index.html" to "<anything>/"
RewriteRule ^(([^/]+/)*)index\.html http://www.example.com/$1 [R=301,L]

Redirect relocated URLs

RewriteEngine On
# Redirect relocated old urls to the new urls
RewriteRule ^oldpage\.html$ http://www.example.com/newpage.html [R=301,L]
RewriteRule ^directory/oldpage\.html$ http://www.example.com/directory/newpage.html [R=301,

# Redirect relocated directories to the new directories
RewriteRule ^olddir/(.*) http://www.example.com/newdir/$1 [R=301,L]

Redirect non existing incoming links

RewriteEngine On

#+---------------------------------
#+ - BEGIN: URL fixup redirect routine
#+---------------------------------

# Get the requested URI, query string and hostname.
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} ^(/[^?]*)([?].*)?$
RewriteRule . - [E=myUri:%1,E=myQuery:%2]

# Replace hmtl, htlm, and thml file extensions with html extension.
RewriteCond %{ENV:myUri} ^(.*)[.,](hmtl|htlm|thml)$ [NC]
RewriteRule . - [E=myRedirect:yes,E=myUri:%1.html]

# Replace comma(s) or multiple filetype delimiter periods in the url
# with a single period.
RewriteCond %{ENV:myUri} ^(.*)([,.]{2,}|,)((s?html?|php[1-9]?|aspx?|pdf|xls).*)$ [NC]
RewriteRule . - [E=myRedirect:yes,E=myUri:%1.%3]

# Remove invalid trailing characters
RewriteCond %{ENV:myUri} ^([/0-9a-z._\-]*)[^/0-9a-z._\-] [NC]
RewriteRule . - [E=myRedirect:yes,E=myUri:%1]

# Remove trailing punctutation
RewriteCond %{ENV:myUri} ^(.*)[._\-]+$
RewriteRule . - [E=myRedirect:yes,E=myUri:%1]

# Do the external 301 redirect only if needed and the resource exists
# at the corrected URI.
RewriteCond %{ENV:myRedirect} ^yes$ [NC]
RewriteCond %{DOCUMENT_ROOT}%{ENV:myUri} -f [OR]
RewriteCond %{DOCUMENT_ROOT}%{ENV:myUri} -d
RewriteRule . http://www.example.com%{ENV:myUri}%{ENV:myQuery} [R=301,L]

#+---------------------------------
#+ - END: URL fixup redirect routine
#+---------------------------------

SEO-friendly URLs

For example, your urls look like this: http://www.example.com/widgets.php?cat=blue&page=1

Obviously, you want to transform it into something that look like this: http://www.example.com/widgets/blue/page1.php

RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^widgets/(.*)/page(.*)\.php /widgets.php?cat=$1&page=$2 [L]

Good luck! You can find more info about seo at http://www.seocentro.com.

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• April 17, 2009 – How Web Hosting Aids in SEO
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• December 1, 2011 – The Importance of SEO
• November 29, 2011 – 4 Steps to Automate Twitter Relationship Building in 15 Minutes
• November 15, 2011 – The Resurgence of Apache
• September 25, 2011 – Search Engine Optimization tips for Bing
• September 21, 2011 – Are Search Engine Optimization Companies – Worthy of the Cost?
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Domain and URLs

Before even purchasing a web hosting plan, you probably want to get yourself a domain first.  If you already have a name registered with another host, it shouldn’t be difficult to transfer it over to a new provider.  If not, you can easily register one for about $10 a year.  When it comes to SEO, both your domain and URLs are extremely important.  This is because when the search engine spiders come crawling, they index your pages individually opposed to the website itself.  With most hosting solutions, you have the ability to create custom URLs, so when used in conjunction with your domain name, it makes a great way to increase visibility in the eyes of the search engines.

Search Engine Friendly Features

The features a web hosting provider offers can also benefit your SEO efforts.  Because optimizing for targeted search engine traffic has proven to be effective, many hosts now offer tools that help research and choose the best keywords for your site.  Another great feature is the handy web application.  These utilities give you graphical statistics on your website traffic, showing when visitors came in and where they come from.  They usually show you which search engine spiders visited your site as well.  Then you have companies that offer free search engine submissions, free marketing credits, Google webmaster tools and more.   The average web hosting package is loaded with an arsenal of tools that can aid in SEO.

Finding the Right Solution

Although web hosting plays a major role in SEO, the actual results all depends on the hosting company.  This is why it is so crucial to put an emphasis on quality and reliability rather than the cost of service.  There are many types of hosting out there and finding a cheap solution is easier than ever before.  When looking for a service, you need to keep in mind that you are essentially placing the fate of your search engine rankings in the hands of another company.  This is one relationship where trust is key.  Without doing your research and rushing into a service, you can end up with a solution that does more harm to your visibility than good.  Worst of all, you may not even be aware of it.

You should also be cautious about hosting multiple domains on a single account and server.  While this may seem like a practical and cost effective move, it could also hinder your cause.

It is speculated that search engines view linking from within the same IP address as a move done to generate false link popularity.  In order to get the best results, SEO and web hosting need to work in perfect harmony.

Related posts:

• March 31, 2011 – Seo Friendly Links with mod_rewrite
• December 2, 2010 – Getting Started With Your SEO Strategy
• March 18, 2010 – How Does Search Engine Optimization Relate to Your Web Host?
• February 24, 2010 – Selecting an SEO-Oriented Web Hosting Plan
• September 23, 2009 – How Search Engine-Friendly is Your Domain Name?
• May 8, 2009 – Three Essential Elements of SEO
• April 29, 2009 – Using a Generic Domain for SEO Purposes
• February 20, 2009 – Optimizing Your Website for MSN
• January 16, 2012 – Top 4 Ways to Optimize WordPress for Search Engines
• December 19, 2011 – Top 10 Domain Registrars