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mod_rewrite Setup URL Configuration Guide

In this guide, you will learn how to enable the mod_rewrite module on the Apache web server and create SEO-compatible, clean URL structures using .htaccess.

Thanks to the URL rewrite system:

  • Complex query string structures are simplified
  • SEO performance increases
  • User experience improves
  • More professional URL structures are created

What is mod_rewrite?​

Apache mod_rewrite is a powerful module that rewrites incoming URL requests according to rules.

Example:

/urun.php?id=5

instead of:

/urun/5

SEO compatible URLs such as SEO can be created.

Prerequisites​

Before starting the installation:

  • Ubuntu 22.04 server
  • Apache Web Server installed
  • user with sudo privilege

1. Activating Apache mod_rewrite Module​

To enable mod_rewrite module:

sudo a2enmod rewrite

Restart the Apache service:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

2. Enabling .htaccess Usage​

Apache disables .htaccess by default.

Edit the VirtualHost file to open it:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/000-default.conf

AllowOverride Setting

Aşağıdaki bloğu ekleyin:



<VirtualHost *:80>



    <Directory /var/www/html>

        Options Indexes FollowSymLinks

        AllowOverride All

        Require all granted

    </Directory>



</VirtualHost>

Restart Apache:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

3. Creating .htaccess File​

Create the file .htaccess:

sudo nano /var/www/html/.htaccess

Activate the rewrite engine:

RewriteEngine On

4. Basic RewriteRule Example​

Purpose​

/hakkimizda → hakkimizda.html

``` id="h1t8qp"

HTML Dosyası​

sudo nano /var/www/html/aboutus.html

<html>

<head>

    <title>About Us</title>

</head>

<body>

    <h1>About Our Website</h1>

</body>

</html>

Rewrite Kuralı

Add in .htaccess:



RewriteEngine On

RewriteRule ^about us$ about us.html [NC,L]

Description:

NC → Case insensitive

L → Last rule (take no further action)

5. SEO Dostu Dinamik URL Yapısı​

Eski URL:​

result.php?product=shirt&season=summer

``` id="p4x7qd"

New URL:​

/gomlek/yaz

RewriteRule:​

```apache id="l2v8qp"

RewriteRule ^([A-Za-z0-9]+)/([a-z]+)$ result.php?product=$1&season=$2 [QSA,L]

Description:

$1 → product name

$2 → season

QSA → preserves existing query string

6. Redirecting Broken Pages (SEO 301)

Amaç​

Redirecting non-existent pages to the home page

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d

RewriteRule . / [R=301,L]

Description:

!-f → if not file

!-d → if not folder

R=301 → permanent redirect (critical for SEO)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

mod_rewrite Why is it important for SEO?

Search engines index clean and meaningful URLs better.

Does .htaccess affect performance?

Yes, it creates a small overhead, but it is usually not noticeable on modern servers.

What is the difference between RewriteRule and Redirect?

Redirect → Simple redirect RewriteRule → Advanced URL manipulation

Why is 301 important for SEO?

It preserves page value (link juice) and prevents ranking loss.

Result

With Apache mod_rewrite:

You can create SEO compatible URL structures You can modernize old URLs You can improve user experience

This structure is especially critical for SEO projects, blog systems and e-commerce sites.

For more advanced Apache configurations, you can use the GenixNode infrastructure.