Enter a URL
The long website address with question marks, variable names and numbers is hard to read. Using a URL Rewriting Tool, you can discover prettier versions of your URL that aren't just easier to understand but easier to share as well. Like a webpage address with parameters, the URL Rewriting Tool that Free SEO Pro offers is relevant for website owners, website developers, bloggers and SEO professionals. You may use it in planning changes to complicated URLs but note that making the rebuilt handle to work can NOT be done instantly on your own website.
A URL Rewriting Tool is used to rewrite or display a sophisticated Web page address into an easier-to-read one.
Some sites feature dynamic URLs, those urls with a series of questions. These parameters contain information that is passed to a site application — like a product identifier, categorisation or search selection.
A dynamic address, for instance, could be one of the following:
https://example.com/product.php?id=125
You can use a more descriptive address such as:
https://example.com/products/wooden-chair
Both addresses might refer to the same product as the site may have been set up to cross reference correctly.
The Free SEO Pro URL Rewriting Tool
Accepts a URL as an input parameter.
Here's an example of it's return value: PHP address with two query parameters:
http://www.example.com/test.php?firstid=1&secondid=10
This is to give a confirmation the interface is for adding a URL with parameters.
The power isn't uncovered on the site of what particularly transforms to the visible page, what sort of output is generated and whether there is server configuration code provided. It is recommended to examine all these details in the "working results" interface.
Free Seo Pro
With older applications, URLs are generated that can be rewritten by the site owner.
If you are a web developer, then you can use it when planning to create readable routes on PHP sites.
SEO experts may also view URL structures during a technical audit, particularly if there are various URLs that lead to alike content material.
What matters is that things need to be clear and consistent, not that there is no question mark.
With URL rewriting, an address can be modified as it is displayed or understood by a website.
A readable URL can be submitted to a server or application and be internally mapped to the appropriate resource.
For instance the visitor could ask:
https://example.com/articles/seo-basics
The site might internally handle that request by going through an application route, or a script that goes fetch the right article.
The internals of the processing need not be visible to the visitor.
In many cases, a dynamic URL also contains a query string that starts with an "?".
Consider:
https://example.com/article.php?id=45
In this case "id=45" is a parameter to help the application locate the article that's being requested.
A proposed "static looking" alternative:
https://example.com/articles/45
This does not necessarily mean that the site is referring to an HTML document. This dynamic address can still be processed.
These operations are used to solve various problems.
Rewrite URL Redirect URL
Can navigate to a readable path to an app resource Redirects the browser to another URL
May occur within or not alter the address displayed in the browser window May occur within the browser window; does not change any of the address displayed in the browser window
Needs a redirect rule / application response Needs compatible server / app routing
Supports the organization of URLs Supports the shaping of the URL structure to move users and crawlers from one URL to another.
Google advises making a permanent server side redirect (HTTP 301 or 308) when a permanent change is made to public URL, wherever possible.
Google for Developers
It is confirmed on the page that you typed in a web address, and that there has been no complete transformation for validation. The following is a walkthrough of the visible interface based on the following workflow.
Start the Free SEO Pro URL Rewriting Tool.
Type in a URL in the box.
Select a page in the Web which has a public Web page address that you are interested in studying.
Add the entire URL, with the protocol and query parameters.
Take advantage of the form submission control that is provided.
Investigate rewritten address/output.
See if the proposed format contains all of the information that your site needs.
Make note of what you've achieved before changing anything on your live web site.
Use a valid address that actually refers to a page, or one that is harmless as an example.
Do not enter passwords, private session tokens, authentication codes or confidential customer information in URLs.
If your address has more than one parameter, figure out what each of the parameters in the address does before making a determination as to whether to include it in a rewritten path.
Assume that until you've verified, a generated URL is a proposed format.
You need routing rules on your Web site to create associations between the readable address and the appropriate content.
You might also require a permanent redirect, the active linking of your old PA system and a checking and recanonicalization of the texts in case of a replacement PA system.
Don't change the old URL until you've investigated how traffic will flow to the new URL.
Illustrative Example: The transformations below is hypothetical. It was not created as a result of a finished Free SEO Pro test.
Suppose you’re the owner of a furniture online business.
Your product pages have PHP numbers based urls.
It's an address that looks like this,
https://example.com/product.php?id=125
What you want is a readable address that tells your viewers which product is on the page.
If Product 125 is a wooden dining chair, what are the chances of getting one that is defective?
You choose:
https://example.com/products/wooden-dining-chair
This is a descriptive address and is easier for a visitor to spot.
This change of text does not produce the page however.
Your application will need to know about the new route and be able to return the right product information.
Once the new route is set up, setup a permanent redirect for the old route to the new route.
Then, revise navigational menus, product lists and any related internal links.
Sitemaps (XML ones) should include the new URL, not a link that redirects to an old URL.
The documentation of Google's website migration
Understands the significance of URL mapping, redirects, internal links and sitemap updates.
Google for Developers
Open new address in browser.
Make sure that specifies the code for the correct product, and that links, graphics, and checkout processes are functioning correctly.
Then check the old address – it should 301 to the appropriate address.
Lastly, check the canonical URL and test the page using a mobile test device.
The end product is not just a shorter URL – it is one that works and is consistent.
When rewriting a URL, check its readability, correctness and website friendliness.
Not a suggested URL does not mean an active URL.
A good address will outline what is to follow, but not to the point of excessive elaboration.
For example:
https://example.com/guides/image-compression
is easier to read than a long address with some tracking parameters that are unrelated.
But there are cases where parameters are required for search filters, pagination, language and application functions.
If they are removed without knowledge about their purpose, it can break the page.
Descriptive URLs can assist visitors to realize the spot to which they're traveling and links will be much more easy to deal with.
They are not a short-cut to attaining high Google rankings.
If the URLs don't need to be changed, they could cause redirects, broken links, duplicate pages, and indexing issues.
Don't change already functional URLs when there's no obvious need to do so.
Design readable URL patterns ahead of publishing hundreds of pages!
The stable configuration minimizes migrations at a later stage.
Older websites oftentimes reveal script names and two or more query parameters.
A rewriting tool can be useful to consider options prior to application routes.
Look at duplicated addresses, hard to keep up on addresses, and addresses that don't align with your preferred website structure.
Focus on real problems instead of trying to rewrite all the dynamic URL's.
If moving products or articles to new sections, decide if there needs to be URL changes.
For public address replacement it is important to have a clear URL redirect and URL mapping plan.
It typically happens when a proposed URL is confused with an actually operational server address.
Situation What to investigate
404 - missing route or rewrite rule for new URL
Old URL still seems to exist Redirect/internally linking
Incorrect data is loaded with respect to parameter mapping
Cause effect Change is too difficult to implement
Both URLs are available (Canonical redirect configuration)
Query parameters are lost - Required application data is lost.
Redirect loop: This is when rules are recursively catching hold of itself and bouncing requests from address to address.
For instance, one rule could be used to 301 redirect /old-page to /new-page, and the reverse rule could be used to 301 redirect /new-page to /old-page.
When creating rules, do some testing first.
Even if set up properly, there are no shortcuts for building a good internal linking structure.
Make sure to update menu, article links, canonical tags and sitemaps to point to the preferred destination.
The URL entry field is included in Free SEO Pro's visible URL Rewriting Tool page, but the complete output of the tool as well as the compatibility of the tool is not explained.
It does not determine if the tool creates Apache .htaccess rules or is able to create Nginx rules or automatically applies changes.
The page also doesn't provide request limits or export options, not to mention a clear indication of how long submitted URLs are kept.
The URL rewriting suggestion cannot alone assure whether your site will handle the new address.
Test changes in a staging environment or ensure that you have backup copies of files where applicable that change in a live site.
Once you've determined your desired urls, can assist with preparing a sitemap to help. See the outcome of the file before submitting it to search engines.
helps prepare crawler instructions. Use it to check on crawl access otherwise don't mistake robots.txt restrictions for redirects.
can come handy for handling special characters as well as encoded URL values. This encoding/rewriting is for different purposes.
has a standalone notification application. It's not an alternative to redirect implementation or checking through Google Search Console.
After planning a change of URL, test the URL, verify redirects, update internal links and track the affected pages in Search Console.
A URL Rewriting Tool can be used to rewrite the complex URLs of web pages into more readable items. It's particularly useful for URLs containing query parameters. The proposed design should be backed up by the website's routing setup before visitors can use it.
Open the tool and find the Enter a URL box. Enter the full address of the webpage (including page parameters), by using the control provided. Thoroughly examine the outcome before making modifications to your website.
If you've got readable URLs, it can help to make things clearer and help to organise your site better, but rewrite an URL isn't rewrite an URL for better rankings with a search engine. Most relevant is if the page itself is functioning correctly, if redirect(s) are correct, and if the desired URL or page can be identified by any search engine.
Permits the creation of an internal mapping between a readable internal address and another resource or application address that does not alter the address displayed to the browser. Redirection: Instructs the browser to get the other URL. Both may be necessary when replacing existing public page addresses.
Yes, in theory PHP applications can be rewritten, provided that there are proper rewriting rules on the server or the application. For instance, one can map a parameter based product URL to a readable product path. That is not the same configuration that is done when a suggestion is generated.
There is no good explanation of the output generated by this tool on the publicly visible tool page, hence .htaccess support has not been confirmed. Look at the done results user interface. Depending on your website configuration (Apache) you might need to have separate rewrite rules or application configuration.
No, there are many dynamic urls that Google is able to crawl and index. But where parameters cause excessive duplication, inaccessible pages, or weird and confusing URL combinations, problems arise. Don't rewrite working addresses just because they include a question mark or number in the address.
Usually, SEO friendly URL is readable, descriptive, consistent and easy to maintain. It should be a basic representation of the right page, but not over complicated. Try to avoid frequent changes, misleading information or complicated structures that do not aid website management or users.
If visitors follow the old address they will find that the page is gone and search engines may have to find the new one on their own. If a user will be permanently moving, set up an appropriate redirect rule and make sure any internal links redirect to the user where they are supposed to be.
301 redirect is a status code that is used to show that a resource is permanently moved to a different URL. Often used to replace an old location of a page. identical result when using HTTP 308 for permanent redirect with Google. Pick a method that is compatible with your web site.
Yes. A rewritten address can perform a 404 if the website doesn't have a recognize component or if it requires content that isn't there. Before publishing the new URL check the configuration of your server, application routing, parameter mapping and destination.
No. Various parameters might need to be used for page navigation, filtering, searching or app functionality. When you remove them indiscriminately, you may alter the presentation of what you show in the page, or you may make important functions on the website to break. Before altering the URL structure, it's important to grasp each parameter's role.
Readable permalink structures and routing are already supported by WordPress. many URL changes can be handled via its settings, or different redirect functionality. Don't add rules that don't make sense if you don't understand the existing rewrite rules of the site.
Open proposed URL and make sure it contains what is expected. Verify the HTTP response, internal links, canonical tag, and redirect from old URL. Try out key functionality and check URLs in Google Search Console.
Update internal links, canonical tags and XML sitemaps with preferred addresses. Add redirects that are permanent when replacing known URL's. Monitor for broken pages and redirect loops and look for unexpected issues on crawling and indexing reports.
