Скачать или смотреть Seamlessly Remove URL Parameters with an HTACCESS Rewrite Rule

Discover how to clean up your URLs by implementing an `HTACCESS` rewrite rule to remove unwanted parameters, improving your website's functionality and user experience.
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This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/63902783/ asked by the user 'Enzo Giuliattini' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/11221099/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/63903497/ provided by the user 'phpdev' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/13860471/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

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Mastering URL Rewrites: Simplifying Your Website's Links

In the digital age, clear and concise URLs are essential for a good user experience and effective SEO. However, sometimes plugins and scripts can inadvertently introduce unnecessary parameters to your site's URLs, making them messy and confusing. If you’ve found yourself in a similar situation, particularly with an AJAX search plugin that adds an extraneous parameter, fear not. Today, we’ll walk through how to effectively clean your URLs using an HTACCESS rewrite rule.

The Problem: Unwanted URL Parameters

Imagine you run an online store using WordPress, and you have an AJAX plugin that facilitates product searches. This handy tool, however, appends a parameter (dgwt_wcas=1) to your search URLs automatically. The resulting URLs look something like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This extra parameter can confuse both users and search engines. You want your URLs to be clean and straightforward, ideally looking like this instead:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

To achieve this, we'll employ the power of URL rewriting through the HTACCESS file.

The Solution: Implementing a Rewrite Rule

By adding a specific rewrite rule to your .htaccess file, you can automatically remove the unwanted parameter from your URLs. Follow these steps for a seamless implementation.

Step 1: Locate Your .htaccess File

Access Your Website Files: Log in to your web hosting account and navigate to the root directory of your WordPress installation.

Find the .htaccess File: You should see a file named .htaccess in the root directory. Make sure to download a backup of this file before making any changes, just in case something goes wrong.

Step 2: Add the Rewrite Rule

Open the .htaccess file for editing. You will want to add the following code snippet to apply the rewrite rule:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Explanation of the Code

RewriteEngine on: This line enables the URL rewriting engine.

RewriteCond: This condition checks whether the query string includes the dgwt_wcas parameter. If it does, the rule will be applied.

RewriteRule: This line rewrites the URL based on the matched condition, effectively omitting the dgwt_wcas parameter from the query string. The [R=301,L] flags indicate that the rewrite is a permanent redirect (301) and that it should be the last rule processed (L).

Step 3: Test Your Changes

After saving the changes to your .htaccess file, it’s crucial to test your URLs:

Navigate to your website and run a product search.

Check the URL to ensure the dgwt_wcas parameter has been successfully removed.

Conclusion

By implementing this simple .htaccess rewrite rule, you can improve the organization of your URLs, leading to a better experience for your users and enhancing your site's SEO. Remember, clean URLs are not just about aesthetics; they play an essential role in usability and search engine ranking. Don’t hesitate to tweak this rule further if the needs of your site evolve over time.

If you have any questions about this process or need further assistance, don't hesitate to reach out. Happy coding!