When I first wrote this column back in January 1999, I had no clue that it was going to be so wildly popular, and I had even less of a clue that PHPBuilder was going to take off and become as widely-used as it is today.

Since this topic seems to be so important to a wide range of developers, I'll revisit it in more detail, sharing more bits of code with you.

Almost any developer knows that search engine placement is critical to the success of a web site. What many people don't know is that a lot of search engines cannot index many database-driven pages (basically any page with a '?' or '&' in the URL).

So when I set about building gotoCity.com, one of my goals was to make the site database-driven, but still indexable. I didn't want any use of cookies or mile-long URLs, and I wanted useful, context-sensitive meta tags to be generated from every page quickly and with no effort on my part. More importantly, the method shown here actually works. My Gotocity.com web site was getting up to 150,000 page views per day just from search engines alone. That's more than enough to crush a web server.

To pull this off, I started with a subtle Apache feature that can "force" a script to be called for any certain directory tree. In my case, I wanted all URLs that fall under "/local/" to call a script. This would be MUCH easier than creating 200,000 localized web pages and a genuine directory structure to match it.

So in Apache's httpd.conf file, I added the following lines:

This forces every request that starts with "/local/" to call a script called "local" (just "local", not "local.php3") in the $DOCUMENT_ROOT (usually called "/htdocs/") of your server. "local" then uses PHP to parse the URL and act accordingly. The code for my "local"" script is on the last page of this article. You can of course replace "local" with any filename you want, as long as you change your httpd.conf accordingly.

Now if you don't have access to your httpd.conf file, you can also try the <files > directive in a .htaccess file. Hundreds of people ran into this stumbling block in the past 16 months. It appears that this method only works on Linux, as people are reporting trouble on FreeBSD and Windows. If you find an .htaccess solution on Windows, let me know.

Sample .htaccess file:,/div> [ Next Page ]

Comments:
Help me build a search engine on my webpages	donflame	05/18/08 23:07
which URL best for SEO	i-Quickweb	04/28/07 02:52
RE: Premature end ot script headers	Muhammad Adeel	07/30/05 15:05
Google and dynamic pages	Graham Bond	07/05/05 12:35
Justin is wrong	Daryll Hargraves	05/12/05 15:49
SEARCH ENGINES CAN SEARCH .php?=& pages now!!	Justin Halsall	01/18/05 08:53
Better Method	Tim	06/29/04 19:10
Re: A better way of doing (that works)	Tyler Rooney	03/13/04 20:05
RE: Works with Apache 2.0.x	Manjit	01/09/04 02:59
RE: Suggestion	petre	05/27/03 13:20
Fix for IIS 5	Max	12/22/02 10:32
RE: Any luck with Latest Apache Builds?	Marc	10/11/02 07:53
Suggestion	dmitry	10/04/02 03:56
Access Statistic?	fab	08/22/02 09:35
a much easyer way for shore	George	08/03/02 16:49
Works with Apache 2.0.x	Raven	07/22/02 11:09
RE: Any luck with Latest Apache Builds?	Raven	07/16/02 13:07
RE: Any luck with Latest Apache Builds?	Raven	07/16/02 11:29
RE: Any luck with Latest Apache Builds?	Jason Reid	07/14/02 03:54
Any luck with Latest Apache Builds?	Raven	07/12/02 16:02
RE:send php output directly to printer	jagadish nayak	07/08/02 10:41
Mod Rewrite on windows Solution	Edward Hermanson	06/29/02 19:11
RE: Breaks with Apache 2?	speedmax	06/16/02 18:48
RE: Breaks with Apache 2?	Alex Davies	06/10/02 16:30
Breaks with Apache 2?	a.h.s. boy	06/10/02 13:02
IMPORTANT for WINDOWS users	Alex Davies	06/09/02 10:53
Look back references	Tom Jurgens	06/06/02 10:38
RE: google and php	Stephane	05/31/02 18:16
RE: Does this work for multiple files?	Wahyu Harsono	05/26/02 12:12
latest with FreeBSD	Gunther	05/12/02 22:29
how to create search engine like yahoo	aden	05/12/02 07:49
google and php	Limouzy L.	05/11/02 21:27
RE: Any info on passing Session IDs via URL?	David McInnis	05/07/02 16:26
RE: Fine... What engines will get as far as .php?	John G	05/04/02 00:49
RE: Any info on passing Session IDs via URL?	Deon Groenewald	04/11/02 15:04
Google & php	Limouzy	04/08/02 07:25
YES, we can use .htaccess on Windows too!!	Saurabh Kumar	04/04/02 13:47
Mod-Rewrite allowed at most Webhosts	Edward Hermanson	04/02/02 20:32
Problem with numbers?	Rick	04/02/02 10:41
RE: Sorry to prick your balloon, but...	Razzbar	03/31/02 19:30
Combined mod_rewrite solution	David Cross	03/30/02 04:50
RE: A better way of doing	David Cross	03/29/02 11:02
RE: Sorry to prick your balloon, but...	David Cross	03/28/02 15:07
RE: Convoluted	David Cross	03/28/02 14:43
RE: Sorry to prick your balloon, but...	gekido	03/25/02 18:38
RE: Sorry to prick your balloon, but...	David Cross	03/24/02 04:11
anyone know a solution for IIS?	olinux	03/20/02 11:35
RE: mod_rewrite	Marshall	03/17/02 20:09
RE: Got it working but css is not working now.	DrTebi	03/11/02 02:10
Sorry to prick your balloon, but...	Ben	03/09/02 18:58
RE: No renaming of PHP scripts	dibby	03/06/02 20:14
Just make it cacheable!	crimaniak	02/27/02 22:30
No renaming of PHP scripts	jerry	02/16/02 08:46
Files technique breaks with -DirectoryIndex	jerry	02/16/02 08:32
Pls I need some help	Gerasimos Solomos	02/05/02 08:43
Convoluted	Tom Bourree	01/21/02 11:26
windows .htaccess method	Andrew	01/04/02 14:38
how to retrieve http header?	speedyop	12/29/01 13:04
HEEEELLLP :-(	David Rama	12/12/01 19:19
Does this work for multiple files?	Avishai	12/12/01 12:17
RE: Got it working but css is not working now.	Frank	12/05/01 16:29
Got it working but css is not working now.	Frank	12/05/01 13:59
Where is code fo rthe local script?	Frank	12/05/01 10:22
RE: How to do this with PHP as CGI?	Andy	11/26/01 09:03
So let me get this straight...	Billy	11/11/01 12:59
This could work nicely...	Joerg	11/07/01 07:04
RE: Updated Improvement	Sander	10/07/01 10:30
....and the search engine?	julian	10/03/01 12:03
RE: CGI error & PHP & IIS5	basuq	09/19/01 00:57
Simple Windows/Apache Fix	Lux	09/15/01 21:21
Good working example...	Andrew	09/15/01 18:21
A better way of doing	Dirk Engels	09/05/01 11:39
running .cgi files on pws 4	harmeet singh	08/31/01 18:58
Web Server Access	Alex Davies	08/31/01 10:16
RE: Fine... What engines will get as far as .php?	James Long	08/28/01 08:18
RE: How to do this with PHP as CGI?	Mark	08/27/01 15:43
RE: Way more simple way to do this!	C Bullock	08/15/01 18:49
RE: How does httpd.conf know to run local?	dngu047	08/09/01 20:33
RE: Any info on passing Session IDs via URL?	Shaun Dodimead	08/06/01 09:38
RE: Any info on passing Session IDs via URL?	avishai	08/04/01 09:09
RE: CGI error & PHP & IIS5	Avishai	08/03/01 21:17
connectivity	subash .k.j	07/22/01 20:51
Got it to run with PHP as CGI	Dario Gomes	07/21/01 15:39
RE: FIXED: Search engines wont index 404 pages	David Barrington	07/20/01 17:13
Updated Improvement	Steve Warwick	07/15/01 18:10
Not forcing the type	Alan Meadows	07/11/01 12:46
Virtual Host	Rodney Chupp	07/10/01 21:41
RE: .htaccess hint	Mattias Johansson	07/01/01 03:23
What if you have session_id	mark balogh	06/26/01 12:08
Combining ForceType with UserDir ?	EdHoo	06/19/01 21:30
Fine... What engines will get as far as .php?	Robert Betts	06/16/01 17:17
Any info on passing Session IDs via URL?	Michael Goddard	06/11/01 10:23
Code snippet you might find useful	jamie	05/14/01 10:33
.htaccess hint	Frollen	05/03/01 13:11
RE: Has anyone been spidered using this techn	Cayley	04/30/01 17:12
How to do the same for the root directory?	jamie	04/26/01 06:12
Premature end ot script headers	Shaun Mitchell	04/19/01 12:10
How does httpd.conf know to run local?	Shaun Mitchell	04/18/01 15:54
CGI error & PHP & IIS5	BAYHAA	04/16/01 15:08
Has anyone been spidered using this technique	Barrie	04/10/01 17:58
What is *.php file	Prashant	04/10/01 06:48
Interference from auto_prepend?	Joe Sheble	03/27/01 13:21
Should we fear search engine spiders?	Dave Van Camp	03/20/01 00:31
Does this works on IIS5?	Sorin	02/24/01 16:04
How to do this with PHP as CGI?	Jan Krueder	02/19/01 00:32
How to get it working	Bazza	02/14/01 09:22
Way more simple way to do this!	Steve Warwick	02/10/01 10:43
Where can I find httpd.conf & .htaccess files	Surajit	02/09/01 02:09
RE: Different way, works on Win32 too!	Keegan Miller	02/08/01 14:58
can sql result be saved for next page use?	Peter	02/04/01 12:15
I found Error	Bard	01/30/01 11:04
.htaccess	Bard	01/30/01 11:00
Different way, works on Win32 too!	Sander	01/24/01 10:50
How search engines work	tstow	01/22/01 23:47
Got it working with PHP-NUKE	Derek Musselmann	01/15/01 04:39
RE: A better way... even works in windoze!	Jacob Singh	01/11/01 12:00
How do I get this to work with Php Nuke?	Johnny	01/04/01 13:59
PHP4 and MySQL search form	Cesar Hernandez	01/03/01 11:55
Please explain more	anonymous	01/02/01 11:38
a different solution	rob	01/02/01 10:25
RE: 404 Method - parsing POST	R.K. Stephenson	12/28/00 16:24
404 Method - parsing POST	Matt W	12/21/00 01:51
RE: Will not parse query string, FATAL ERR.	Elmar Bransch	12/17/00 20:28
Will not parse query string, FATAL ERR.	Jacob Singh	12/15/00 01:21
RE: Example	Koos van den Hout	12/11/00 10:36
RE: Apache directives are unnecessary	WorldMaker	12/10/00 19:00
Example	Sophie Vienne-Mattoug	12/06/00 05:05
Problem w/ PHP as CGI	Doug	12/04/00 23:24
Typo?? httpd.conf = access.conf	Lance	12/04/00 00:43
RE: Apache directives are unnecessary	D Robinson	12/03/00 12:38
A better way... even works in windoze!	Josh Johnson	11/26/00 15:22
RE: Dir 'local' & script file 'local'...How?	Tim Perdue, PHPBuilder.com	11/24/00 23:03
Got it working!	Andrew	11/19/00 01:49
Dir 'local' & script file 'local'...How?	Doug	11/08/00 10:18
Apache directives are unnecessary	brad	11/07/00 21:43
RE: not really know what is it.....	Mike	11/03/00 03:47
apache/virtual host/htaccess	Ian Shannon	10/31/00 10:38
RE: not really know what is it.....	Arien	10/29/00 04:53
not really know what is it.....	Mike	10/27/00 06:41
RE: Fatal error!	mocha	10/26/00 01:36
Fatal error!	Andrew	10/19/00 20:12
RE: More specific example please	mocha	10/19/00 02:55
SSI indexing by search engines	Diego Barajas	10/18/00 01:29
RE: what am i doing wrong?	David Cross	10/02/00 03:12
what am i doing wrong?	myles hocking	09/27/00 12:36
RE: And if the user misses the trailing slash?	Van	09/24/00 14:30
And if the user misses the trailing slash?	David Cross	09/24/00 08:37
RE: I dont understand!!!	David Cross	09/24/00 06:38
More specific example please	David Cross	09/24/00 06:31
another method for the config	Van	09/24/00 02:00
How do I get this to work in Windows?	David West	09/19/00 10:29
I dont understand!!!	philg	09/19/00 09:37
FIXED: Search engines wont index 404 pages	Josh Davidson	09/12/00 23:37
Solaris	Wincent Colaiuta	09/04/00 11:32
It does not work	Gerardo Garcia	08/24/00 12:16
RE: Using with virtual hosts	Marc Antony Vose	08/09/00 08:36
Using with virtual hosts	Marc Antony Vose	08/09/00 08:32
RE: Image links break...	Bruce Christensen	08/08/00 12:26
Search engines wont index 404 error pages	Sammy Hayes	08/04/00 18:44
...and two more questions	a.h.s. boy	07/27/00 02:57
Image links break...	a.h.s. boy	07/27/00 02:51
Can this technique be extended?	Kieran Sexton	07/20/00 13:46
mod_rewrite	Dave Cross	07/11/00 03:25
More specific examples please	Dave Cross	07/11/00 03:24
Can't get it running ... any help out there?	David Levy	07/10/00 15:50
GetImageSize	Alex Ramos	07/06/00 21:14
FreeBSD/Forcetype	Nick may	07/02/00 21:30
RE: IIS - using path info instead	Ian Evans	07/01/00 23:58
RE: IIS - using path info instead	Ian Evans	07/01/00 23:39
IIS - using path info instead	Ian Evans	07/01/00 13:34
RE: Example ........	Amita Jalla	07/01/00 05:04
RE: Example ........	Tim Perdue, PHPBuilder.com	06/30/00 10:11
Example ........	Duncan Fordyce	06/30/00 08:29
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