Title: mod_rewrite module
Last modified: August 18, 2016

---

# mod_rewrite module

 *  [bimmercenter](https://wordpress.org/support/users/bimmercenter/)
 * (@bimmercenter)
 * [21 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/mod_rewrite-module/)
 * Hi,
    1. I understand from reading various forums that Google struggles to index
   php pages that ? and & at the end (which is what WordPress uses). Is this true?
   If so, how do I ensure that Google indexes my site properly. 2. Also, I understand
   that the Apache mod_rewrite module can help alleviate the problem. Is this true?
   If so, how do I install this module and where do I get a copy of it. Does it 
   cost money or is it free? Thanks!

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)

 *  [ringmaster](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ringmaster/)
 * (@ringmaster)
 * [21 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/mod_rewrite-module/#post-90519)
 * 1. This is mostly true. Google will index some pages that include query strings(
   that’s the stuff after the ?), but your best bet is to use “search-engine-friendly”
   or “non-cruft” URLs via mod_rewrite.
    2. mod_rewrite is currently the best tool
   for this if you’re running Apache. I checked out bimmercenter.com, and from what
   I can see, it doesn’t seem to be loaded, but you should check yourself to be 
   sure. I’m going to assume that you’re self-hosting and not dealing with a managed
   host that could do this for you. You’ll need to access your httpd.conf file and
   look for the mod_rewrite library. If you find it, it’s possible that it’s commented
   and that’s why it’s not running. Just erase the # from the beginning of the line.
   Here’s a thread on an off-site forum that might be of use to you for [getting mod_rewrite installed](http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1352640#post1352640)
   assuming it’s not simply disabled on your system. After mod_rewrite is running(
   [Netcraft for your site](http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/graph/?host=www.bimmercenter.com)
   might help you out viewing server headers, but there’s probably a better way),
   you can get the configuration for mod_rewrite directly from the WordPress admin
   panel on the Options/Permalinks page. This is just a quick overview of the basic
   steps to get mod_rewrite going. You might like to read up on the module and what
   it does over at the Apache site itself, because the module is quite powerful 
   and configurable. An alternate method of getting cruft-free URLs is only available
   in the bleeding-edge cvs version of WordPress. WordPress 1.3 looks like it supports
   PathInfo, which is a clever way to avoid using mod_rewrite entirely. You’ll need
   to add an ErrorDocument line to your httpd that redirects 404 errors to your 
   WordPress index page. WordPress will figure out what to do from there using your
   Permalink settings.
 *  [cecsmoky21](https://wordpress.org/support/users/cecsmoky21/)
 * (@cecsmoky21)
 * [21 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/mod_rewrite-module/#post-90522)
 * You can also add index.php/ to the begining of your url string in the admin panel
   such as:
    /index.php/archives/%year%/%monthnum%/%day%/%postname%/

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)

The topic ‘mod_rewrite module’ is closed to new replies.

 * In: [Installing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/installation/)
 * 2 replies
 * 3 participants
 * Last reply from: [cecsmoky21](https://wordpress.org/support/users/cecsmoky21/)
 * Last activity: [21 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/mod_rewrite-module/#post-90522)
 * Status: not resolved

## Topics

### Topics with no replies

### Non-support topics

### Resolved topics

### Unresolved topics

### All topics