Hypertext Access or .htaccess is a file type employed by Apache-based web servers. These files are used to control the directory in which it is found. This handy file provides you with SEO advantages, so it is advised to have them on your website. The file is also extremely useful when it comes to fixing two specific page errors namely the “Unreachable” and “Not Found” page errors. When these errors pop up on your webmaster tools, the .htaccess file can be used to correct them.

A .htaccess file does a lot more than helping with SEO. It can be used to password protect files, which ensures sensitive information is not indexed in search results. These files can also ban certain IP addresses from a website, as has proved useful when you want to redirect users to another page automatically. A .htaccess file can also be used to shorten URLs, since shorter URLs perform better on SEO rankings.

One of the biggest benefits of a .htaccess file is that the changes made in these files reflect immediately, as opposed to waiting on a server to restart. The uses of. htacess files are varied but it is one of the most powerful tools that and SEO team can utilize for a website, and it is imperative that it is included in any SEO campaign.

Search Engine Optimization explained.

Keyword Assessment | Meta Data | Webmaster Tools | Google Analytics | Monthly Reporting | Robots.txt | .htaccess | Favicon | Site Map | Search Engines | Google Maps | Forms and E-mails | Footer Link | Google Search Engine | Picture Tagging | Directory Page | Social Media | Heading Tags | Indexed Pages | Robots | Sitemap | HTML Errors | Search Engine Errors | Broken Links | Pages and Content | Search Engines | Picture Tagging | Flash and iFrames | Hierarchy | Forms and Emails | Add Media | Static URLs | Descriptive URLs | Duplicate Content | Plagiarism Check | Positive Content | Negative Content | Character Coding | Downloadable Files | Optimize Graphics | Optimize Navigation | Incoming Links | Outgoing Links | Page Content | Meta Data | Rich Content | Reduce Bounce Rate | Social Media | Analyze Competitors | Website Security | 3rd Party Tracking