Posted by The URL Rewrite allows store owners to change the URL connected with a product, category or CMS page. The way it works is to redirect the link aiming to the previous URL to the new address. There exist two terms that you are able to use in URL rewrites (rewrite and redirect) but they have different processes. A URL rewrite is responsible for changing the appearance of a URL in the browser while URL stored on the server will be updated by URL redirect temporarily or permanently. As a result, It is extremely necessary for a store to use URL rewrites and URL redirect. In default Magento, automatic URL redirects are equipped in a store and under the URL key field of each product, there is a point named “Create Permanent Redirect for old URL”.
URL rewrites have a purpose of turning existing URLs more familiar with search engine and people are able to read easily. In the initial Magento setup, enabling Web Server Apache Rewrites is very important. URLs rewrites are utilized to get rid of the file name “index.php” which normally see in the URL after the root folder. The system rewrites each URL to exclude “index.php” in case of enabling Web Server Rewrites. Those words with no value to search engines, customers, performance or site rank will be eliminated by the rewrite.
Steps to config URL rewrites:
1. Click Stores on the Admin sidebar. Select Configuration under Settings.
2. Select Web in the panel and on the left under General.
3. Enlarge the Search Engine Optimization section.
4. Put Use Web Server Rewrites to your preference.
5. Save Config when finish.