htaccess redirect

impact on search engines?

[louponne]

I'm redoing a dynamic php site that's located on a host where index.php isn't recognized as the home page. I see three alternatives:
1. Have the home page static. ug.
2. Use htaccess and a Redirect
3. Do a meta refresh

The tech support of the host tells me to use meta refresh. I'm quite sure that search engine robots don't like that at all these days. How 'bout htaccess redirects? Do they have any impact on search engines? (I don't know the tech aspects of htaccess - but when you look at a htaccess redirected page, you have no way of knowing you've been redirected, right?)

[jdMorgan]

louponne,

> index.php isn't recognized as the home page.

You do not need a redirect.

In .htaccess, add :

DirectoryIndex index.html index.php

If you have NO index.html files in any directories, you can omit the "index.html"

If you use a server-internal redirect (not a 301 or 302), then search engines have no way of telling that you are serving file B in response to a request for file A.

Meta-Refreshes are a last resort for those who are stuck with cheap hosting accounts with no other way to redirect. I do not recommend them unless there is no other way.

Jim

[louponne]

Many thanks for your reply, Jim!
I tried DirectoryIndex but it looks like this host has not activated this htaccess command (mod_rewrite isn't activated either :(

So Redirect it is!

[kkrumlia]

Hey guys i don't know if this will work with you but does with me , put this in ur .htaccess
php_value include_path '.:/home/virtual/something.com/var/www/html/Cart:/php/includes:/usr/share/php'

the first one is ur absolute html path , plus the directory u want the index.php to be homepage in my case Cart
the second is the path for php.

Hope this helps