Member Avatar for acl

On my site (www.theatreguildvaldosta.com) the page name displayed in the address bar of the browser includes the page number instead the page name (ex: ). How do I change that so the actual page name appears instead of the page number? Bear in mind that I know nothing about html.

Thanks.

  • 3 Contributors
  • 2 Replies
  • 108 Views
  • 15 Hours Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by Esopo

Dani AI

Generated

Both answers already in the thread are on the right track, but a few practical checks and safe steps make this easier to act on.

First, figure out which of three situations applies: the server really is serving a file literally named page7 (rename it and update links); the site is run by a CMS that uses numeric IDs and creates the page7 URL (edit the page slug/permalink in the CMS); or the server is already rewriting URLs and page7 is an internal endpoint (change rewrite rules or add redirects). ’s point about the filename reflecting the URL and ’s note about server rewriting both matter depending on which case it is.

If comfortable poking around the host control panel or FTP, check the site root for file names or open the page list in your CMS admin and look for “slug”, “alias” or “permalink.” If you can rename a file, back up first and update every link (search-and-replace in the site files helps). If you do not have access, ask the hosting company or the person who built the site to change the permalink/alias.

A common server-side approach is a small Apache rule that lets a friendly name show in the browser while serving the internal page7 file:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^about-us/?$ /page7 [L]

To make old /page7 requests redirect to the new name (good for visitors and SEO), a 301 redirect is better:

Redirect 301 /page7 /about-us

Cautions: always back up .htaccess and site files before editing; a bad rule can make the site inaccessible. Use 301 redirects for permanent moves so search engines update their indexes. If many pages need friendly names, change permalink settings in the CMS or ask a developer/host to implement a systematic rewrite or aliases.

Recommended Answers

All 2 Replies

Member Avatar for campkev

you can't change what is displayed. what is displayed is the name of the file that has been pulled up, ie what you have the file saved as. If you want to change what is displayed in the address bar, you will have to change the name of the actual file, which will involve changing all the links and everything

Member Avatar for Esopo

The only alternative to having an actual file with the name you want is to play with the server configuration. For Apache, it involves a wealthy knowledge of Regex:

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.