How to Use Apache to Set a Reverse Proxy

We keep referencing the user experience because it is the underlying theme of everything Google does with respect to how its search engine functions. Google wants the information highway to be as uncluttered as possible. It wants users to find the products, information, and services they need when they need them. As a business owner with a website, it is your mission to make sure that your entire digital footprint is in line with the rules and regulations that govern Internet traffic. Otherwise, your business offerings may not end up in the hands of consumers where they belong.

My job as an SEO freelancer and digital marketing expert is to make sure my clients understand the strategies that can work, along with those that cannot, to help them reach their business objectives. Is your website setup to deliver the best user experience possible? Is your website positioned to gain the highest search ranking possible?

Demystifying a Web Server

A server contains content. Hopefully, it contains information for each user’s request. It then delivers the information to the Web. The biggest challenge for any server is to serve a host of users at the same time. Each of these users will request different information and different pages. The server can also process files written in multiple programming languages. Thus, your website has to be relevant, accessible, and user friendly as it rests withing a server. It also has to rank well enough for Google to label it as a worthy source of information. Ranking is also a result of choosing a subdomain or subdirectory to provide access to products or services.

Choosing a Subdomain or Subdirectory

There are benefits to operating both from a subdomain or subdirectory platform on your server. For mega companies like Disney, subdomains are commonly preferred because they cover numerous topics. Each subdomain can act as a separate business under the company’s roof.

However, if you run a smaller business, like a law firm or dental practice, a subdirectory setup can enable your website to remain focused and streamlined. It makes it easier for an expert SEO freelancer to optimize your website for search as well. A subdirectory also makes it easier to track and analyze data because information is accessible in the same area.

Subdirectories also make it easier to help transition users between subdirectories, which can make the user experience more seamless. A subdirectory can also make the job of coders less challenging. The code is usually in the same filing system and easier to find and manipulate. It can also enable Internet users to find your information and products before they stumble across those of your competitors.

Moving a Subdomain to a Subdirectory

You can begin to see the benefits of how your business can ultimately benefit by making it easier to optimize. An Apache reverse proxy is the answer to moving your subdomain to a subdirectory. The reverse proxy server sits behind a firewall, and can provide an additional level of protection that facilitates a smooth flow of traffic between servers and clients. In a nutshell, a relocation involves moving your WordPress file from one location on your server to another.

Apache is an open-source Web server software that is also cross-platform. Our experts can create a new location for moving your website’s core files, change sitemaps, and restructure your URLs. Of course, we can do a lot more. We can also share the benefits of working with WordPress to begin with.

We Can Protect Your Server Files

Once we configure your firewall the right way, it should deny access to any of your file transfer servers. Everything will have to pass through the reverse proxy. This allows you or a consultant to monitor what comes in and what goes out. We only suggest the subdomain move after completely consulting with your company to explain all the nuances of the time and effort it will take along with expected results. This is why the consultation process is so critical. Again, our goal is to only provide those changes that will provide the best SEO, PPC, or SEM solutions.

Having worked with clients from simple front end development to complex backend development, we have gained an incredible amount of experience and knowledge. Whether your goal is to optimize a simple informational website, or to drive revenue with a complex site, we have the solutions that can make a difference.