Simple .htaccess Hack for Drupal SEO

On a fresh install of Drupal, you'll encounter issues with how your website's domain can be accessed. Out of the box, you'll be able to access your site both with and without the "www" prefix. This can be a problem for Drupal SEO, as the potential exists for search engines to think your website contains duplicate content, even when it doesn't. This isn't a fix that will lead to dramatic improvements, but it's a good SEO best practice for Drupal sites.

Step 1: Find Your .htaccess File

This file will be located in the directory where you installed Drupal.

Step 2: Download to Your Desktop and Edit

Use your favorite HTML editor.

Step 3: Find the Code

Should be around line 80.

Step 4: Edit the Code

Uncomment (delete the # from lines 87 & 88) and adapt (change "example.com" to your domain, be sure to leave any other characters such as the "^" or "\")

Step 5: Upload and Replace

And you're done! No matter how you type in your domain, it should all redirect to the "www" version.