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So you're saying that in the webpage file itself, at the top

if (isset($_GET["mobile"]){
$_SESSION["mobile"] = $_GET["mobile"];
$url = //Get the current URL, use RegEx to strip query strings
header("Location: " . $url);
}
?>

If that's the case, and if in fact that's SEO friendly, I definitely like that idea!

In PHP, I'm wanting to store a session variable based upon a link that's clicked. I'm wanting to avoid query strings on pages that have content. My current workaround is to have a link with query strings to a php file that does nothing but snags the variables via $_GET, stores them into $_SESSION, and then redirects.

For example, consider this script, that I have set up to force to a mobile version. Accessed via something like a href="forcemobile.php?url=(the current filename)"

session_start();

//Location of vertstudios file on your localhost. Include trailing slash $loc = "http://localhost/web/vertstudios/"; //If GET variable not defined, this page is being accessed directly. //In that case, force to 404 page. Same case for if mobile session variable //not defined. if(!(isset($_GET["url"]) && isset($_SESSION["mobile"]))){ header("Location: http://www.vertstudios.com/404.php"); exit(); }

//Snag the URL $url = $_GET["url"]; //Set the mobile session to true, and redirect to specified URL $_SESSION["mobile"] = true;header("Location: " . $loc . $url); ?>

Will this circumvent the issue caused by using query strings?

I use SubmitEaze, and they just recently upgraded their software to include a captcha solver (since many directories use the same platform). The software is good at getting you into directories - whether those directories actually add any value is up for debate. Generally the directories are mediocre to low quality, so chances are your listings won't get indexed for a long time.

So far, I haven't seen sites get "in trouble" for low quality directory listings. At the same end, I haven't seen sites increase their organic rankings from low quality directories either. There might be a case for using directories for local search, since Google Places generally looks for a citation as opposed to a backlink (and Google Places is all about quantity as opposed to quality. )