URL parameters and how they affect SEO

A successful SEO strategy involves a number of small, interconnected parts, including URLs.

Although they’re often overlooked, they play a crucial role in SEO. At the heart of URLs, you’ll find what’s known as URL parameters. But what exactly are they – and why should you care?

URL parameters are components of a URL that can be used to alter the page’s content or track information about the user.

Understanding how they function is important for businesses wanting to optimise their SEO performance since they can impact how search engines interact with your website.

In short, they can influence how your site is indexed, affect user experience and ultimately impact your visibility on SERPs.

So, it’s worth getting your URLs right for a higher chance of customers finding your business!

What are URL parameters?

URL parameters are snippets of information added to a URL to modify the content on a page or to track specific data. They typically appear after a question mark (?) in a URL and are composed of a key-value pair, separated by an equal sign (=). Multiple parameters can be included by separating them with an ampersand (&).

For example, in the URL https://example.com/products?category=shoes&color=black, the parameters are category=shoes and color=black. These parameters can dynamically change the content displayed on the page, such as filtering products based on selected criteria (‘shoes’ and ‘black’).

URL parameters are commonly used in web development for several purposes. They can sort or filter content, track user behaviour, manage sessions or pass information between pages. They can also introduce complexity into your URLs, affecting their readability and SEO performance.

Unlike the main URL, which typically remains constant, URL parameters can vary and create multiple versions of a page. If not managed correctly, this can lead to issues like duplicate content, as search engines may see these as separate pages.

But what’s that got to do with a website’s SEO performance?

Read our articles explaining all about SEO.

How URL parameters affect SEO

Here’s why you might be doing your SEO efforts a disservice if you don’t pay attention to your URL parameters.

They impact on crawlers and indexing

URL parameters can pose challenges for search engine crawlers. When parameters create multiple versions of a page, search engines may struggle to determine which version to index, leading to duplicate content issues. Duplication can dilute your site’s SEO efforts, as search engines might not consolidate ranking signals effectively.

This can also lead to keyword cannibalisation, where both pages are ranking for the same keyword and can cancel each other out.

For this reason, you should use canonical tags and robot.txt.

Canonical tags and robots.txt files are essential tools for managing URL parameters. Canonical tags help signal the primary version of a page, preventing search engines from indexing duplicate content. Meanwhile, robots.txt files allow you to control which URLs search engines can crawl, reducing the chances of unnecessary pages being indexed.

By using these tools effectively, you can guide search engines to prioritise the most relevant pages on your website, improving its overall SEO performance.

Don’t let website terminology confuse you – read our must-know terms before starting a web project.

They affect your user experience (UX)

URL parameters can also affect user experience (UX). Complex and lengthy URLs with numerous parameters can be difficult to read and remember, which might put users off, leading to lower click-through rates.

Plus, some social media platforms and messaging apps truncate long URLs, potentially obscuring essential tracking parameters.

For a positive user experience, aim for clean and concise URLs. This approach improves readability and boosts the likelihood of users clicking and engaging with your content.

Read our step-by-step guide to encouraging readers to engage with your content.

Types of URL parameters

There are several URL parameters, all with different functions that help with your website’s SEO performance.

Navigational parameters

Navigational parameters help users navigate your website by reorganising or sorting content.

For instance, a parameter like sort=price might reorder products in a category based on their price. While this is useful for UX, these parameters can create multiple URLs for the same content, leading to possible indexing challenges for search engines.

Filtering and sorting parameters

Filtering and sorting parameters allow users to refine their search results – they might filter products by size or sort articles by date. However, if search engines index each filtered version as a separate page, they can lead to duplicate content issues.

Properly managing these parameters is crucial to avoid diluting your SEO.

Session and tracking parameters

Session and tracking parameters help track user interactions and maintain session information. While valuable for analytics, these parameters can clutter URLs and create duplicate pages. Implementing strategies to minimise their impact on SEO is essential for a clean and effective URL structure.

Understanding the different types of URL parameters and their potential impact on SEO allows you to tailor your URL strategies and manage them effectively.

But how do you do that?

What are the most common URL parameter mistakes, and how do I avoid them?

1. Overusing parameters and creating confusion

One common mistake businesses often make is overusing parameters, which leads to unnecessarily complex URLs. This can confuse both users and search engines, negatively impacting your site’s SEO.

The Solution: Aim for simplicity. URL rewriting is a technique for transforming complex parameterised URLs into cleaner, more user-friendly versions. Eliminating unnecessary parameters can improve the page’s readability and help you boost SEO performance.

2. Ignoring the impact of parameters on page speed

Parameters can affect page speed, especially if they generate dynamic content that requires additional server resources. Slow-loading pages can frustrate users and harm SEO performance by increasing bounce rates and reducing click-through rates.

The Solution: Regularly monitor your site’s page speed and optimise parameterised URLs. Configure parameter settings in Google Search Console to guide Google in handling specific parameters, improving crawl efficiency and reducing duplicate content risks.

3. Failing to monitor parameter handling in analytics

Neglecting to monitor how parameters are handled in your analytics can lead to inaccurate data and impact your ability to make informed decisions.

The Solution: Ensure your analytics tools are configured to recognise and account for URL parameters. Use canonical tags to specify the preferred version of a page, helping search engines consolidate ranking signals and avoid duplication issues.

Don’t forget! Use robots.txt strategically

Use robots.txt files to control which URLs search engines can crawl. By disallowing certain parameterised URLs, you can prevent search engines from wasting crawl budget on less relevant pages. Keep your robots.txt file well-structured and regularly updated to reflect your site’s evolving needs.

Tools and resources for managing URL parameters

There are several tools out there that can help businesses manage their URL parameters effectively.

Popular SEO tools like Moz, Semrush and Ahrefs offer features for analysing and optimising URLs. Google Search Console also provides parameter handling settings to refine your site’s performance.

Manage your URL parameters and SEO with Submerge’s suite of SEO agency services.