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What is a URL parameter? Do you even know what that is?
Most people don’t, and yet it’s one of the most important aspects of SEO.
URL parameters are those weird codes that sometimes show up at the end of a website address. For example, if you go to Google.com and then click on the link for “Images,” the web address will change to https://www.google.com/images/?gws_rd=ssl#q=url+parameters&oe=UTF-8&btnI . The part after the question mark is the URL parameter.
So why are they so important for SEO? Keep reading to find out!
What is a URL parameter?
What do URL parameters do?
How can URL parameters help your SEO?
Conclusion
A URL parameter is a piece of code that is added to the end of a URL. This code allows information to be passed to the server when a web page is requested.
URL parameters are also known as query string parameters, and they are used for various purposes, such as tracking clicks from links in email campaigns, or controlling how search results are displayed.
There are two types of URL parameters:
1. those that are set by the server, and
2. those that are set by the user.
Server-side parameters are set by the web server and they cannot be changed by the user. An example of a server-side parameter would be the session ID.
User-side parameters, on the other hand, can be changed by the user. These are also known as client-side parameters. An example of a user-side parameter is the lang parameter, which is used to specify the language of a web page.
In order for a URL parameter to be passed to the server, it must be included in the URL string. The format for adding a URL parameter to a URL string is as follows:
?parameter1=value1¶meter2=value2
For example, if you wanted to track clicks from an email campaign, you could add the following parameters to the end of your URL string:
?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=spring sale
URL parameters can be used for a variety of purposes. Some common uses for URL parameters include:
– Tracking clicks from links in email campaigns
– Controlling how search results are displayed
– Passing information to forms and applications
– Specifying the language of a web page
– Restricting access to certain pages or content
You may have noticed that some websites use different URL parameters than others. This is because there is no standard for what URL parameters should be used. Each website can decide which parameters to use, and how to use them.
Now that you know what a URL parameter is, let’s take a look at how they can help your SEO.
URL parameters can be used to control how search engines index and display your content. For example, if you want to make sure that all of the pages on your website are indexed by Google, you can use the noindex URL parameter.
To do this, you would add the following code to the <head> section of your web pages:
<meta name=”robots” content=”noindex”>
This will tell Google not to index the page.
You can also use URL parameters to specify the language of a web page. This is especially useful if you have a multi-lingual website.
To do this, you would add the lang parameter to the URL string. For example, if you wanted to specify that the page was in French, you would add the following code to the URL string:
?lang=fr
This would tell Google that the page is in French, and it would be more likely to show up in search results for French speakers.
You can also use URL parameters to control how your content is displayed in search results. This can be useful if you have a lot of similar pages on your website, and you want to make sure that the most relevant page is being displayed.
To do this, you would use the rel=”canonical” tag. This tag tells Google which version of a page is the most important, and should be displayed in search results.
For example, let’s say you have a website that sells clothing. You might have a page for each type of clothing, such as t-shirts, pants, and skirts.
If someone searches for “pants”, you want Google to show the page for pants, not the page for t-shirts or skirts. To do this, you would add the following code to the <head> section of your pages:
<link rel=”canonical” href=”http://www.example.com/pants”>
This would tell Google that the page for pants is the most important page on your website for the keyword “pants”.
URL parameters can be a helpful tool for controlling how your content is indexed and displayed in search results. However, you should be careful not to overuse them. If you use too many URL parameters, it can hurt your SEO. This is because Google may think that you are trying to manipulate your search results, and they may penalize your website as a result.
When using URL parameters, it is important to:
– Use them sparingly
– Use the same parameter names consistently
– Use descriptive parameter names
– Use well-formed parameter values
If you follow these guidelines, you can use URL parameters to help improve your SEO without harming your website.
What is a
Jamie Fallon is an SEO expert who lives life to the maximum, redlining every day on a rollercoaster straight to the grave.
In an SEO career of almost ten years, he’s seen it all, he’s done it all, and he’s not impressed: from white text on a white background to today, when you can have robots paint or write for you like some kind of sick science fiction come true.
No matter what life throws at him, Jamie always manages to come out on top. He’s an expert at seeing the silver lining in every cloud and making the best of every situation. His positive attitude and unshakable faith in himself have seen him through tough times. For some people, success goes to their heads; but Jamie never forgets what got him to wherever he thinks he is.
When he’s not busy gaming the system, you can find him writing angry thinkpieces on how Google is ruining everything good about the internet, or hanging out with his wife (pictured).
