In a recent update to its Search Central documentation, Google has added specific guidelines for URL parameter formatting. The update brings parameter formatting recommendations from a faceted navigation blog post into the main URL structure documentation, making these guidelines more accessible. Key Updates The new documentation specifies that developers should use the following: Equal signs … Read more
In the world of SEO, URL parameters pose a significant problem. While developers and data analysts may appreciate their utility, these query strings are an SEO headache. Countless parameter combinations can split a single user intent across thousands of URL variations. This can cause complications for crawling, indexing, visibility and, ultimately, lead to lower traffic. … Read more
In the world of SEO, URL parameters pose a significant problem. While developers and data analysts may appreciate their utility, these query strings are an SEO headache. Countless parameter combinations can split a single user intent across thousands of URL variations. This can cause complications for crawling, indexing, visibility and, ultimately, lead to lower traffic. … Read more
Google’s Gary Illyes recently highlighted a recurring SEO problem on LinkedIn, echoing concerns he’d previously voiced on a Google podcast. The issue? URL parameters cause search engines difficulties when they’re crawling websites. This problem is especially challenging for big sites and online stores. When different parameters are added to a URL, it can result in … Read more
Gary Illyes, Analyst at Google, has highlighted a major issue for crawlers: URL parameters. During a recent episode of Google’s Search Off The Record podcast, Illyes explained how parameters can create endless URLs for a single page, causing crawl inefficiencies. Illyes covered the technical aspects, SEO impact, and potential solutions. He also discussed Google’s past … Read more
Back when I started playing the search engine optimization (SEO) game, keyword stuffing actually worked. Since then, algorithm updates have spared only a few SEO best practices, like URL optimization. Google’s algorithm updates have shaken up the scenery of SEO. However, URL optimization has stood the test of time. This is an essential element of … Read more
Google’s Gary Illyes answered the question in an Office Hours hangout about whether a double forward slash in a URL has an impact on the SEO for a website. A double forward slash happens for a number of reasons that are often related to a coding issue on the CMS or in the .htaccess file … Read more
Firefox recently announced that they are offering users a choice on whether or not to include tracking information from copied URLs, which comes on the on the heels of iOS 17 blocking user tracking via URLs. The momentum of removing tracking information from URLs appears to be gaining speed. Where is this all going and … Read more
If your website is structured like a house, then your website’s URL is like that house’s address. It defines where your website lives online, similar to how your home address determines where you live in a neighborhood, helping your visitors easily find your site. URLs also help Google understand what your website’s pages are about. … Read more
In June 2022, Mozilla Firefox 102 was released with a feature that strips query parameters from URLs that track users as they navigate the web. The feature is called “Query Parameter Stripping,” and the purpose is to protect the privacy of users who don’t want to be trailed online. Now that Firefox has given its … Read more
Wix is integrating Google’s URL Inspection API directly into the new Wix Site Inspection Tool, providing users with an easy way to achieve and maintain a good search presence. Users can now view insights into how Google is indexing a site and debug technical issues like structured data on a sitewide basis. Search Console URL … Read more
Today’s “Ask An SEO” question comes from Bhaumik from Mumbai, who asks: “I have a question about automatically generated URLs. My firm had previously used different tools to generate sitemaps. But recently, we started creating them manually by selecting URLs that are necessary and blocking others in robots.txt. We are facing an issue now with … Read more
Despite your best effort to implement canonical tags, Google won’t always choose the same URL to display in search results. How can this be fixed? This topic is addressed by Google Search Advocate John Mueller in a Reddit thread on the r/TechSEO forum. An individual asks why Google is displaying the wrong URL in search … Read more
This week’s Ask An SEO question comes from Mike in Columbus, who writes: “Let’s say I do some keyword research and find a really strong search volume around some keywords that are highly related to my website. I then purchase those keywords as URLs – 30 of them. What’s best for my main website traffic, … Read more
Google’s Search Advocate John Mueller explains how websites can optimize content for search results in specific countries by using subdirectories in a strategic way. This topic was discussed during a recent Google Search Central SEO office-hours hangout. An individual named Hazel Wwrong joins the livestream to ask Mueller how Google recognizes when website content is … Read more
