URL parameters are elements added to a web address after a question mark to track, filter, or modify displayed content.
What Are URL Parameters?
URL parameters—also called query strings—are key-value pairs appended to a URL to pass data between the browser and the server. They’re commonly used for tracking marketing campaigns, filtering product lists, paginating content, or changing displayed results without altering the base URL.
Examples:
?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc(tracks ad campaign performance)?category=shoes&color=black(filters product listings)?page=2(navigates to the second page of results)
Why They Matter for SEO:
- Improper use can cause duplicate content issues.
- Excessive parameter combinations may dilute ranking signals.
- Search engines may crawl unnecessary variations, wasting crawl budget.
Best Practices:
- Use canonical tags to indicate the preferred URL.
- Configure parameter handling in Google Search Console.
- Minimize the number of parameters for clean, user-friendly URLs.
- Use hyphenated keywords in slugs when parameters aren’t necessary.
Example in Marketing:
A SaaS company tracks free trial signups by adding ?utm_campaign=trial_offer to landing page URLs in email campaigns.
