URL parameters help track user behaviour and customise content based on what users want to see. Here’s how they work and how to use them to improve the user journey and boost your SEO.
What are URL parameters?
URL parameters, also known as query strings or query parameters, are pieces of data that follow a question mark in a URL. These parameters are primarily used to filter, sort or track specific content on a page, making it easier to customise user experiences or gather analytics.
How can we make the most of URL parameters?
URL parameters allow users to customise the content displayed on a webpage, so they can find exactly what they’re looking for. For example, if you run an e-commerce website, these parameters allow users to easily filter products by colour, price or style.
In the marketing world, digital marketers often use query strings with tracking parameters to see where their website traffic originates. This helps them understand how social media, advertising and email campaigns drive visitors to their site. These insights are key to optimising marketing strategies and improving user engagement.
How can URL parameters directly impact a business?
Understanding URL parameters isn’t just for developers; it’s a key part of optimising your website’s user experience and improving SEO. By fine-tuning these details, your business can attract more visitors, improve tracking, and increase conversions.
Scroll on for an intro to the basics and how URL parameters can benefit your marketing strategy.
1. Understanding the basics of URL parameters: How do URL parameters work?
URL parameters are made up of key-value pairs, where the key tells you what type of data is being shared, and the value is the actual data (like an identifier).
In a URL you’ll spot the parameters starting with a question mark (?), like this: ?key=value.
When there’s more than one pair (i.e. to add multiple parameters together), they’ll join the URL with an ampersand (&), like ?key=value&key2=value2.
Think of it like this:
- The key is the item you’re looking for (e.g., “colour”).
- The value is the specific detail (e.g., “red”).
So, the parameter would look like this: ?colour=red.
If there are multiple parameters, they’ll be joined with an ampersand (&):
?colour=red&size=large&price=50-100.
Multiple parameters make your site’s experience more interactive and engaging for the user by supporting them along their journey to find exactly what they’re looking for.
URL query string examples
URL parameters can be divided into active or passive parameters. Active parameters modify the content, whereas passive parameters are typically used for tracking.
Active parameters
| Type | Purpose | Example |
| Sorting | Reorders the content in some way, like by price or rating. | ?sort=price_ascending |
| Filter | To see content that meets your specific criteria. | ?type=yellow ?price-range=20-50 ?filter=Store/Territory eq VIC |
| Paginating | Splits product listing or blog archive pages into manageable sections. | ?pageindex=2 |
| Translate | Offers content in multiple languages for a broader audience. | ?lang=en ?language=it |
| Search | Allows you to explore results using a site’s internal search feature. | ?search=search-term |
a parameters
| Type | Purpose | Example |
| Advertising tags | To track traffic from online advertising campaigns. | ?utm_source=newsletter123&utm_medium=email ?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=ppc&exampleparam=example |
| Affiliate IDs | Uses an identifier to see where sales and signups originate. | ?id=famous-influencer |
| Session IDs | Identifies a particular user. This is not common in modern websites. | ?sessionid=abc123xyz |
2. When do query parameters become an SEO issue?
Sounds great right? Not always. While they are helpful, they can sometimes lead to issues with crawling and indexing.
There are a few SEO considerations with URL parameters, largely because poorly designed URL parameters can lead to a high volume of pages with similar content. Here are the most common SEO issues and how too many query strings can affect search engine indexing and rankings.
Duplicate content:
- Search engines treat each URL as a separate page, potentially leading to multiple copies of the same content. Pages reordered by parameters can cause confusion over which version to index.
Crawl budget waste:
- Complicated URLs with endless parameters can eat up your site’s crawl budget, making it harder for search engines to explore all your content efficiently.
Keyword cannibalisation:
- Filtered pages might end up competing for the same keywords as the main page you’re trying to rank, sending mixed signals to search engines about which page should be prioritised for those terms.
Diluted ranking signals:
- When multiple pages feature the same content, it can weaken the authority of your main pages, causing harm to your hard-earned rankings.
Poor URL readability:
- Long URLs can look cluttered – or even suspicious – leading visitors to hesitate before clicking.
- Clean, readable URLs not only give your web page a polished, professional look but also build trust with your visitors.
3. Benefits of using URL parameters/query strings
Tracking marketing campaigns
UTM parameters give us solid insights into how visitors find and interact with your website. Unlike the filters that adjust, sort or filter, these parameters leave the page content unchanged – telling your browser where the traffic came from and the specific campaign that led the visitor to you.
From social media posts to email newsletters, UTM codes can help you track how well your campaign is performing. Dive into the data and tweak your campaigns, fire off more target ads, or figure out which products are getting all the love.
Plug them into Google Analytics and you’ve got a roadmap for your user’s journey and a chance to level up your marketing game.
Finding what your users love
People are short on time, and they don’t have all day to dig through every page. Customising what users see based on their behaviour means they find what they want, fast – and love you for it. Make their life easier and watch them stick around for longer.
4. Managing URL parameters effectively
Search engines have gotten better at recognising standard parameters like “sort_by” or “utm_campaign”, but they’re not perfect.
To make sure URL parameters don’t negatively impact your web rankings or the user experience, you need to indicate the pages that are unique versus those that are just variations of the “main” page.
Long, parameter-heavy URLs can slow down crawling, potentially limiting the number of pages Google can explore on your site.
Here are a few different ways you can manage these challenges:
- Canonical tags: Canonical tags act like a little nudge to search engines saying ‘this is the main version of the page’. They prevent duplicate content issues by clarifying which version is the one to index. Some e-commerce platforms use this by default, which helps tackle most SEO parameter challenges.
- Robots.txt: While sitemaps suggest what to crawl, robots.txt sets the rules! It tells search engines which areas of the website to avoid—ideal for preventing parameter-based pages from being indexed if sitemaps don’t do the trick.
Sitemap: Upload a sitemap to Google Search Console to help search engines discover your key pages and monitor URL parameters.
5. Keep it simple: best practices for URL parameter optimisation
Let user intent lead the way:
Easy does it – when it comes to URL parameters, less is more. Unless absolutely necessary, avoid them to keep URLs tidy.
For changing a web page’s language, URL parameters can work like so:
- https://www.yourwebsite.com?lang=en-us
Instead, try using subdomains:
- https://es.yourwebsite.com/
Or subdirectories:
- https://yourwebsite.com/intl/de-de
These approaches are more user and SEO-friendly, making it clearer for search engines and visitors to navigate your website. Rather than cramming in every parameter possible, focus on only those that add real value and give you meaningful insights.
Craft consistent naming conventions
Keep naming conventions consistent so it’s easy to keep track of everything. Add unique identifiers to separate campaigns clearly.
For example, for campaigns in multiple cities, try identifiers like utm_campaign=melb_launch or utm_campaign=syd_launch to track each city’s performance independently.
Test and check for effectiveness
The best way to know if something’s hitting the mark is with A/B testing. Redirect users from the original URL to a variation and observe how they interact with each other. By comparing user behaviour, you can identify which version leads to the most engagement or conversions. This method gives you concrete data on what truly works.
6. Common pitfalls to avoid
Don’t overthink it
Stick to the essentials, keeping the parameters short and sweet where you can. While URL parameters are powerful tools, adding too many can clutter your data and even slow down your website. Simple tags and categories make it easier to analyse results and optimise your campaigns or store without unnecessary complications.
Don’t ignore the data
According to Forrester, 74% of firms claim to be “data-driven,” but only 29% actually know how to do something useful with it. Don’t be part of the 74% that is all talk and keep track of your data.
If you’re managing multiple campaigns, it’s easy to end up with a tangle of tracking links, which can lead to duplicated or lost data. A spreadsheet or URL management tool keeps your codes neat, avoids accidental reuse and ensures your data stays organised.
Keep up to date
Review data regularly and adjust so you don’t overlook any opportunities. For example, if you’re running a social media campaign and skip the data checks, you might miss out on emerging audience trends or behaviour shifts.
Let data lead the way you optimise your marketing efforts, staying adaptable and making smart, informed decisions that keep your marketing efforts effective.
Make sure your URL parameters work for you
Need your URLs to work for you? A marketing agency can help you map out and optimise your parameters for both usability and SEO. With expert guidance, you’ll keep your URL clean, efficient and aligned with SEO best practice.
Have any questions? Hit us up.
The key takeaway: Striking the right balance between usability and effective SEO is critical. While simple URLs can boost usability, they can clash with the need for detailed tracking and analytics. Start by auditing your current pages, ditch the outdated ones and optimise the rest.
With the right implementation of URL parameters, your website has the potential to rank better in search results, avoid duplicate content issues, and send Google the right signals.
At Aperitif, we’re all about fine-tuning your website for SEO and turning the customer journey into an experience they can’t forget.
Ready to stir things up? Reach out to us today for a personalised consultation.
