Difference between revisions of "GET Parameters"

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<seo title="GET Parameters: Definition" metadescription="In this article, you will learn what GET parameters are and how you can avoid duplicate content caused by these parameters." />
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<seo title="GET Parameters: Definition" metadescription="GET parameters are used when a client, such as a browser, requests a particular resource from a web server using the HTTP protocol." />
  
 
== Definition ==
 
== Definition ==
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[[File:GET-Parameters.png|thumb|450px|right|alt=GET Parameters|'''Figure:''' GET Parameters - Author: Seobility - License: [[Creative Commons License BY-SA 4.0|CC BY-SA 4.0]]|link=https://www.seobility.net/en/wiki/images/4/49/GET-Parameters.png]]
  
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GET parameters (also called URL parameters) are used when a client, such as a browser, requests a particular resource from a web server using the HTTP protocol. They define the requested resource and are always name-value pairs.
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GET parameters (also called URL parameters or query strings) are used when a client, such as a browser, requests a particular resource from a web server using the HTTP protocol.  
  
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== How do GET requests work? ==
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These parameters are usually name-value pairs, separated by an equals sign <code>=</code>. They can be used for a variety of things, as explained below.
  
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HTTP works as a request-response protocol between a client and a server. A total of nine different request methods are defined in HTTP to specify what action the server should perform on a given resource. Each of these request methods implements different semantics. The GET request is one of the most common HTTP request methods.
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== What do URL parameters look like? ==
  
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A GET request is used to request data from a specified resource. A client, for example a browser, can use this HTTP method to retrieve a web resource from a server. With GET requests, the client transmits GET parameters along with the queried URL. GET parameters are always name-value pairs and are added to the URL with a "?". The name and the associated value are always separated by a "=".
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An example URL could look like this:
  
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A GET request has the following exemplary syntax:
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<pre>https://www.example.com/index.html?name1=value1&name2=value2</pre>
  
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<pre>https://www.example.com/index.html?name1=value1</pre>
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GET parameters always start with a question mark <code>?</code>. This is followed by the name of the variable and the corresponding value, separated by an <code>=</code>. If an URL contains more than one parameter, they are separated by an Ampersand <code>&</code>.
  
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However, the same GET request can transmit several parameters. The length of the request and thus the number of name-value pairs transmitted is only limited by a URL’s maximum length. When several parameters are transmitted, an ampersand (&) separates them. If multiple parameters are used when using the filter function of an online shop, for example, the GET request can look as follows:
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[[File:Get-parameter-zaful.png|border|link=|650px|alt=GET Parameter|Screenshot showing what GET parameters look like]]
  
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<pre>https://www.example.com/index.html?category=mountain_bike&size=29_inches&color=orange</pre>
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Screenshot of [https://www.zaful.com/men-e_118/?odr=new-arrivals Zaful.com] showing GET parameters.
  
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The server's response to a client request contains information about the availability and location of the queried resource. This means that the response does not include the requested resource itself. However, the browser can then load and display it based on the information received from the server. The reason for these reciprocal requests and responses between client and server is that the HTTP protocol only allows one response at a time.
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== Using Get Parameters ==
  
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== Properties of GET requests ==
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GET parameters can be divided into <strong>active and passive</strong>. Active parameters modify the content of a page, for example, by:
  
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In general, GET requests can be buffered and bookmarked. In addition, they are saved in the browser history. For this reason, you should not use this HTTP request method when handling sensitive data, such as login information.
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* '''Filtering content:''' <code>?type=green</code> displays only green products on an e-commerce site.
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* '''Sorting contents:''' <code>?sort=price_ascending</code> sorts the displayed products by price, in this case ascending.
  
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Furthermore, a GET request only retrieves data and does not change any resources. It is assumed that this is a secure, repeatable operation of browsers, caches, and other HTTP-enabled components. This means that GET requests can be reissued without prior validation. For example, the display of your account balances performed with a GET request has no effect on your account and can be safely repeated. Therefore, browsers allow users to refresh a page resulting from a GET request without displaying a warning. Other HTTP-enabled components such as [[Proxy Server|proxies]] can also automatically resubmit GET requests when they encounter a temporary network connection problem.
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Passive GET parameters, on the other hand, do not change a page's content and are primarily used to collect user data. Application examples are among others:
  
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However, a disadvantage of GET requests is that they can only provide data through parameters that are added to the Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) or sent as cookies in the cookie request header. You cannot use this method to upload files or perform other operations that require large amounts of data to be sent to the server.
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* '''Tracking of [[Session ID]]s:''' ?sessionid=12345 This allows visits of individual users to be saved if cookies were rejected.
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* '''Tracking of [[Website Traffic|website traffic]]:'''<code> ?utm_source=google</code> URL parameters can be used to track where your website visitors came from. These UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters work with analytics tools and can help evaluate the success of a campaign. Besides <code>source</code>, there are <code>utm_medium</code>, <code>utm_campaign</code>, <code>utm_term</code>, and <code>utm_content</code>. More information can be found at Google's [https://ga-dev-tools.appspot.com/campaign-url-builder/ Campaign URL Builder].
  
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== GET parameters and duplicate content ==
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== Potential problems related to GET parameters ==
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Too many subpages with URL parameters can negatively impact a website's rankings. The most common problems regarding GET parameters are <strong>duplicate content, wasted crawl budget, and illegible URLs.</strong>
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=== Duplicate content ===
  
 
Generating GET parameters, for example, based on website filter settings, can cause serious problems with [[Duplicate Content|duplicate content]] on e-commerce sites. When shop visitors can use filters to sort or narrow the content on a page, additional URLs are generated. This happens even though the content of the pages does not necessarily differ. The following example illustrates this problem:
 
Generating GET parameters, for example, based on website filter settings, can cause serious problems with [[Duplicate Content|duplicate content]] on e-commerce sites. When shop visitors can use filters to sort or narrow the content on a page, additional URLs are generated. This happens even though the content of the pages does not necessarily differ. The following example illustrates this problem:
  
 
<div style="border-style:solid; border-width:1px;border-color:rgb(170, 170, 170);padding:10px;">
 
<div style="border-style:solid; border-width:1px;border-color:rgb(170, 170, 170);padding:10px;">
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If the URL of an e-commerce page contains the complete list of all existing products in ascending alphabetical order and the user sorts the products in descending order, the URL for the new sort is /all-products.html?sort=Z-A.  In this case, the new URL has the same content as the original page, but in a different order. This is problematic because Google could consider this duplicate content. The consequence is that Google cannot determine the page to be displayed in the search results. Another problem is that Google does not know which ranking signals should be assigned to each URL, which divides the website’s ranking properties between the two subpages.
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If the URL of an e-commerce page contains the complete list of all existing products in ascending alphabetical order and the user sorts the products in descending order, the URL for the new sort is /all-products.html?sort=Z-A.  In this case, the new URL has the same content as the original page, but in a different order. This is problematic because Google could consider this duplicate content. The consequence is that Google cannot determine the page to be displayed in the search results. Another problem is that Google does not know which ranking signals should be assigned to each URL, which divides the website’s ranking properties between the two subpages.</div>
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</div>
 
  
 
One solution to this problem is to uniquely define the relationship between the pages using [[Canonical Tag|canonical tags]].
 
One solution to this problem is to uniquely define the relationship between the pages using [[Canonical Tag|canonical tags]].
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Canonical tags are therefore a simple solution to guide [[Search Engine Crawlers|search engine crawlers]] to the content they are supposed to index.
 
Canonical tags are therefore a simple solution to guide [[Search Engine Crawlers|search engine crawlers]] to the content they are supposed to index.
  
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Another way to avoid duplicate content caused by GET parameters is to add canonical URLs to a sitemap.  
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=== Waste of crawl budget ===
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Google crawls a limited number of URLs per website. This amount of URLs is called crawl budget. More information can be found on the [https://www.seobility.net/en/blog/crawl-budget-optimization/ Seobility Blog].
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If a website has many crawlable URLs due to the use of URL parameters, Googlebot might spend the crawl budget for the wrong pages. One method to prevent this problem is the [[Robots.txt|robots.txt]]. This can be used to specify that the Googlebot is not supposed to crawl URLs with certain parameters.
  
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Problems with duplicate content can generally be prevented by eliminating unnecessary parameters in a URL. This has the added benefit of improving usability since overly long URLs are illegible and difficult for users to understand.
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=== Illegible URLs ===
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Too many parameters within a URL can make it difficult for users to read and remember the URL. Worst case, this can damage [[Usability|usability]] and [[CTR (Click-Through Rate)|click-through rates]].
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Generally, duplicate content, as well as problems with crawl budget, can be at least partially prevented by avoiding unnecessary parameters in a URL.
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== Related links ==
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* https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6277564?hl=en
  
 
== Similar articles ==
 
== Similar articles ==
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[[Category:Web Development]]
 
[[Category:Web Development]]
 
[[Category:Search Engine Optimization]]
 
[[Category:Search Engine Optimization]]
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Latest revision as of 18:27, 4 December 2023

Definition

GET Parameters
Figure: GET Parameters - Author: Seobility - License: CC BY-SA 4.0

GET parameters (also called URL parameters or query strings) are used when a client, such as a browser, requests a particular resource from a web server using the HTTP protocol.

These parameters are usually name-value pairs, separated by an equals sign =. They can be used for a variety of things, as explained below.

What do URL parameters look like?

An example URL could look like this: 

https://www.example.com/index.html?name1=value1&name2=value2

GET parameters always start with a question mark ?. This is followed by the name of the variable and the corresponding value, separated by an =. If an URL contains more than one parameter, they are separated by an Ampersand &.

GET Parameter

Screenshot of Zaful.com showing GET parameters.

Using Get Parameters

GET parameters can be divided into active and passive. Active parameters modify the content of a page, for example, by:

  • Filtering content: ?type=green displays only green products on an e-commerce site.
  • Sorting contents: ?sort=price_ascending sorts the displayed products by price, in this case ascending.

Passive GET parameters, on the other hand, do not change a page's content and are primarily used to collect user data. Application examples are among others:

  • Tracking of Session IDs: ?sessionid=12345 This allows visits of individual users to be saved if cookies were rejected.
  • Tracking of website traffic: ?utm_source=google URL parameters can be used to track where your website visitors came from. These UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters work with analytics tools and can help evaluate the success of a campaign. Besides source, there are utm_medium, utm_campaign, utm_term, and utm_content. More information can be found at Google's Campaign URL Builder.

Potential problems related to GET parameters

Too many subpages with URL parameters can negatively impact a website's rankings. The most common problems regarding GET parameters are duplicate content, wasted crawl budget, and illegible URLs.

Duplicate content

Generating GET parameters, for example, based on website filter settings, can cause serious problems with duplicate content on e-commerce sites. When shop visitors can use filters to sort or narrow the content on a page, additional URLs are generated. This happens even though the content of the pages does not necessarily differ. The following example illustrates this problem:

If the URL of an e-commerce page contains the complete list of all existing products in ascending alphabetical order and the user sorts the products in descending order, the URL for the new sort is /all-products.html?sort=Z-A. In this case, the new URL has the same content as the original page, but in a different order. This is problematic because Google could consider this duplicate content. The consequence is that Google cannot determine the page to be displayed in the search results. Another problem is that Google does not know which ranking signals should be assigned to each URL, which divides the website’s ranking properties between the two subpages.

One solution to this problem is to uniquely define the relationship between the pages using canonical tags.

Canonical tags indicate to search engines that certain pages should be treated as copies of a particular URL and all ranking properties should be credited to the canonical URL. A canonical tag can be inserted in the <head> area of the HTML document or alternatively in the HTTP header of the web page. If the canonical tag is implemented in the <head> area, the syntax is, for example: 

<link rel="canonical" href="https://www.example.com/all-products.html"/>

If this link is added to all URLs that can result from different combinations of filters, the link equity of all these subpages is consolidated on the canonical URL and Google knows which page should be displayed in the SERPs.

Canonical tags are therefore a simple solution to guide search engine crawlers to the content they are supposed to index.

Waste of crawl budget

Google crawls a limited number of URLs per website. This amount of URLs is called crawl budget. More information can be found on the Seobility Blog.

If a website has many crawlable URLs due to the use of URL parameters, Googlebot might spend the crawl budget for the wrong pages. One method to prevent this problem is the robots.txt. This can be used to specify that the Googlebot is not supposed to crawl URLs with certain parameters.

Illegible URLs

Too many parameters within a URL can make it difficult for users to read and remember the URL. Worst case, this can damage usability and click-through rates.

Generally, duplicate content, as well as problems with crawl budget, can be at least partially prevented by avoiding unnecessary parameters in a URL.

Related links

Similar articles

About the author
Seobility S
The Seobility Wiki team consists of seasoned SEOs, digital marketing professionals, and business experts with combined hands-on experience in SEO, online marketing and web development. All our articles went through a multi-level editorial process to provide you with the best possible quality and truly helpful information. Learn more about the people behind the Seobility Wiki.