The documentation addresses broader URL parameter challenges, such as managing dynamic content generation, handling session IDs, and effectively implementing sorting parameters.
Previous Guidance
Before this update, developers had to reference an old blog post about faceted navigation to find specific URL parameter formatting guidelines.
Consolidating this information into the main guidelines makes it easier to find.
The updated documentation can be found in Google’s Search Central documentation under the Crawling and Indexing section.
Looking Ahead
If you’re using non-standard parameter formats, start planning a migration to the standard format. Ensure proper redirects, and monitor your crawl stats during the switch.
While Google has not said non-standard parameters will hurt rankings, this update clarifies what they prefer. New sites and redesigns should adhere to the standard format to avoid future headaches.
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