ONE FOCUSED ACTION

Configure Google Search Console to handle URL parameters correctly.

Bing SEO · Category-page SEO · Crawl-budget optimization · DuckDuckGo SEO · Forum SEO · Landing-page SEO · Pagination SEO

Configure Google Search Console to handle URL parameters correctly
8 cited sources

Save for later 0

Use × to move an item here. You can restore it when you’re ready.

Your checks and saved items stay in this browser. Nothing is submitted.

Why this matters

Proper configuration of URL parameters reduces crawl budget waste caused by crawling duplicate or near-duplicate URLs with varying parameters.

A STARTING-POINT EXAMPLE

Hypothetical standard operating procedure

Adapt this example to your site, access, tools, and change process. It is our suggested procedure, informed by the sources below.

Login to Google Search Console and select your property.
Navigate to the URL Parameters tool under Crawl settings.
Identify URL parameters that do not change page content significantly or create duplicates.
Set each parameter's effect accurately: 'ignore', 'crawl only certain URLs', or 'let Google decide'.
Save changes and monitor crawl stats and indexing behavior for improvements.

Watch for

Incorrect parameter settings may lead to important pages being skipped or crawled inefficiently.

Definition of done

URL Parameters tool in Search Console shows parameters are set and crawl stats improve with reduced duplicate URL crawling.

Sources & attribution

Original checklist wording and example SOP by Best SEO Checklist, using source-grounded AI assistance. Editorial contact: Ted Kubaitis, @tedkubaitis on Teams. Check current source guidance before implementation.