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Sort parameters

Also known as: sorting parameters, sort URL parameters

Sort parameters are URL parameters such as ?sort=price-asc that change the order of items on a list page without changing which items appear. Each sort order gets its own URL, which is why they matter for SEO.

Why do sort parameters matter for SEO?

Ahrefs counts sorting among the active parameters, which change how a page looks or is ordered, and distinguishes them from passive ones such as tracking parameters. Combined with filters and pagination, sort options can multiply the number of crawlable URLs.

Google’s URL structure documentation names shopping sorting parameters as an example of unnecessary URL variations and suggests using robots.txt to keep them from being crawled. Its documentation on faceted navigation says that overcrawling can slow the discovery of new URLs, and that canonical and nofollow are generally less effective in the long term than robots.txt. Ahrefs recommends canonical tags that point to the unsorted page, so practitioners disagree on the best tool.

If parameters are used, Google recommends an equals sign between key and value and an ampersand between parameters. Several values of one key can be separated by a comma.

How three filters multiply one category into thousands of URLsOwn calculation example: the category /shoes has three filters with 8 colors, 12 sizes and 20 brands. With all three filters set there are 8 × 12 × 20 = 1,920 URLs. If filters may stay empty, it is 9 × 13 × 21 = 2,457, and with three sort orders 7,371. Google describes two paths: URLs meant for search keep a fixed filter order, no duplicate filters and a 404 for empty results; URLs not meant for search are blocked in robots.txt or keep filters in the URL fragment.Category1 page/shoesColor8 values?color=redSize12 values&size=9Brand20 values&brand=…1 URLcategory8 URLswith color96 URLs+ size1,920 URLsall three filtersOWN CALCULATION EXAMPLE8 × 12 × 20 = 1,920 URLs with all three filters setFilters may stay empty: 9 × 13 × 21 = 2,457 URLsPlus 3 sort orders (?sort=price …): 2,457 × 3 = 7,371 URLsEvery other parameter order adds yet another URL.Meant for searchfixed filter order,no duplicate filters,404 for empty resultsNot meant for searchdisallow in robots.txtor keep filters in theURL fragment (#color=red)
Own calculation example. Three filters are enough to turn one category into thousands of URLs. Google describes two approaches, depending on whether the filtered pages are meant for search. Sources: Google Crawling: Managing crawling of faceted navigation URLs; Google Crawling: Optimize your crawl budget.

Example

Text
https://example.com/shoes?category=sneaker&sort=price-asc
https://example.com/shoes?category=sneaker&sort=popularity

Both URLs show the same sneakers in a different order.

Sources

  1. Managing crawling of faceted navigation URLs – Google Search Centraldevelopers.google.com
  2. URL structure best practices – Google Search Centraldevelopers.google.com
  3. URL parameters: a complete guide for SEOs – Ahrefs (secondary)ahrefs.com

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