Google: A Character Is Needed After The /? Of A URL To Be Unique

Oct 18, 2022 - 7:11 am 0 by

Google Question Mark

This may be obvious to many of you and this is a purely technical note, but for a URL to be somewhat unique, generally you need to have at least one character after the trailing slash followed by the question mark. So if you have a URL that ends with /? it is the same thing as that being just /.

Generally, what follows a /? are additional parameters that make the page load something dynamic from a database. If the URL just has a ?, then it has no additional filters or details from what the main / URL contains.

Of course, you can code anything, so technically, you can make it have unique content on the /? page if you want, but generally that is not how sites work.

That is why John Mueller said on Twitter "Using just "/?" at the end of a URL is equivalent to not having anything after the slash. You need at least 1 character after the "?"."

This was specific to a feature in Search Console, here is the context:

Anyway, this is something to keep in mind when reviewing sites and in general, it is something good to just know.

Forum discussion at Twitter.

Note: This was pre-written and scheduled to be posted today, I am currently offline for Simchat Torah.

 

Popular Categories

The Pulse of the search community

Search Video Recaps

 
- YouTube
Video Details More Videos Subscribe to Videos

Most Recent Articles

Search Forum Recap

Daily Search Forum Recap: April 18, 2025

Apr 18, 2025 - 10:00 am
Search Video Recaps

Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Ruled A Monopoly Again, Heated Volatility, Google ccTLD Change, Ads Safety Report & AI Overviews

Apr 18, 2025 - 8:01 am
Google

Google Made Search Much Faster - But How Much Faster?

Apr 18, 2025 - 7:51 am
Google Ads

New Google Merchant Center Popular Products Report

Apr 18, 2025 - 7:41 am
Google Search Engine Optimization

Google: No Positive SEO Effect From .esports Domain

Apr 18, 2025 - 7:31 am
Google Ads

Google Ads PMax Age Exclusions Rolling Out

Apr 18, 2025 - 7:21 am
Previous Story: Organic Looking Google Amsterdam Cafe