Understanding the New srsltid Parameter in Google Search URLs: What’s Really Going On?

Recently, many webmasters, SEO professionals, and curious users have noticed a new query string parameter—srsltid—being appended to URLs in Google search results. While this might seem like just another tracking code, the details surrounding it have sparked confusion and debate in the SEO community.

In this blog post, I’ll explore this new phenomenon, clarify some misconceptions, and provide insights into what might really be happening with this srsltid parameter.

What is the srsltid Parameter?

The srsltid parameter appears in the URL after clicking on certain Google search results. For instance, a typical URL might look something like this:

https://www.example.com/blog-post-title?srsltid=XXXXXXXX

This parameter has started appearing under specific circumstances, especially when users are logged into their Google account and performing searches in the Chrome browser. However, the parameter doesn’t appear for the same searches conducted in incognito mode or when not logged in.

Key Observations:

1. Logged-In vs. Incognito: The srsltid parameter is only added when the user is logged into their Google account. It does not appear in incognito mode, suggesting that it’s tied to personalized tracking mechanisms.
2. Not Exclusive to Merchant Center URLs: Contrary to what some reports have claimed, this parameter isn’t just associated with Google Merchant Center links. It’s been observed in organic search results, including blog posts and other non-commercial content.
3. Browser-Specific Behavior: The parameter predominantly shows up when using the Chrome browser. It’s less frequently observed (or absent) in other browsers, even when logged in with the same Google account.

Debunking Common Misconceptions

1. Is srsltid Only for Merchant Center Links?

Some sources, including SEO Round Table, have suggested that srsltid is tied to Google Merchant Center URLs. While this might be true for some instances, it is not the full picture. As evidenced by recent observations, the parameter can also appear on standard organic search results, such as blog posts. This broader application indicates that the parameter is not exclusive to e-commerce or shopping-related content.

2. Is This a New Type of Tracking?

The exact purpose of the srsltid parameter remains somewhat unclear, but it seems to be part of Google’s evolving methods for tracking user interactions with search results. Given that it only appears when logged in, it’s reasonable to assume that it helps Google better understand user behavior for personalized search results, advertising, or other data-driven features.

3. Does It Affect SEO?

As of now, there is no direct evidence that the srsltid parameter has any impact on SEO or ranking. It appears to be a tracking mechanism rather than a factor that influences the search engine’s evaluation of a webpage. However, its presence in URLs can clutter analytics data, potentially leading to inaccuracies in tracking user behavior if not filtered out.

What Should You Do About srsltid?

1. Monitor Its Impact on Analytics

If the srsltid parameter is being added to URLs on your site, you might notice it appearing in your analytics reports. To ensure that your data remains clean and accurate, consider setting up filters in Google Analytics or your preferred analytics platform to exclude this parameter from your reports.

2. Keep an Eye on Updates

As with any new behavior in Google’s search results, it’s essential to stay informed. Keep an eye on SEO news, forums, and Google’s own announcements for any official word on the srsltid parameter. Google has a history of rolling out new features and tracking mechanisms gradually, so what’s happening now might evolve into something more widespread or significant.

3. Stay Informed and Test

If you’re concerned about how this might affect your website, run some tests. Compare traffic patterns, click-through rates, and other relevant metrics with and without the parameter to see if it’s influencing your site’s performance.

Final Thoughts

The srsltid parameter is a new phenomenon that has caught the attention of the SEO community, but it’s important to separate fact from fiction. While it seems to be linked to personalized tracking for logged-in Google users, it’s not exclusive to Merchant Center URLs and does not appear to affect SEO directly.

As Google continues to refine its tracking and personalization features, staying informed and adaptive will be key to managing any new changes effectively. For now, the best course of action is to monitor its impact, filter it out of your analytics if necessary, and keep an eye out for any further developments.

Have you noticed the srsltid parameter in your URLs? Share your experiences and insights in the comments below!

UPDATE – an Answer from Google’s John Mueller

I posted a link to this article in LinkedIn to see if anyone else has spotted this, and tagged in the ever-helpful John Mueller of Google, who popped a comment up with the following reply:

I followed up on this with the team, and here’s roughly what’s happening.

These URL parameters are added for Merchant Center “auto-tagging” (there’s more about it at https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/15191080 ), when a site-owner has activated that feature. They’re used for conversion tracking for merchants. We plan to update the help page as appropriate once this rolls out more.

They’re added in search directly, with unique IDs using the “srsltid” parameter that you mentioned. The URLs are not indexed or crawled like that. It’s not a new setup, we’ve used this for quite some time for example in the shopping tab. We’ve now expanded it to traditional search results.

This doesn’t affect crawling, indexing, or ranking – it’s basically just for analytics for merchants. While not necessary, you can use the link rel=canonical element pointing at the preferred URL for indexing as you normally would. If you don’t want it, you can just turn off the setting (though it seems useful to me!). In Search Console, you mostly see the old usage of the parameter, we try to filter it out for the normal search results.

John Mueller – Google Search Relations Team Lead (via LinkedIn here)

So it seems:

• It does apply only to your logged-in searches, (probably if you are also the Google account connected to Merchant Center) for this website ✓
• this was extended to “normal” search outside of Merchant Center ✓
• as expected it won’t affect rankings ✓
• You should (already) be using rel=canonical to authoritatively state your URL (free from any parameters) ✓