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    4. No indexing url including query string with Robots txt

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    No indexing url including query string with Robots txt

    Technical SEO
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    • HMK-NL
      HMK-NL last edited by

      Dear all,

      how can I block url/pages with query strings like page.html?dir=asc&order=name with robots txt?

      Thanks!

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • HMK-NL
        HMK-NL last edited by

        Dear all, what is the best option? And are the option below good? A: Disallow

        • sort-order (Only URLs with value = asc)

        "A single URL may contain many parameters for each of which you can specify settings. More restrictive settings override less restrictive settings. For example, here are three parameters and their settings"

        source:

        http://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1235687

        B:  User-agent:

        Googlebot Disallow: /*.=name$

        for example www.sub.domain.com/collection.html?dir=desc&order=name source: http://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=156449

        Thanks!

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • kyleNeedham
          kyleNeedham last edited by

          You could always just use rel="canonical" which would be much better than completely blocking all URL parameters.

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • Matthew_Edgar
            Matthew_Edgar @HMK-NL last edited by

            Hey,

            Should that second URL be www.sub.domain.com/collection/adresboeken.html?whatever=something If so, then by using /collection/?* you are saying that anything within /collection/ with a query string should not be indexed. If adresboeken.html always has a query string, it may not get indexed.

            The other options I'd consider before using robots.txt are telling Google to ignore dir=desc&order=color in Google Webmaster Tools parameter handling. This is the best way to handle query string issues. (Assuming you are trying to influence Google. Clearly Google Webmaster Tools won't affect Bing!)

            Another idea is to set a canonical URL on /collection/adresboeken.html referencing /collection/adresboeken.html without the query string. This tells the search engines that the query strings do not make a unique URL. (adresboeken.html?dir=desc&order=color is the same as adresboeken.html?dir=desc&order=price is the same as adresboeken.html?dir=asc&order=color is the same as adresboeken.html, and so on).

            I hope that helps. Thanks,
            Matthew

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • cprasad
              cprasad last edited by

              Hi,

              Robots.txt works mainly on 2 rules. Those are User-agent: and Disallow:

              User-agent: the name of the robot you need to block

              Disallow: the url or folder or other url with conditions you need to block.

              As you have asked in your question you need to block a url with a condition. But you have to remember that Robot.txt is giving so critical results if you did not use it correctly.

              Anyway in your question, you wanted to block url/pages with query strings like page.html?dir=asc&order=name

              so you have to use following:

              User-agent: *

              Disallow: /*?

              So the above will block all the urls with a question mark (?) for all the search robots. This will not block only page.html?dir=asc&order=name it will alos block comments.html?dir=asc&order=name

              So use it so carefully.

              Hope this is the what you have looked for. If need more help you may ask.

              Regards

              Prasad

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • HMK-NL
                HMK-NL last edited by

                Dear all,

                thanks for responding. If I have a pages like

                1. www.sub.domain.com/collection.html exists, I want to index it, and

                2. www.sub.domain.com/collection.html?dir=desc&order=color which I don't want to index

                Is this the way to do this in de robots.txt?:

                Disallow: /collection/?*

                Thanks!

                Matthew_Edgar 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • Matthew_Edgar
                  Matthew_Edgar last edited by

                  Hi,

                  Here is an article explaining how to do this in robots.txt:
                  http://sanzon.wordpress.com/2008/04/29/advanced-usage-of-robotstxt-w-querystrings/

                  Depending on what you are trying to do, it might also be worth investigating parameter handling in Google Webmaster Tools:
                  http://support.google.com/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1235687

                  Thanks,
                  Matthew

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
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