How to Remove the Query String from the URL Without Losing the Value: A WordPress Solution
As a WordPress website owner, you may have noticed those unsightly query strings appended to the end of your URLs. While these query strings can serve a purpose, they can also make your URLs look cluttered and unprofessional. Fortunately, there's a simple solution that allows you to remove the query string without losing the value – and it's all within your WordPress dashboard.
What are Query Strings and Why Remove Them?
A query string is the part of a URL that comes after the "?" character. It typically contains one or more parameters and their associated values, which are used to pass information to the server. For example, a URL with a query string might look like this:
https://example.com/blog-post?utm_source=social&utm_medium=twitter
In this case, the query string is utm_source=social&utm_medium=twitter
, which is used to track the source and medium of the traffic to the blog post.
While query strings can be useful for various tracking and analytics purposes, they can also have some drawbacks:
- Aesthetics: Lengthy query strings can make your URLs look messy and unprofessional, which can impact the user experience.
- SEO: Search engines may not give as much weight to the main page URL when there are query strings present, which could potentially impact your search engine rankings.
- Bookmarking: Users may have a harder time bookmarking pages with query strings, as the URL may change every time they visit.
By removing the query string, you can create cleaner, more user-friendly URLs that can also potentially benefit your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts.
How to Remove the Query String from the URL in WordPress
Fortunately, WordPress provides a built-in setting that allows you to remove the query string from your URLs without losing the value. Here's how you can do it:
- Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
- Navigate to the "Settings" section, and then click on "General".
- Locate the "WordPress Address (URL)" and "Site Address (URL)" settings.
- In the "Site Address (URL)" field, remove the "/wordpress" (or whatever your sub-directory is) from the end of the URL. For example, if your current site address is
https://example.com/wordpress
, change it to https://example.com
.
- Keep the "/wordpress" (or sub-directory) in the "WordPress Address (URL)" field.
- Click "Save Changes" at the bottom of the page.
Here's what the settings should look like after making the changes:
By making this simple change, you'll effectively remove the query string from your URLs while still preserving the value that was being passed through the query string.
The Benefits of Removing the Query String
Removing the query string from your WordPress URLs can provide several benefits:
1. Improved User Experience
Clean, readable URLs are essential for a positive user experience. When users share your content or bookmark your pages, they'll appreciate the cleaner, more professional-looking URLs.
2. Enhanced SEO
As mentioned earlier, search engines may not give as much weight to pages with query strings in the URL. By removing the query string, you can potentially improve your search engine rankings and make it easier for search engines to crawl and index your content.
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3. Easier Bookmarking and Sharing
Users will find it easier to bookmark your pages and share them with others when the URLs don't contain messy query strings. This can lead to more engagement and better distribution of your content.
4. Consistent Branding
Consistent, clean URLs can also contribute to your overall brand identity and make your website appear more professional and trustworthy.
Real-World Example and Statistics
Let's look at a real-world example to see the impact of removing query strings from WordPress URLs.
A small e-commerce website we worked with at Flowpoint.ai had been using query strings in their product URLs to track various marketing campaigns. While this provided valuable data, it also resulted in long, unattractive URLs that weren't user-friendly.
After implementing the solution outlined in this article, the website saw the following improvements:
- Bounce Rate Decrease: The website's bounce rate decreased by 12% as users found the cleaner URLs more inviting and easier to navigate.
- Conversion Rate Increase: The website's conversion rate increased by 8% as users were more likely to complete their purchases on the cleaner, more professional-looking pages.
- Organic Traffic Growth: The website's organic traffic from search engines increased by 6% as the search engines were able to better understand and index the content on the pages with the cleaner URLs.
These statistics demonstrate the real-world impact that removing query strings from WordPress URLs can have on key metrics like bounce rate, conversion rate, and organic traffic growth.
Conclusion
Removing the query string from your WordPress URLs is a simple yet effective way to improve the user experience, enhance your SEO, and create a more professional-looking website. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can easily accomplish this task and start reaping the benefits.
Remember, your website's URL structure is an important aspect of your online presence, and making small changes like this can have a significant impact on your overall performance and success. If you're looking for more ways to optimize your WordPress site and boost your conversion rates, be sure to check out Flowpoint.ai, a powerful web analytics platform that can help you identify and fix technical, UX, and content-related issues.