What is a Query String?
A query string is the portion of a URL that follows the question mark (?) character and contains key-value pairs used to pass data to a web server. Multiple parameters are separated by ampersand (&) characters, following the format ?key1=value1&key2=value2.
How Does Query String Work?
Query strings are a fundamental mechanism for sending data from a client to a server via HTTP GET requests. They are commonly used for search queries, pagination, filtering results, tracking parameters, and passing state between pages. For example, a search URL might look like example.com/search?q=hosting&page=2.
While query strings are simple and widely supported, they have limitations. Data appears in the URL, so sensitive information should never be passed this way. Browsers and servers also impose length limits on URLs, typically around 2,000 characters. For SEO purposes, excessive query parameters can create duplicate content issues, so canonical tags or parameter handling in search console should be configured properly.