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What are URL query strings?

Have you ever noticed some long website addresses have a "?" in them followed by some letters and numbers? Those are called URL query strings.

They are like little messages that tell the website some important information about you, like what you clicked on to get there, where you came from, or what kind of device you are using.

They help the website to make your experience more personalized and keep track of how you use their website. They are made up of pairs of words or letters that describe the information and the information itself, like a secret code that only the website can understand.

Learn more

Why should you be aware of query strings?

When you visit a website, it takes time for the website to show up on your screen. The time it takes for the website to start loading is called TTFB. Websites can speed up TTFB by keeping a copy of the website ready to go so it can show up faster. This copy is called a cache.

However, if a website has different versions of a page with different query strings, it can be harder for the cache to find the right version of the page to show you. This means the website may have to create a new page instead of using the cache, which can take longer and slow down TTFB.

To fix this, website owners can tell the cache to ignore query strings when it looks for a cached page. This way, the cache can find the right page faster and show it to you more quickly.

Most popular query strings

Their source and functions.

fbclid
This query string is used by Facebook to track the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. Learn more about fbclid query parameters.
gclid
This query string is used by Google Ads to track clicks on ads from Google Search results. Learn more about gclid query parameters.
_ga
This query string is used by Google Analytics to track website visitor information with cross-domain tracking. Learn more about _ga query parameters.
ref
This query string is used to track the referring website that led the user to the current website. Learn more about ref query parameters.
utm_campaign
This query string is used to track the specific marketing campaign that led the user to the website.
utm_content
This query string is used to track the specific content that the user clicked on to get to the website.
utm_expid
This query string is used to track the specific experiment variant that the user was a part of.
utm_id
This query string is used to track a unique ID associated with the marketing campaign that led the user to the website.
utm_id
This query string is used to track a unique ID associated with the marketing campaign that led the user to the website.
utm_medium
This query string is used to track the marketing medium that the user used to get to the website (e.g. email, social media, search).
utm_source
This query string is used to track the specific source that the user used to get to the website (e.g. the specific social media platform or search engine).
utm_term
This query string is used to track the specific keyword that the user searched for to get to the website.
epik
When someone clicks on a Pinterest ad, information is added to the URL to help the Pinterest tag find a match. The Pinterest tag caches this information with the cookie. Learn more about epik query parameters.
pp
Often added by Pinterest to paid click urls. Learn more about pp query parameters.
ttclid
This query string is appended to a landing page URL whenever a user clicks on an ad on TikTok, helping TikTok to improve ad attribution and performance by associating the user's Click ID with a campaign. Learn more about ttclid query parameters.

Mateusz Zadorożny

Web Development & Digital Marketing

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