Query String
The query string is not exactly good for SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) purposes; yet it can be good in other areas. It is part of the URL and contains data that is passed on to applications and programs. These programs can be run on the fly and give out different results depending on what is passed to them.
Structure
The structure of a query string is always the same; it is always after the ‘?’ in a URL. The URL can comprise of any domain, folder or program but anything after the question mark is considered the query string.
For example:
www.mydomain.com/program?mod=3user=2
The bold highlights the section that is the query string. As I said previously, query strings are not great for SEO. This is because the above URL returns a page with some information on it. Yet, if you typed in www.mydomain.com/program?user=2mod=3 the same URL and information would appear. This now means that there are two different URL’s displaying the same information.
Security
The use of query strings also raises the point of security issues. Depending on how much security a server has obviously affects the amount of liability a query string poses. The query string is great for retrieving data and other things but can be manipulated. This manipulation could enable users to have access to information they are not supposed to. Especially if a query string has a username or password involved, hackers can use programs to try to hack into a system.
Summary
The use of query strings can be both good and bad. Query strings can pull data and show a range of different web pages based on a ‘on the fly’ query that took place when requesting from the server. the downside is that there are potential major security issues that could be exploited depending on the level of security the server being used has.
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