Google's faceted navigation guide prefers prevention: disallow filter URLs in robots.txt and keep crawlable only item pages plus one unfiltered listing page, or use URL fragments, which Google generally does not crawl. rel=canonical and nofollow are weaker, slower options.
Thing · Concept
Faceted navigation
Filters such as size, colour or price that create URL variants, which can waste crawl budget when they multiply.
- Claims
- 5
- In Google’s docs
- 2
- Said at the event
- 2
- Not in docs
- 0
- Kit items
- 4
Glossary · Faceted navigation
Filters on listing pages whose combinations create very many URLs, for example the same facets in a different order; Google's guide prefers keeping filter URLs from being crawled.
Google’s documentation 2
Documented in
If faceted URLs must be crawled, use the standard & separator, keep filters in a consistent order, and return a 404 when a filter combination has no results.
Said at the event 2
Slide and stage claims that name it, the ones Google’s documentation does not cover first.
Consistent with docs 2
Consistent with docsD1-C103
Four ways to manage crawl budget: use HTTP cache control, have good site navigation, restrict crawlers' access to faceted navigation and action URLs, and improve or remove useless content.
Non-crawlable link markup, such as onclick links and hash pseudo-links, is common in single-page web apps, and sites that use faceted navigation should check their links for it.
Rebecca Yu · Day 2 · Lightning session D: Rendering and JavaScript
Press and analysis 1
AnalysisD2-C188
Hash-fragment links are a problem only where Google should follow them: product, category and language links need a real URL in an <a href>, while fragments can deliberately keep filter combinations out of the crawl, as Google's faceted navigation guide allows.
Ibrahim Anjro · Day 2 · Lightning session D: Rendering and JavaScript
Built on these claims 4
Kit items about Faceted navigation: their own words name it, or several of the claims they rest on do.
Developer requirements 3
Keep faceted navigation out of the crawl with robots.txt rules or URL fragments
Rests on 12 claims, 3 of them naming Faceted navigation; its own words name Faceted navigation
Do not navigate with onclick handlers, javascript: URLs, routerLink without href or # pseudo-links
Rests on 6 claims, 1 of them naming Faceted navigation; its own words name Faceted navigation
If facet URLs must be crawlable, use & separators, a fixed filter order and 404 for empty results
Rests on 5 claims, 1 of them naming Faceted navigation; its own words name Faceted navigation
Also inglossary term Faceted navigation
Connected things 7
Relations
- Affects Crawl budget
1 claim, 1 documented
- Consistent with docsD1-C103
Four ways to manage crawl budget: use HTTP cache control, have good site navigation, restrict crawlers' access to faceted navigation and action URLs, and improve or remove useless content.
Most often named with it
Things named in the same claim, with the number of claims they share.