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How-to

Choose a URL Mode

Choose query, hash, or clean URL behavior for filtered WooCommerce catalog pages.

Updated May 25, 2026SEO-ready

When to use this

Use this when you care how filtered pages look and behave for search engines and for shareable links. The URL mode decides whether selected filters can be bookmarked, shared, and restored by the browser Back button.

Before you start

  • You have a working filter on a storefront page.
  • You know your SEO goal: keep filtered pages out of the index, or expose a

    • chosen set of filtered pages.

URL modes

  • Query — selected filters appear as query parameters, for example

    • /shop/?color=black&price=50-100.

  • Hash — selected filters appear after #, which keeps them out of the

    • server request.

  • Clean — selected filters appear as path segments where supported.

Steps

  1. Pick a mode that matches your SEO strategy. Query is the common default and

    2. keeps selected filters visible and shareable.

  2. Keep URL updates on for the first filter, so shoppers can share and restore

    3. the selected state.

  3. Set canonical and robots rules for filtered pages: decide which filtered

    4. combinations may be indexed and mark the rest noindex.

  4. Keep selected parameters visible so a shared link reopens the same result.
  5. Save and test by selecting filters, copying the URL, and reopening it in a

    6. new tab.

Expected result

Selected filters are written into the URL in the chosen mode, shared links reopen the same result, and only the filtered pages you intend are left indexable.

Limit

Do not publish broad SEO promises for every filtered combination. Base canonical, robots, noindex, and sitemap rules on the store's real taxonomy and attribute strategy, not on indexing all combinations.

  • Tutorial: Create your first WooCommerce product filter.
  • Explanation: How URL modes differ and what they mean for SEO.
  • Reference: Filter Editor — SEO & URLs.