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Writer's pictureBrent D. Payne

URL contains a form with a GET method

The web address identified features a form set to use the GET method.


Why is this important?

Forms submitted using GET append the data input to the URL, like so: example.com/retrieve.php?parameter1=value1&parameter2=value2

This can negatively impact SEO for the following reasons:

  • Such URLs can be stored in cache and visited by anyone with the link, which includes web crawlers used by search engines.

  • Lack of input limitations may lead to the creation of countless unique web addresses.

If either issue escalates, or if an external entity manipulates this, crawl efficiency and index bloating could become problems.


What does the optimization check?

This optimization will become active for any internal URL incorporating a

tag with the GET method.


Examples that trigger this optimization:

<form method="GET" action="/submission.php">...</form>


Why is this optimization marked 'Potential Issue'?

This optimization is a 'Potential Issue' because while it may not be impacting your site now, it's a condition worth examining to prevent future complications.

In some cases, using GET is intentional, such as when creating shareable URLs independent of form submissions. In these scenarios, you might want to stop search engines from indexing the form URL with a robots.txt file.


If unintended, it's advisable to change the form method to POST to prevent these issues.

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