Session IDs in URLs
Learn what is checked in this report and how to fix any issues found
This report lists pages where session IDs have been found in the URL.
Why you should not use session IDs in URLs:
The use of session IDs in URLs - either as a dynamic or static component - can cause significant problems when search engines crawl your website.
Firstly, session IDs can cause multiple URL variants to be created that still contain the same content. This can lead to duplicate content issues.
In addition, an indexed session may be no longer valid at a later date. Instead of the expected content, an error message will be displayed (e.g. "Your session has expired"), which leads to a poor user experience.
How to fix these problems:
- Avoid using session IDs in URLs. Instead, use cookies to store session data.
- If using session IDs in the URL cannot be avoided, make sure that any URL with a session ID contains a canonical link to the one without. This will prevent duplicate content issues.
You can find more information on the correct use of session IDs in our wiki.