Are Google’s organic search listings now attributing traffic to Shopping unintentionally? Recent discussions highlight concerns about Google’s new srsltid= parameter that is Search Result Source Listing ID affecting organic search attribution. Since August 2024, site owners noticed that Google has been appending the srsltid= parameter to organic listings, sparking debate around its impact on SEO and organic traffic analytics.
What is the srsltid= Parameter?
The srsltid= parameter was first noted in Google Merchant Center listings in 2022, when Barry Schwartz observed it on listings with auto-tagging enabled. This parameter was designed to ensure proper attribution for Google Shopping clicks, helping ecommerce merchants track traffic specifically from product listings.
However, as of August 2024, this parameter is now being appended not only to Shopping tags but also to organic search results, leading to questions about whether organic traffic might be misattributed to Google Shopping.
Google’s Response and Industry Reaction
Google’s John Mueller addressed concerns regarding the srsltid= parameter in a LinkedIn post, aiming to clarify its purpose. While his explanation initially put some minds at ease, many SEO professionals, including myself, feel this change warrants deeper analysis due to its potential implications.
Here’s why this parameter shift might pose an issue for SEO and analytics accuracy:
1. Organic Search vs. Google Shopping: Different Purposes
Organic search and Google Shopping serve fundamentally different user intents. Users have historically turned to Google organic search for information across a wide array of topics, whereas Google Shopping specifically caters to finding products and making purchases. The algorithms, intent, and data sources for these two functions are distinct.
- Google organic search indexes and categorizes content from across the web, focusing on delivering a broad spectrum of information.
- Google Shopping, on the other hand, pulls exclusively from merchant product feeds to display items for purchase.
Blurring these boundaries can confuse attribution metrics. Organic search results that show ecommerce products in universal search are now tagged with the srsltid= parameter, potentially misleading analytics systems into attributing this organic traffic as Shopping traffic.
2. SEO Impact of the srsltid= Parameter on Attribution
For SEO specialists, accurate attribution is critical for understanding traffic sources, especially when evaluating organic search performance. With the srsltid= parameter added to organic listings, there’s concern that organic traffic metrics may become intertwined with Shopping attribution, complicating the data insights.
This parameter might also affect SEO metrics by skewing reporting data, especially if clicks on organic listings are mistakenly counted as Shopping clicks. For SEOs and site owners, this means that SEO strategies may require adjustments to account for potential discrepancies in traffic attribution.
3. Tracking Unique Parameters and SEO Complexity
The srsltid= parameter creates a unique identifier for every search impression, resulting in a new parameter appended with each page refresh on the SERP. While this tracking mechanism may offer insights for Google Shopping, it introduces complexity and inconsistencies for SEO professionals who rely on organic traffic data.
This constant parameter generation could interfere with organic analytics tracking by creating “new” links for every search impression, complicating data analysis and skewing attribution accuracy.
Why SEOs Should Watch This Development
The addition of srsltid= to organic listings challenges how we traditionally interpret SEO analytics. SEOs who focus on data accuracy and user behavior analysis may need to adjust how they measure and attribute organic traffic. Here are key steps to consider:
- Monitor Google Analytics: Watch for any fluctuations in organic traffic that might correlate with Shopping traffic metrics.
- Adjust SEO Reporting: Consider segmenting organic and Shopping traffic in reports to better understand traffic trends.
- Stay Updated: As more information emerges, it will be essential to follow updates from Google’s Search Relations team on potential fixes or adjustments.
What’s Next?
The U.S. DOJ’s antitrust actions may shed more light on Google’s practices regarding organic search and Shopping attribution. For now, SEOs should stay tuned for updates from Google in December 2024. As we move forward, adaptation will be key in responding to these evolving SEO challenges.
Google’s srsltid= Parameter: Misattribution and SEO Challenges
Google’s addition of the srsltid= parameter to organic URLs raises concerns about SEO misattribution and how this change affects organic search. Here’s a breakdown of the key issues SEO professionals and e-commerce sites face due to this update:
3. How Google Overlooked Organic Search Usage Patterns
For most e-commerce sites, sharing links is straightforward: a user goes to Google, searches for a product, clicks on a result, and copies the URL from the address bar. However, with the srsltid= parameter now appended to these URLs, users unknowingly share links with this tag attached, leading to incorrect attribution to Google Shopping. This is not just an isolated problem; it’s widespread across social media platforms like Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), where URLs with this parameter are becoming increasingly common.
As time passes, these URLs will further flood the internet, compounding SEO misattribution and causing traffic from organic search to appear as Shopping traffic.
4. Contradictory to Google’s Own SEO Best Practices
Google has long advised SEOs to avoid session-specific IDs and irrelevant parameters in URLs. According to Google, these parameters create “unnecessarily high numbers of URLs pointing to identical content.” Yet, Google Merchant Center has now embedded the srsltid= parameter in every organic result, leading to a proliferation of URL variations that Googlebot must crawl, index, and process.
While John Mueller has assured that the srsltid= parameter won’t affect indexing or ranking, the impact on crawling remains a concern. Excessive URL variations may create an unnecessary load, and canonical tags may not fully consolidate PageRank, affecting SEO hygiene and ranking performance.
5. The rel=canonical Tag Is Now Less Effective
The rel=canonical tag was designed to prevent multiple URL variations from appearing in search results. By dynamically generating URLs with the srsltid= parameter, Google effectively defeats the purpose of canonical tags in organic search. This goes against the principles of SEO, where the rel=canonical tag is meant to point to a single, authoritative URL, minimizing duplicate content and maintaining ranking strength.
6. Can Auto-Tagging Be Turned Off?
Turning off auto-tagging in Google Merchant Center seems like a simple solution. However, John Mueller’s advice on this is contradictory. He suggests that “auto-tagging is useful,” yet Google’s documentation lists auto-tagging as a requirement for certain integrations, creating confusion. Moreover, Google’s documentation for manual tagging includes disclaimers that it doesn’t apply to GA4, making it challenging for SEO teams to implement effective workarounds.
For SEOs, advising teams to disable auto-tagging without a clear alternative is risky, especially as Google Analytics 4 (GA4) lacks comprehensive support for manual tagging.
Key Takeaways for SEO Professionals
The srsltid= parameter presents significant attribution challenges for SEO and organic traffic tracking. Here’s what SEOs can do to adapt:
- Monitor Traffic Attribution: Regularly check your Google Analytics and attribution reports to identify potential misattributions to Google Shopping.
- Communicate with Teams: Ensure your marketing and e-commerce teams are aware of the implications of sharing URLs with the srsltid= parameter.
- Explore Solutions: Consider implementing URL filtering in analytics tools to minimize the impact of the srsltid= parameter.
The addition of srsltid= parameters to organic URLs reflects a potential misstep in Google’s approach to organic search and e-commerce attribution. SEOs will need to stay proactive, monitor traffic trends closely, and push for solutions that minimize misattribution while preserving the integrity of organic search data.
Google’s srsltid= Parameter: Eroding the Sanctity of Organic Listings
The srsltid= parameter in Google’s organic listings disrupts a long-standing SEO principle: that organic search results are independent and unaffected by other departments within Google. This shift represents a significant deviation from Google’s historical stance on preserving the purity of its organic search.
6. Compromising the Independence of Organic Listings
Google’s organic search team once operated independently, separate from Google’s paid advertising and other business functions. This separation has long been a defining feature, contributing to Google’s success in the search engine market by maintaining user trust. Now, with the srsltid= parameter appearing in organic search links, this independence seems compromised. For the first time, another department—Google Shopping—is influencing organic listings by injecting a tracking parameter meant for Shopping analytics.
This change could signal a shift in Google’s focus, impacting user experience and SEO professionals who rely on clear, untagged organic search data. For SEOs, preserving the integrity of organic traffic is essential, and changes like these risk blurring the lines between paid and organic performance.
Suggested Fix for Google
The solution is straightforward: limit the srsltid= parameter to Google Shopping listings only. Google’s gclid= parameter for paid search serves as a model—keeping it confined to ads and away from organic search. Similarly, Google Shopping can leverage the srsltid= parameter solely in product listings within Shopping-specific sections and universal search results, preserving the sanctity of organic links.
While the Shopping team may have strong incentives to analyze product performance across various Google services, injecting tags into organic links undermines the platform’s credibility. Instead, organic search links should remain neutral, treated no differently than those from other search engines or platforms like Bing, X (Twitter), Facebook, or ChatGPT.
What SEOs and Site Managers Can Do Next
If you notice the srsltid= parameter in your site’s inbound links, consider these actions:
- Turn Off Auto-Tagging: In Google Merchant Center, disable auto-tagging to prevent the parameter from affecting organic traffic data.
- Manually Tag with Google’s Campaign URL Builder: For GA4, use Google’s Campaign URL Builder to create custom tags for your products. Submit these tagged URLs in your product feed for Google Shopping rather than relying on auto-tagging.
- Monitor for Updates: Keep an eye on the SEO community and Google announcements. With enough attention, Google may address these concerns and restore clarity in organic search data.
Final Thoughts
Google’s srsltid= parameter in organic listings challenges long-standing principles of organic search neutrality and transparency. Until changes are made, SEO professionals must adapt and safeguard their analytics data to avoid misattribution and ensure that organic traffic remains clean and reliable.