Redirecting Query String Parameters for a Better Website

Website managers and users alike are no strangers to query string parameters, which are an essential part of a URL. However, they may not know what to do when a query string looks something like this: page.html?source=google&id=123. Not only does this appear messy, but it can create complications for navigation, SEO, and overall user experience. Luckily, there are techniques to redirect these URLs to clearer structures.
This guide will show you how to correctly handle query string parameters with URL redirects to ensure seamless navigation and avoid potential issues.
What are query string parameters?
Query string parameters are additional pieces of data added to the end of a URL. They begin with a question mark (?) and allow you to pass variables and values into a webpage. For example in this URL:
example.com/page?color=blue&size=large.
The “color=blue” and “size=large” are query string parameters that pass data to the page. The page can then use this data to customize the display, pulling the color and size values from the source URL.
Query strings are commonly used for search filters, personalization, tracking, and more. They enable dynamic interactions without having to create separate pages.

Use cases for URL redirects with query string parameters
There are a few unique use cases for redirecting URLs with query string parameters. They include:
Campaign tracking
Say you are running a paid advertising campaign on a separate domain. In this case, redirecting the URLs with campaign tracking parameters (such as utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign) allows you to preserve the campaign attribution when users click through to your main website.
This ensures you properly track traffic sources and analyze campaign performance in analytics tools (i.e. Google Analytics). It also preserves the user experience.
URL cleanup
If you change your site’s URLs, redirecting old query string links to new clean URLs improves the user experience. For example, you might change: “page.html?id=about” => “about-us”. This makes for a simpler URL that users can easily understand.
Testing parameters
When running A/B tests, it’s common to add extra parameters to identify the traffic source and user actions. After the testing is complete, you may want to redirect to a clean URL. This will remove those temporary query parameters while still tracking the traffic source.
Required parameters
If a page needs specific query parameters to function properly, you can redirect URLs that lack them. For example, you might redirect “products” to “products?category=new”. This will automatically lead website visitors to the “new” category.
Changing parameter structure
URL redirects allow you to alter the structure of query parameters, like changing “id” to “product_id”.
In all of these use cases, the goal of redirecting URLs with query string parameters is to avoid broken links and send users to the right page with the expected results.

Using .htaccess redirects
The most common way to perform a URL redirect with query string parameters on an Apache server is by using .htaccess files. .htaccess provides a simple redirect syntax:
Redirect /old-url /new-url
After the directive “Redirect” you can specify an HTTP status code. Without specifying an HTTP status code, the redirect defaults to a 302 redirect. So, to create a 301 redirect, you can use the following syntax: Redirect 301 /old-url /new-url
How to redirect URLs with query string parameters using .htaccess
For URLs with query strings, you can redirect based on parameter matches. For example:
Redirect 301 /page.html?id=about&type=old /about-us
Redirects any “/page.html” URL with the query string parameters “id=about” and “type=old.” The URL can contain additional query string parameters as well. As long as it contains these two query string parameters, the page will be redirected to the defined redirect page “/about-us.”
When using .htaccess redirects, keep in mind:
- Use the full URLs including the domain, not just local page paths.
- 301 redirects are permanent, 302 redirects are temporary.
- Additional parameters can be passed through or appended to the new URL.
- Test carefully, as redirects can cause infinite loops if configured incorrectly.
For complex redirect configurations, consult your support team to ensure everything is set up correctly.
Regular expression matching
For more complex redirect scenarios, regular expressions can be used to precisely match and manipulate query string patterns and query params with the RedirectMatch directive. For example:
RedirectMatch 301 “(.).docx$” “$1.html”*
This would redirect all Word documents with a .docx file type to HTML pages with the same name.
The key difference between RedirectMatch and Redirect is that RedirectMatch utilizes regex for pattern matching. It also supports back-references like $1 and $2 to capture groups from the regex pattern and insert them into the new redirect URL. For example:
RedirectMatch 301 “/file=(.)” “/new-file?id=$1”*
This captures the file parameter value to reuse in the redirected URL. You can use multiple capture groups and backreferences sequentially—(group1) (group2)—referred to as $1, $2.
With strategic regex, you can flexibly match legacy URL patterns and programmatically generate cleaner redirected URLs.
Is there an easier way to redirect URLs with query string parameters?
As we’ve seen, redirecting URLs with query string parameters requires carefully crafted .htaccess rules and regex expressions. For most websites, implementing these redirects properly is crucial for a smooth user experience. However, managing complex redirects can become cumbersome over time.
This is where services like SiteDetour can help. SiteDetour can manage query param based redirection rules efficiently. SiteDetour provides a user-friendly platform for hosting and managing redirects at scale. With SiteDetour, you can:
- Seamlessly create query parameter-based redirection rules through an intuitive interface.
- Automatically enable SSL certificates for your redirects.
- Access real-time traffic analytics to monitor redirect performance.
- Integrate redirects through the developer API.
Rather than struggle with DIY redirect solutions, leverage SiteDetour to offload the redirect hosting burden. Our reliable infrastructure and query string rule support makes redirect management simple. Try SiteDetour for free to see how a complete redirect solution can improve your website.
Similar Articles
Ready To Manage Your Links More Effectively?
Our team is ready to help you manage your links more efficiently so you can get back to what it is you do best!