how to remove extra characters from homepage URL?

Shopify Discussion

Topic summary

A Shopify store owner noticed their homepage URL includes an extra parameter (?srsltid=AfmBO...) when accessed through Google search, instead of displaying the clean domain www.knitinprogress.com.

What’s happening:

  • The srsltid parameter is a tracking identifier automatically added by Google Search or referral sources
  • It doesn’t change the actual domain—just appears in the URL bar when users click through from search results
  • This is standard behavior for tracking analytics and click events

Proposed solution:
One user provided a JavaScript code snippet to automatically remove tracking parameters:

  • Navigate to: Online Store > Themes > Actions > Edit Code
  • Open theme.liquid and add the script inside the <head> tag
  • The code uses window.history.replaceState() to clean the URL on page load

Additional notes:

  • If using Google Ads, auto-tagging can be disabled in settings (though this removes tracking data)
  • Requesting re-indexing in Google Search Console may help clean up search result URLs

The issue is cosmetic and primarily affects user-facing URLs rather than site functionality.

Summarized with AI on October 31. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

Hi guys!

For some reason there are added characters to my homepage / domain.. I want to remove them but don’t know where to start or how it happened in the first place. Can anyone help?

When go through google search to my homepage the url says

https://knitinprogress.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqai5RwXQuUzWrUQa-gMRCos-4VBKANhVll-iA9zT8wjq7Nk1r-

How can I change back to my domain which is www.knitinprogress.com ?

Thanks!!

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2

I don’t believe that is something you cant change.

Here’s what it means, srsltid is likely a tracking parameter, possibly generated by Google Search or another service to track the referral source. The long alphanumeric string is a unique identifier that helps identify a specific search session or click event.

It is usually harmless but primarily used for tracking and analytics.

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3

The ?srsltid=AfmBO… part in your URL is a tracking parameter added by Google or other referral sources. It doesn’t actually change your website’s real domain—your site is still **www.knitinprogress.com** but it appears in the URL when users click through from certain search results, ads, or external sources.

Hope this can help you:

You can force Shopify to remove tracking parameters when users land on your site:

  • Go to Online Store > Themes > Actions > Edit Code

  • Open theme.liquid

  • Add this snippet inside the tag:

    And if you’re using Google Ads, tracking parameters might be added for performance tracking. You can disable auto-tagging in Google Ads settings (but only if you don’t need tracking data).

    If your Google search results keep showing the messy URL, try requesting re-indexing in Google Search Console.

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4

Hi @nmyw

This is the tracking ID and is created automatically when you open the store URL from outside

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