Is Google Merchant Killing Your SEO? SRSLTID Could Be the Culprit
If you’ve noticed a sudden drop in traffic and sales, you’re not alone. Our cold-pressed juicing business experienced the same issue after two years of dominating search engines. The dip was alarming, and after some digging, we discovered the culprit: the SRSLTID query parameter, a bug in Google’s system that’s hurting small businesses.
We didn’t just face this with our own business; a couple of our clients were hit as well. Thankfully, we were able to fix it quickly, and here’s how you can do the same.
What’s SRSLTID and Why It’s a Problem
SRSLTID is a tracking string Google adds to URLs for tracking clicks through Google Merchant Center. It might seem harmless, but when these URLs show up in search results, it causes duplicate URLs, which Google isn’t a fan of. This duplication can dilute your site’s authority, leading to lower rankings and a drop in organic traffic.
How We Fixed It—And How You Can Too
Identify the Problem: Google your most important keywords, then check the URLs in the search results. If you see strange letters or numbers after the code: "SRSLTID=," your website has been hit by this bug. Don’t worry—it’s just a bug, not a penalty. If your SEO company tries to claim otherwise and charge you more, know that this is an overnight fix.
No-Index Affected Pages: We told search engines to ignore the SRSLTID URLs by adding noindex tags to those pages. For this website, we use the RankMath plugin, but the settings tend to be the same for most SEO settings.
Disallow SRSLTID in robots.txt: By updating the robots.txt file, we prevented Google from crawling and indexing these URLs in the future.
Disable Auto-Tagging in Google Merchant Center: We chose to turn off auto-tagging to stop the creation of new SRSLTID URLs. Organic SEO wipes the floor with PPC or product listings. Google might not like it, but this is about compromise. Be warned—if you’re using paid advertising for your products and Google calls you, they’ll likely try to trick you into turning it back on. Hold your ground until this bug is fixed.
Set Canonical Tags: We ensured every page pointed to the clean URL to avoid confusion.
Why This Matters
This issue is a significant bug, and it’s hitting small businesses hard. But by acting fast, you can mitigate the damage and restore your rankings. We understand the stress this can cause—trust me, I’ve been there. It’s easy to panic when your hard-earned traffic and sales suddenly drop, but don’t beat yourself up. This isn’t a reflection of your efforts; it’s a bug in Google’s system.
This situation underscores the massive difference between an SEO specialist and someone focusing on rankings. An SEO specialist understands that it’s not just about hitting the top spot—it’s about maintaining a healthy, sustainable online presence. They dig deep into what’s happening behind the scenes, tracking keywords and truly understanding your website’s performance. If you’ve been tracking your keywords and paying attention to your site’s ins and outs, you were likely able to spot this issue quickly. If not, it’s a lesson on why those practices are vital.
So, don’t be deflated. This bug is a pain, but it’s fixable. Follow the outlined steps, and you’ll be back on track quickly. Remember, it’s not about avoiding problems but knowing how to handle them when they arise. Stay proactive, keep learning, and don’t let this setback define your business..
