URLs with Tracking Parameters - potential duplicate content issue?

[at2000]

Hi,

We would like to track user clicks on featured widgets URLs (we've got a few featured URLs on most pages).
It means that previously known to Google URLs like /blue-widget-123.html will be rewritten to something like this:
/blue-widget-123.html?ac=123_bw&aps=123_bw&apsp_n=WidgetSearch&apsp_s=Main

Here params apsp_n and apsp_s will be different depending on the page featured URL is displayed on.

The important question is - can we be sure it will not trigger any penalty due to duplicated content or anything else like lots of content at once despite the same very content? Is this possible to specify normal non-rewritten version of URL in sitemap? Is this possible to check user agent and turn off rewriting for SE bots (can potentially look as cloaking?)?

May be somebody has had some experience with this (hopefully positive :))?

Thank you very much in advance.

[Receptional Andy]

IMO, a better approach is to use javascript to track these clicks, since that doesn't require any additional URL parameters, and is pretty reliable these days. In any case, you are wise to avoid exposing unhelpful URLs to indexing.

Your other options include:

- Exclude the URLs with the extra parameters via robots exclusion
- Nofollow the links
- Permanently redirect the tracking URLs (while recording the click prior to the redirect)
- Cloak the links so search engines don't see them

There are pros and cons of each of these, but as I mentioned I prefer javascript-based mechanisms for click-tracking. Otherwise, I would use
permanent redirection since I believe this to be the "cleanest".

[at2000]

Thank you Receptional Andy.

Using javascript (as well as robots exclusion and nofollow) will not allow Google and other SEs follow the links, but having tracking and at the same time good URLs from SEO perspective is very desirable.

Permanent redirect seems to be the best approach at the moment.

Also, I thought this should work:
<a href="/widget.html" onlick="javascript:alarm('Clicked')">Click here</a>
but it doesn't - javascript doesn't get invoked.

May be there is a way to use javascript and have nice looking "follow" URLs?

Thank you!

[edited by: Robert_Charlton at 10:38 pm (utc) on Jan. 5, 2009]
[edit reason] typo [/edit]

[at2000]

Sorry, I was using alarm in my code and accidentally put it here.

This is working: <a href="/widget.html" onlick="alert('Clicked')">Click here</a>