Stop Sellerdeck adding '#SID=28' to product page names

[graphicz]

We need to Stop Sellerdeck adding '#SID=28' to product page names

Client has recently taken significant SEO hits due to Sellerdeck adding '#SID=28' to product page names.

He is being radically penalised for duplicate page content as both

https://domainname.co.uk/acatalog/productname.html#SID=28

and

https://domainname.co.uk/acatalog/productname.html

are present.

How can we stop Sellerdeck doing this antiquated thing?

Stop adding #SID!

[mje]

Bugged me for ages, also the product code appearing there. Also I have used ( ) brackets and / forward slashes in some of my product short descriptions, the resulting URL is horrendous.

One of mine

General - short description - replacement ph probe for hm hydromaster 100 (sp-p5)

Product Page / Page Settings / Page name it auto fills to - replacement-ph-probe-for-hm-hydromaster-100--sp-p5--SP-P5.html

Published page shows this - https : //www.devotedly-discus.co.uk/acatalog/replacement-ph-probe-for-hm-hydromaster-100--sp-p5--SP-P5.html#SID=250

I edit Product Page / Page Settings / Page name to - replacement-ph-probe-for-hm-hydromaster-100-sp-p5.html

I end up with this at the top of published page https : //www.devotedly-discus.co.uk/acatalog/replacement-ph-probe-for-hm-hydromaster-100-sp-p5.html#SID=250

So I can get rid of the – that the bracket creates in the short description and the product code, but SID remains - my site is small, so I can work my way through it, but it's a lot of work.

Is there a simple way to exclude the product code from the URL ? Or does it not matter ?

[graphicz]

Sellerdeck Support say the following:

Thanks for contacting SellerDeck software support.

"Client has recently taken significant SEO hits due to Sellerdeck adding '#SID=28' to product page names."

Google will ignore the ‘#SID’ but it will still index the page URL without the #SID.

The ‘#SID’ is an aid to the page, it does not determine content.

The ‘#SID’ parameter has been present for many years and no other merchant has reported problems regarding Google indexing such URLs.

If Google were to index anything other than the raw page name, then most sites using any dynamic method/software would fail to be indexed correctly.

Kind regards,
Technical Support | SellerDeck

[EdHarrison]

Yes I contacted them ages ago when this started and they said similar, no relevance but I always thought it wasn't ideal.

[EdHarrison]

Yes, having #sid (or similar session ID parameters) in URLs can be detrimental to SEO. These parameters create duplicate content issues, as search engines may treat each unique session ID as a separate page, even if the content is identical. This can dilute the value of your content and make it harder for search engines to understand which version of a page is most relevant.
Here's why session IDs in URLs are problematic for SEO:

• Duplicate Content:
  Session IDs generate unique URLs for each user session, even though the actual page content remains the same. This leads to duplicate content issues, as search engines may not know which URL to index and rank.
• Diluted Link Equity:
  Each unique URL with a session ID receives a portion of the link equity (ranking power) from backlinks, instead of the main URL. This can weaken the overall SEO of the site.
• Crawling Issues:
  Search engines might waste crawling resources on crawling these redundant URLs, potentially impacting the crawl budget of your site.
• Difficulty in Ranking:
  With multiple URLs pointing to the same content, search engines may struggle to determine which URL to rank for relevant keywords.
• User Confusion:
  Session IDs in URLs can also confuse users, making the site appear less trustworthy or user-friendly.

Solutions:

• Use Cookies: Instead of session IDs in URLs, use cookies to manage user sessions.
• Robots.txt: Block URLs with session IDs from being crawled using a robots.txt file.
• Canonical Tags: Implement canonical tags to tell search engines which URL is the preferred version for indexing.
• URL Parameters in Google Search Console: Configure URL parameters in Google Search Console to help search engines understand how to handle them, according to Google for Developers.
• Clean URLs: Focus on creating clean, user-friendly URLs without unnecessary parameters.

By avoiding session IDs in URLs and implementing proper URL management strategies, you can improve your site's SEO performance and user experience.

*So if there is a fix I'd be very interested other than being advised to go to EKM!

[graphicz]

That is really good Ed. Is it your piece or is it referenced from somewhere?
Thank you.

[EdHarrison]

Taken from Google Search, the AI generated top result. Clearly it would be beneficial to fix despite SD saying otherwise.

Search term used

#sid in url bad for seo

[graphicz]

Thank you Ed. I will quote if I may.

[Buzby]

With every new issue cropping up, it is hard not to feel that we are dealing with software in its twilight years. Add in the fact that some of the best support and plugin developers are stepping away, and it is making things tougher. I have been testing out another platform lately to see if it is a real alternative, and I am liking it more and more each day. Let’s just say I am being “Wooed” by something newer.

[EdHarrison]

Thank you Ed. I will quote if I may.

Absolutely, be great if there is a solution

[graphicz]

Look what my new best friend ChatGPT came up with:

Removing #SID=... from Sellerdeck Product URLs

Internal Tech Note | June 2025

---

Background


Older versions of Sellerdeck Desktop automatically append session IDs to product URLs using a hash fragment:


bash

Copy

Edit


https://domain.co.uk/acatalog/productname.html#SID=28

❓ Client Concerns


Clients have asked:

• Does #SID=28 harm SEO?
• Can it be removed for cleaner URLs?

---

#SID=28 is a fragment identifier, not a query string.

Google ignores URL fragments during crawling and indexing.

It has no impact on SEO, duplicate content, or ranking.


Conclusion: It’s 100% safe to remove #SID=... from URLs.

---

Goal


Remove #SID=... fragments:

1. From the visible page URL (after load)
2. From all <a href="..."> links across the page

---

Drop-In JavaScript Solution

Insert this minified script just before </body> in your Sellerdeck layout:



html

Copy

Edit


<script> !function(){function e(e){return e.replace(/#SID=\d+/g,"")}if(window.location.pathname.endsWith(".html")){window.location.hash&&window.location.hash.startsWith("#SID=")&&history.replaceState(null,"",window.location.pathname+window.location.search),document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var t=document.getElementsByTagName("a"),n=0;n<t.length;n++){var r=t[n];r.hash&&r.hash.startsWith("#SID=")&&(r.href=e(r.href))}})}}(); </script>

---

Instructions

Where to place:

• Go to:
  Design → Library → Layouts → Overall Layout (or Act_Section / Act_Primary)
• Paste the script at the bottom, just before </body>

Optional:

• Only add to Product Page Layout if you want more targeted control.

---

Result

• #SID=... is removed from the address bar
• All <a href="..."> links are cleaned
• No reloads, no cart/checkout interference
• Works only on .html pages to avoid breaking scripts

---

Example Before & After

Address Bar	/acatalog/my-product.html#SID=28	/acatalog/my-product.html
Link	<a href="product.html#SID=12">	<a href="product.html">

---

✅ Safe, Reversible, and SEO-Friendly


You can always remove this script later. It does not interfere with Sellerdeck server logic, cookies, or checkout processes.

[graphicz]

Attached is the entire transcript of the Chat: Remove-SID-ChatGPT.pdf

[EdHarrison]

Amazing, has it been tested yet?

[mje]

Amazing, has it been tested yet?

I've done it ...seems OK

[EdHarrison]

Ok, can anyone be ultra specific where to put this as I often get these things slightly wrong!

I'm using 18.12 swift if that is relevant

I'm wondering if this is the culprit for the thousands of grey unindexed pages in search console.

Thank you