SEO-Friendly Faceted Navigation in Magento 2: Keep URLs Clean and Scalable with Hyvä + ElasticSuite

1. The SEO Problem with Faceted Navigation

Faceted navigation dynamically creates multiple URL variations whenever users apply filters. For example, a user filtering by color, size, and price can generate dozens of parameterized URLs like:

/women/tops.html?color=red&size=m&price=50-100

Search engines may see each URL as a separate page, resulting in duplicate content and wasted crawl budget. On stores with ElasticSuite, this problem is amplified due to the number of filter combinations available.

Without optimization, your layered navigation could produce millions of URLs that are never meant to be indexed.

2. How Canonicals and Index Control Help

To keep faceted navigation SEO-safe, developers should rely on a combination of canonical tags, noindex rules, and clean URL structures. Canonical tags help search engines understand the “main” version of a page, preventing duplication, while clean URLs improve crawl efficiency.

For example:

• Canonicalize all filtered pages back to their parent category.
• Use noindex, follow for combinations that don’t add unique value.
• Generate human-readable URLs that don’t rely on parameters.
• Avoid indexation of deep filter chains with more than 2 active filters.

These methods keep search engines focused on valuable, high-intent pages while maintaining usability for shoppers.

3. How qoliber Pretty Filter URLs Solves It

The qoliber Pretty Filter URLs module automatically generates short, crawlable URLs for any filter combination, replacing long query strings with structured, SEO-friendly slugs.

Example:

/women/tops/red/m.html

• 8 unique URL schemas available for maximum flexibility.
• Handles billions of filter combinations without performance loss.
• Fully compatible with ElasticSuite’s layered navigation.
• Implements automatic canonical tags for filtered pages.
• Works natively with Hyvä templates, no JS overhead.

This ensures that each filter combination is both user-friendly and SEO-optimized without the risk of duplication or performance degradation.

4. Hyvä + ElasticSuite Compatibility

The module is built and tested for full compatibility with Hyvä and ElasticSuite. Unlike other layered navigation solutions, qoliber Pretty Filter URLs doesn’t inject extra JavaScript or modify frontend logic. Instead, it operates server-side to render optimized URLs instantly.

This means:

• No impact on Core Web Vitals or page rendering.
• Native support for Tailwind and AlpineJS-based Hyvä templates.
• Seamless integration with existing ElasticSuite search filters.
• Compatible with multi-store and multi-language environments.

5. Best Practices for Filtered URL SEO

To maximize SEO benefits while keeping your store scalable, follow these best practices:

• Limit the number of filters indexed to those that represent unique search intent (e.g., color, category, price range).
• Always use canonical tags to prevent duplication.
• Monitor filtered URL indexing in Google Search Console.
• Submit XML sitemaps only for high-value filter pages.
• Combine Pretty Filter URLs with SEO Complete Suite for advanced tag management and automation.

6. FAQ – SEO-Friendly Faceted Navigation

7. Conclusion

Managing SEO for faceted navigation is a challenge every Magento 2 developer faces. With qoliber Pretty Filter URLs, you can maintain short, readable, and canonical URLs without sacrificing performance or scalability. The result: faster crawling, higher rankings, and better user experience - all fully compatible with Hyvä and ElasticSuite.

Explore more Hyvä-ready SEO modules in the qoliber Magento 2 extensions library and start optimizing your store’s search and navigation today.