Google URL Bracket Bug: What Small Businesses Need to Know

What Happened

Google Search recently encountered a technical hiccup when processing URLs containing square brackets ( [ ] ). These characters frequently appear in e‑commerce filters, API calls, and dynamic page parameters. The problem arises when Google’s crawlers mis‑handle encoded brackets, treating them as distinct URLs and potentially generating duplicate content or broken links. Senior Google Search representative John Mueller confirmed this is an "internal" issue that has persisted for "10+ years," though other crawlers might still be affected.

The glitch is particularly relevant for small businesses that rely on clean, canonical URLs to avoid duplicate content penalties. If Google indexes two versions of the same page—one with raw brackets and one with percent‑encoded brackets—it can split link equity and dilute rankings. Consequently, local brands face a lower chance of appearing in the coveted 3‑pack or being cited by AI assistants like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, or Google’s own AI tools.

Key Details

• The issue involves URLs that include square brackets, such as https://example.com/products?category[price]=10-20.
• Google’s internal crawler sometimes treats raw brackets and the encoded %5B%5D as distinct URLs.
• The problem is older but still present in some edge cases, especially for third‑party crawlers or when URLs are generated by legacy systems.
• John Mueller advises checking the URLs you care about and ensuring they are canonicalized properly.

What It Means For Your Business

1. Canonicalization Matters: Ensure your site’s canonical tags point to the cleanest URL version. If you have filter URLs, consider redirecting or using the "noindex" tag on duplicate parameter pages.

2. URL Encoding Consistency: Use consistent encoding across your site. If you choose to use brackets, encode them in all internal links; if you prefer clean URLs, avoid them altogether.

3. Audit Your Links: Run a quick audit with tools like Screaming Frog or VisibilityAI’s link crawler to spot any duplicate URLs caused by bracket handling.

4. Monitor Search Console: Keep an eye on "Duplicate Titles" and "Duplicate URLs" reports. Fix any issues to preserve link equity.

5. AI Assistant Citations: AI models like ChatGPT rely on the indexed URLs they find. Duplicate or broken URLs can lead to inaccurate citations, hurting your local visibility.

The Bottom Line: Even a small syntax issue can ripple across your SEO performance. By proactively cleaning up bracketed URLs, you keep your site’s authority intact and improve the chances of being referenced accurately by AI tools.

Why It Matters

For businesses that depend on local search visibility, every link counts. If Google treats two versions of a page as separate, link equity is divided, making it harder to climb rankings and appear in the local 3‑pack. AI assistants like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI rely on the URLs they index to provide answers. Duplicate or broken URLs can lead to inaccurate citations, which means your business might be omitted from AI-generated local listings or shown with incomplete information. Ensuring clean, canonical URLs guarantees that both human searchers and AI tools see the same, authoritative page, boosting your credibility and discoverability.