"?gws_rd=cr" added to the URL?

Question

When i go to www.google.co.uk, ?gws_rd=cr is automatically added to the end of the URL, why is this?

Answer 1

?gws =Google web server



rd=redirected



cr=country



It means that you've probably setted up a different language(country!) than your native one for the displayed results of a search.

For example you live in italy but you want the results of a search to be presented in english rather than in italian.



Google bases its defaut language on your ip address which correspond to the country where you live!

Answer 2

As all we know Google is trying to give the fastest service then other. So when ever you visit from a computer where the internet connection is very slow you can see ?gws_rd=cr



If you are visiting Google from the computer which has faster internet connection you never will never see ?gws_rd=cr



so what does gws_rd=cr mean?



GWS = Google Web Server

RD = Redirect

CR= Country



Please remember Google has installed the cached server in almost every country of the world. So when ever someone try to access google.com via slow connection they will automatically redirected to there respective country's Google's cache sever so you can even use google in very slow connection.



Thanks

Answer 3

For the everyday man, its nothing you should concern yourself with. Web developers aka website creators use the "?" to retrieve certain data and use that data to display the page differently or according to the details after "?"



The simplest example is, if your looking through a picture gallery website (www.pics.com, it is an actual wesbite I'm just using it as an example) with 100 different photo's and each page only displayed 20 photo's. Instead of creating 5 different pages for each set of 20 photo's what web developers can do is use what is called a parameter, something like ?page=1. Developers can read the "page" value and then based on that value can dynamically "create/modify" different displays on the fly, so in this example, the webpage "www.pics.com?page=1" will show the first set of 20 photo's, then "www.pics.com?page=2" will show the second set, "www.pics.com?page=3" the third set and so on and so on.

Answer 4

?gws_rd is having specific meaning

gws means google web server rd means to redirect.

So When it is written gws_rd=cr then it will redirect to web server other than that of US.

Simple...Smile

Answer 5

Hello...



It may be a setting in your browser, or your Internet Service provider. I just tried the URL in three separate browsers (FireFox, IE, and Google Chrome), but did not have any additional stuff appended to the URL.



Can you try it in 'other' browsers to verify?



I am in the USA.

Answer 6

The ? means that parameter(s) are being passed. In this case, gws_rd is the parameter and it is being assigned a value of cr.



There are any number of reasons that this may be happening.

Answer 7

Yo he comprado de muchas veces ordenadores en los sitios web y siempre he encontrado la mejor calidad, el ultimo ordenador es para una amiga, la verdad es que parece especial creado para ella porque tiene un disco duro con una excelente capacidad de almacenaje y va bastante rápido por su gran memoria y su buen procesador, muy buena compra sin duda.

Answer 8

gws: it means Google web server

rd: it means redirected

cr: it mean country

it means Google web server getting redirected by country. that is a country other than US.

Answer 9

Exactly what Florian F said. I cannot vote his answer as I am still level one..so I support him this way.

And I didn't give a proper answer cause that would have been indistinguishable from his.

Answer 10

I'm also getting the same thing.



I guess it's something that has been implemented recently from google.