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We’re looking for a Technical SEO expert to consult on a crawl budget and indexing issue tied to parameter pages on a large e-commerce website (hundreds of thousands of URLs). Recently, we made changes to how parameter pages are handled—removing and re-adding a Disallow /*? directive in robots.txt—which led to a significant spike in both "Indexed" and "Discovered, not indexed" URLs in Google Search Console. We’re now trying to clean up the issue without negatively affecting crawl efficiency or rankings. Project Context: Site: Large e-commerce site with 100k+ parameterized URLs (e.g., ?sort=, ?brand=, etc.). Goal: Ensure parameter pages are not indexed while minimizing crawl waste and preserving organic performance Current setup: - Canonical tags are in place on parameter pages - Disallow directive has been toggled a few times, creating instability in indexing - Noindex tags have not been implemented yet What We Need From You: A clear, strategic recommendation on the best long-term handling of parameter pages (noindex vs canonical vs robots.txt). Guidance on crawl budget optimization based on GSC and potential log file analysis. Overall breakdown Ideal Experience: - Deep understanding of crawl budget management at scale - Experience working with large e-commerce sites with parameter-heavy URL structures - Ability to interpret and advise based on Google Search Console crawl stats and indexing reports - Familiarity with canonicalization, noindex directives, and robots.txt best practices Bonus: Experience analyzing server logs (we can help provide access if needed) Open to hourly or fixed rate pricing