Any URL that contains a # character is a fragment URL. The portion of the URL to the left of the # identifies a resource that can be downloaded by a browser and the portion on the right, known as the fragment identifier, specifies a location within the resource.
What is a Fragment URL?
When a URL includes a # (for example https://example.com/page#section2), the browser first loads the main document located at https://example.com/page, then scrolls (or jumps) to the internal location marked by section2. That “section2” is a fragment identifier, and together #section2 forms the fragment portion of the URL. (Your current page says: “Any URL that contains a # character is a fragment URL. The portion … to the right … specifies a location within the resource.”)
Fragment identifiers don’t affect which page is loaded; they only change which part of the page is shown once it’s open. Because of that, fragment URLs are especially useful for single page sites, long documents, or content with sections (e.g. FAQs, table of contents). They let users—and search engines in some contexts—jump directly to relevant content.
In SEO and content linking, fragment URLs can help with usability (linking people to exact parts) and user experience (reducing manual scrolling). However, search engines generally treat the page as a whole and may ignore the fragment part for indexing. Fragments are not usually considered separate pages or versions by crawlers.
A subtle caveat: if you use client-side routing or JavaScript-driven SPAs (single-page applications), fragment URLs or hashbangs (e.g. #!/) may require special handling so search engines interpret them correctly (using techniques like history API, canonical tags, or pre-rendering).
No. That fragment is handled client-side in the browser. The server only receives the URL up to (and excluding) the #.
Yes. Many websites use fragment links (anchors) for things like “Jump to FAQ,” “Back to top,” or internal section navigation.
Usually not. Because the content is the same page, search engines treat them as the same URL without the fragment. The fragment is not considered a separate page.