diff --git a/src/components/IOBanner.js b/src/components/IOBanner.js
index 60e4f58d..37e688cf 100644
--- a/src/components/IOBanner.js
+++ b/src/components/IOBanner.js
@@ -6,12 +6,12 @@ import bannerOverlayLeft from '../images/io-banner/banner-style-left.svg';
 import { SearchInput } from '@newrelic/gatsby-theme-newrelic';
 import { QUICKSTARTS_COLLAPSE_BREAKPOINT } from '@data/constants';
 
-const BannerHeaderContent = ({ search, handleSearch }) => {
-  const updateSearch = (e) => {
-    const value = e.target.value;
-    handleSearch(value);
-  };
-
+const BannerHeaderContent = ({
+  search,
+  updateSearch,
+  handleSearch,
+  clearParam,
+}) => {
   return (
     <div
       css={css`
@@ -72,10 +72,11 @@ const BannerHeaderContent = ({ search, handleSearch }) => {
           value={search || ''}
           placeholder="Search"
           onClear={() => {
+            clearParam('search');
             handleSearch('');
           }}
           onSubmit={(value) => handleSearch(value)}
-          onChange={updateSearch}
+          onChange={(e) => updateSearch(e.target.value)}
           css={css`
             box-shadow: none;
             max-width: 816px;
@@ -125,7 +126,7 @@ const BannerHeaderContent = ({ search, handleSearch }) => {
   );
 };
 
-const IOBanner = ({ search, handleSearch }) => {
+const IOBanner = (props) => {
   return (
     <div
       css={css`
@@ -188,7 +189,7 @@ const IOBanner = ({ search, handleSearch }) => {
             loading="lazy"
           />
         </div>
-        <BannerHeaderContent search={search} handleSearch={handleSearch} />
+        <BannerHeaderContent {...props} />
         <div
           css={css`
             margin-left: auto;
@@ -214,10 +215,18 @@ const IOBanner = ({ search, handleSearch }) => {
   );
 };
 
+IOBanner.propTypes = {
+  search: PropTypes.string,
+  updateSearch: PropTypes.func,
+  handleSearch: PropTypes.func,
+  clearParam: PropTypes.func,
+};
+
 BannerHeaderContent.propTypes = {
   search: PropTypes.string,
+  updateSearch: PropTypes.func,
   handleSearch: PropTypes.func,
+  clearParam: PropTypes.func,
 };
-IOBanner.propTypes = { search: PropTypes.string, handleSearch: PropTypes.func };
 
 export default IOBanner;
diff --git a/src/hooks/useSearchAndCategory.jsx b/src/hooks/useSearchAndCategory.jsx
index 8950507a..5282b8a0 100644
--- a/src/hooks/useSearchAndCategory.jsx
+++ b/src/hooks/useSearchAndCategory.jsx
@@ -1,14 +1,10 @@
-import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
+import { useEffect, useCallback } from 'react';
+import { navigate } from 'gatsby';
 import { useTessen } from '@newrelic/gatsby-theme-newrelic';
-import { navigate, useLocation } from '@reach/router';
 import CATEGORIES from '@data/instant-observability-categories';
 
-const useSearchAndCategory = () => {
+const useSearchAndCategory = (setSearch, setCategory, location) => {
   const tessen = useTessen();
-  const location = useLocation();
-
-  const [search, setSearch] = useState('');
-  const [category, setCategory] = useState('');
 
   // used to update search and category values
   useEffect(() => {
@@ -17,7 +13,7 @@ const useSearchAndCategory = () => {
     const categoryParam = params.get('category');
     const validCategory = CATEGORIES.some((cat) => cat.value === categoryParam);
 
-    setSearch(searchParam);
+    setSearch(searchParam || '');
     setCategory(categoryParam && validCategory ? categoryParam : '');
     if (searchParam || categoryParam) {
       tessen.track({
@@ -27,45 +23,41 @@ const useSearchAndCategory = () => {
         quickstartCategory: categoryParam,
       });
     }
-  }, [location.search, tessen]);
+  }, [location.search, tessen, setSearch, setCategory]);
 
   /**
    * Updates search parameter from location
-   * @param {String} value to update search term
+   * @param {String} parameter to set
+   * @param {Function => void} callback function to update search term
    */
-  const handleSearch = (value) => {
-    if (value !== null && value !== undefined && value !== '') {
+  const handleParam = (param) => (value) => {
+    if (value !== null && value !== undefined) {
       const params = new URLSearchParams(location.search);
-      params.set('search', value);
 
-      navigate(`?${params.toString()}`);
-    } else {
-      const params = new URLSearchParams(location.search);
-      params.delete('search');
+      if (value === '') {
+        params.delete(param);
+      } else {
+        params.set(param, value);
+      }
 
-      navigate(location.pathname);
+      navigate(`?${params.toString()}`);
     }
   };
 
-  /**
-   * Updates category parameter from location
-   * @param {String} value to update category term
-   */
-  const handleCategory = (value) => {
-    if (value !== null && value !== undefined && value !== '') {
-      const params = new URLSearchParams(location.search);
-      params.set('category', value);
-
-      navigate(`?${params.toString()}`);
-    } else {
-      const params = new URLSearchParams(location.search);
-      params.delete('category');
-
-      navigate(location.pathname);
+  const clearParam = (param) => {
+    if (param === 'search') {
+      setSearch('');
     }
+    if (param === 'category') {
+      setCategory('');
+    }
+  };
+
+  const updateSearch = (value) => {
+    setSearch((s) => s + value);
   };
 
-  return { search, category, handleSearch, handleCategory };
+  return { handleParam, updateSearch, clearParam };
 };
 
 export default useSearchAndCategory;
diff --git a/src/pages/index.jsx b/src/pages/index.jsx
index f65d1649..56b6563c 100644
--- a/src/pages/index.jsx
+++ b/src/pages/index.jsx
@@ -80,12 +80,13 @@ const filterByCategory = (category) => {
 };
 
 const QuickstartsPage = ({ data, location }) => {
-  const {
-    search,
-    category,
-    handleCategory,
-    handleSearch,
-  } = useSearchAndCategory();
+  const [search, setSearch] = useState('');
+  const [category, setCategory] = useState('');
+  const { handleParam, clearParam } = useSearchAndCategory(
+    setSearch,
+    setCategory,
+    location
+  );
 
   const [isCategoriesOverlayOpen, setIsCategoriesOverlayOpen] = useState(false);
   // variable to check if the page load completed
@@ -277,7 +278,14 @@ const QuickstartsPage = ({ data, location }) => {
         location={location}
         type="quickstarts"
       />
-      handleSearch && <IOBanner search={search} handleSearch={handleSearch} />
+      {handleParam && (
+        <IOBanner
+          handleSearch={handleParam('search')}
+          clearParam={clearParam}
+          updateSearch={setSearch}
+          search={search}
+        />
+      )}
       <div
         css={css`
           --sidebar-width: 300px;
@@ -357,7 +365,7 @@ const QuickstartsPage = ({ data, location }) => {
                   key={value}
                   disabled={count === 0}
                   variant={Button.VARIANT.PRIMARY}
-                  onClick={() => handleCategory(value)}
+                  onClick={() => handleParam('category')(value)}
                   css={css`
                     padding: 8px 12px;
                     font-family: 'Söhne-Leicht';
@@ -527,7 +535,7 @@ const QuickstartsPage = ({ data, location }) => {
             </Overlay>
           </div>
 
-          {Boolean(category) && Boolean(!search) && (
+          {!category && !search && (
             <>
               {mostPopularQuickStarts.length > 0 && (
                 <>