diff --git a/src/__tests__/store.js b/src/__tests__/store.js
index 08452b269..f9b453872 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/store.js
+++ b/src/__tests__/store.js
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ import {
   createFromAlgoliaCredentials,
   createFromAlgoliaClient,
   Store,
+  HIGHLIGHT_PRE_TAG,
+  HIGHLIGHT_POST_TAG,
 } from '../store';
 
 const createStore = () => {
@@ -76,11 +78,11 @@ describe('Store', () => {
     );
   });
 
-  test('should use "em" as default highlighting tag', () => {
+  test('should default highlighting tags should be undefined', () => {
     const store = createStore();
 
-    expect(store.highlightPreTag).toEqual('<em>');
-    expect(store.highlightPostTag).toEqual('</em>');
+    expect(store.highlightPreTag).toEqual(undefined);
+    expect(store.highlightPostTag).toEqual(undefined);
   });
 
   test('can retrieve index name', () => {
@@ -208,17 +210,6 @@ describe('Store', () => {
     expect(store.queryParameters).toHaveProperty('page', 4);
   });
 
-  test('should reset page when query parameters are changed', () => {
-    const store = createStore();
-    store.page = 2;
-    store.queryParameters = {
-      distinct: 1,
-      attributesToRetrieve: ['objectID'],
-    };
-
-    expect(store.page).toEqual(1);
-  });
-
   test('should allow page to be changed by updating query parameters', () => {
     const store = createStore();
     store.queryParameters = {
@@ -262,7 +253,9 @@ describe('Store', () => {
     };
 
     // Make sure distinct parameter is there.
-    expect(store.queryParameters).toHaveProperty('distinct');
+    expect(store.queryParameters).toEqual(
+      expect.objectContaining({ distinct: 1 })
+    );
 
     store.queryParameters = {
       page: 3,
@@ -271,7 +264,9 @@ describe('Store', () => {
     };
 
     // Make sure distinct parameter is gone when overridden with undefined.
-    expect(store.queryParameters).not.toHaveProperty('distinct');
+    expect(store.queryParameters).toEqual(
+      expect.objectContaining({ distinct: undefined })
+    );
 
     store.queryParameters = {
       page: 3,
@@ -281,30 +276,52 @@ describe('Store', () => {
     store.addFacet('price');
 
     // Make sure distinct parameter is gone when overridden with null.
-    expect(store.queryParameters).not.toHaveProperty('distinct');
+    expect(store.queryParameters).toEqual(
+      expect.objectContaining({ distinct: undefined })
+    );
   });
 
-  test('should allow to retrieve all the search parameters', () => {
+  test('should accept new search parameters', () => {
     const store = createStore();
 
-    const searchParameters = Object.assign({}, store._helper.getState(), {
-      page: 1,
-    });
-    expect(store.searchParameters).toEqual(searchParameters);
+    const newSearchParameters = { distinct: true };
+
+    store.searchParameters = newSearchParameters;
+
+    expect(store.searchParameters).toEqual(
+      expect.objectContaining(newSearchParameters)
+    );
   });
 
-  test('should accept new search parameters', () => {
+  test('highlighting tags set via query parameters should not leak to the helper', () => {
     const store = createStore();
 
-    const searchParameters = store._helper.getState();
-    const newSearchParameters = Object.assign({}, searchParameters, {
-      distinct: true,
-      page: 1,
-    });
+    const newSearchParameters = {
+      highlightPreTag: '<mark>',
+      highlightPostTag: '</mark>',
+    };
 
     store.searchParameters = newSearchParameters;
 
-    expect(store.searchParameters).toEqual(newSearchParameters);
+    expect(store._helper.state).toEqual(
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        highlightPreTag: HIGHLIGHT_PRE_TAG,
+        highlightPostTag: HIGHLIGHT_POST_TAG,
+      })
+    );
+  });
+
+  test('highlighting tags should not be local ones in query parameters', () => {
+    const store = createStore();
+    store.highlightPreTag = '<mark>';
+    store.highlightPostTag = '</mark>';
+
+    expect(store.searchParameters).toEqual(
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        highlightPreTag: '<mark>',
+        highlightPostTag: '</mark>',
+      })
+    );
   });
 
   test('page search parameter should start at 1', () => {
@@ -324,6 +341,17 @@ describe('Store', () => {
     expect(store._helper.getPage()).toEqual(4);
   });
 
+  test('search parameters should not contain internal highlighting tags', () => {
+    const store = createStore();
+
+    expect(store.searchParameters).toEqual(
+      expect.objectContaining({
+        highlightPreTag: undefined,
+        highlightPostTag: undefined,
+      })
+    );
+  });
+
   test('should allow to fetch sanitized results', () => {
     const store = createStore();
     const response = {
diff --git a/src/store.js b/src/store.js
index 83bef2744..5e5666d7c 100644
--- a/src/store.js
+++ b/src/store.js
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@ export const FACET_AND = 'and';
 export const FACET_OR = 'or';
 export const FACET_TREE = 'tree';
 
-const HIGHLIGHT_PRE_TAG = '__ais-highlight__';
-const HIGHLIGHT_POST_TAG = '__/ais-highlight__';
+export const HIGHLIGHT_PRE_TAG = '__ais-highlight__';
+export const HIGHLIGHT_POST_TAG = '__/ais-highlight__';
 
 export const createFromAlgoliaCredentials = (appID, apiKey) => {
   const client = algolia(appID, apiKey);
@@ -50,8 +50,8 @@ export class Store {
     // without trigger multiple queries.
     this._stoppedCounter = 1;
 
-    this._highlightPreTag = '<em>';
-    this._highlightPostTag = '</em>';
+    this._highlightPreTag = undefined;
+    this._highlightPostTag = undefined;
 
     this._cacheEnabled = true;
 
@@ -325,41 +325,47 @@ export class Store {
   }
 
   set queryParameters(parameters) {
-    const params = Object.assign({}, parameters);
-    this.stop();
-    for (const parameter in params) {
-      if (params[parameter] === null) {
-        params[parameter] = undefined;
-      }
-      this._helper.setQueryParameter(parameter, params[parameter]);
-    }
-
-    // Make sure page starts at 1.
-    if ('page' in params) {
-      this.page = params.page;
-      delete params.page;
-    }
-    this.start();
-    this.refresh();
+    this.searchParameters = parameters;
   }
 
   get queryParameters() {
-    const parameters = this._helper.state.getQueryParams();
-    parameters.page = this.page;
-
-    return parameters;
+    return this.searchParameters;
   }
 
   get searchParameters() {
-    return Object.assign({}, this._helper.state, { page: this.page });
+    return Object.assign({}, this._helper.state, {
+      page: this.page,
+      highlightPreTag: this.highlightPreTag,
+      highlightPostTag: this.highlightPostTag,
+    });
   }
 
   set searchParameters(searchParameters) {
     const params = Object.assign({}, searchParameters);
+    const paramKeys = Object.keys(params);
+    paramKeys.forEach(key => {
+      if (params[key] === null) {
+        params[key] = undefined;
+      }
+    });
+
     if (params.page !== undefined) {
       params.page = params.page - 1;
     }
-    const newSearchParameters = algoliaHelper.SearchParameters.make(params);
+
+    if ('highlightPreTag' in params) {
+      this.highlightPreTag = params.highlightPreTag;
+      delete params.highlightPreTag;
+    }
+
+    if ('highlightPostTag' in params) {
+      this.highlightPostTag = params.highlightPostTag;
+      delete params.highlightPostTag;
+    }
+
+    const newSearchParameters = algoliaHelper.SearchParameters.make(
+      Object.assign({}, this._helper.state, params)
+    );
     this._helper.setState(newSearchParameters);
   }