You can set query string parameters in links to pages by constructing the link URL manually, or by using <apex:param> tags within the <apex:outputLink> tag. For example, both of the following examples create identical links to an external page:
<apex:outputLink value="http://google.com/search?q={!account.name}"> Search Google </apex:outputLink>
<apex:outputLink value="http://google.com/search"> Search Google <apex:param name="q" value="{!account.name}"/> </apex:outputLink>
The latter method, which uses <apex:param> tags instead of manually creating the URL, is preferable for stylistic reasons.