How To Fix Redirect Errors on Google Search Console on Blogger
A Comprehensive Guide
If you're using Blogger and facing redirection errors in Google Search Console, you're not alone. These errors often come from how Blogger handles the mobile versions of your pages, especially when it adds the ?m=1 parameter. Understanding what's causing these issues and how to fix them can help make sure your site is indexed properly and performs well in search results. In this guide, we’ll break down why these errors happen, the common mistakes people make, and the best ways to fix them.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Why Are You Getting This Error?
- Common Mistakes When Trying to Fix the Error
- How to Fix This Issue
- FAQs
Introduction
Dealing with redirection errors in Google Search Console can be frustrating, especially if you’re using Blogger site. These errors usually happen because Blogger adds a ?m=1 parameter to the URL for mobile pages. Knowing why this happens and how to solve it is important for ensuring that your site gets properly indexed by search engines. In this guide, I’ll explain what causes the issue, common mistakes to avoid, and the best ways to fix it.
Why Are You Getting This Error?
If you're seeing redirection errors in Google Search Console, it’s likely related to the ?m=1 parameter that Blogger adds to mobile versions of your pages. Let me explain how it works.
When you check the redirection errors in Search Console, you might see URLs like:
https://www.trendloft.xyz/2024/09/minimax-best-realistic-ai-video.html?m=1https://www.trendloft.xyz/2024/09/some-other-article.html?m=1https://www.trendloft.xyz/2024/09/yet-another-page.html?m=1
The ?m=1 part at the end is what causes the issue. This parameter tells Blogger to show the mobile version of the page.
Here’s how it works: If you copy a URL from your Blogger site, it looks like this:
https://www.trendloft.xyz/2024/09/minimax-best-realistic-ai-video.html
But when you view the same page on a mobile device, the URL changes to:
https://www.trendloft.xyz/2024/09/minimax-best-realistic-ai-video.html?m=1
The ?m=1 parameter is used by Blogger to display the mobile version. If you try to access the page without this parameter on a mobile device, Blogger will redirect you to the mobile version of the page with the ?m=1 parameter:
https://www.trendloft.xyz/2024/09/minimax-best-realistic-ai-video.html?m=1
This is what causes the redirection error in Search Console. Google's crawler, which often acts like a smartphone, tries to access your site using the normal URL without the parameter, but then it gets redirected to the mobile version, causing the redirection error.
In simple terms, Google's bot hits a redirect when trying to crawl your page, which leads to the error you're seeing in Search Console.
Common Mistakes When Trying to Fix the Error
A common mistake people make is trying to fix the error by adding a JavaScript code like this:
<script>
if (window.location.search.indexOf('?m=1') > -1) {
window.location.href = window.location.href.replace('?m=1', '');
}
</script>This script tries to remove the ?m=1 parameter from the URL, but it doesn't really fix the main issue for a few reasons:
- Temporary Fix: The script only changes the URL in the user’s browser. It doesn’t change the actual URL on your server or how Google sees the URL. The
?m=1parameter still exists and can cause more issues later. - Doesn't Remove the Parameter Completely: The script hides the
?m=1parameter for now, but it doesn’t remove it from the URL structure. So, when search engines or users navigate to the page, they might still encounter the parameter. - Indexing Problems: Search engines like Google index URLs the way they appear. If Googlebot finds a URL with
?m=1, it could see it as a different URL from the one without the parameter. Since the script doesn’t change the URL that Google sees, the problem will persist. - User Experience: This solution only works for users who load the page after the script runs. It doesn’t solve the issue for search engines that might crawl the page with the parameter, which could lead to inconsistent indexing.
In short, this script doesn’t fix the real issue and could lead to ongoing redirection errors. It’s better to find a solution that fits how Blogger handles URLs and ensures that search engines can index your site properly.
Another mistake is trying to block URLs with the ?m=1 parameter in the robots.txt file like this:
User-agent: *
Disallow: /*?m=1This might seem like a good fix, but it can create even more problems:
-
Not Solving the Main Problem: Blocking URLs with the
?m=1parameter doesn’t get to the heart of the issue. Google’s smartphone bot needs to see the mobile version of your pages, which is why Blogger uses this parameter. By blocking it, you could prevent Google from accessing the mobile version, which could lead to incomplete crawling and more errors. - Indexing Issues: Blocking the
?m=1parameter could make Google’s crawler struggle to index yoursite correctly. If Google can’t see the mobile version, it may affect how your content is indexed and ranked.
How to Fix This Issue
- Don’t Block the Parameter: Use a
robots.txtfile that doesn’t block URLs with parameters. Here’s a simple example of arobots.txtfile that allows all URLs to be crawled: - Ignore Redirection Errors: Sometimes, you can’t avoid redirection errors caused by the
?m=1parameter. Instead of worrying about fixing these, focus on making sure Google can crawl and index your site correctly. - Request Indexing: Use Google Search Console's URL Inspection Tool. Submit the URL with the
?m=1parameter and ask Google to index it. For example: - Check Your Canonical Tags: If you're seeing errors related to alternate pages with correct canonical tags, Read my blog on how to fix them here . This can help ensure that Google indexes the right version of your page.
User-agent: *
Allow: / Sitemap: https://www.trendloft.xyz/sitemap.xmlhttps://www.trendloft.xyz/2024/09/minimax-best-realistic-ai-video.html?m=1FAQs
Focus on making sure Google can crawl and index your site properly. You can ignore redirection errors if Google is crawling and indexing your pages correctly.