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A Simple Guide

Hello! If you're using Blogger and see redirection errors in Google Search Console, don't worry—you're not alone. I’ve faced this issue too! These errors often happen because Blogger adds a ?m=1 parameter to the URL for mobile pages. In this guide, I’ll explain why these errors happen and how to fix them easily.

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

Redirection errors in Google Search Console can be annoying, especially if you’re using Blogger. These errors usually occur because Blogger adds a ?m=1 parameter to the URL for mobile pages. Understanding why this happens is important for making sure your site gets indexed correctly by search engines.

Read also how to fix alternate page with proper Canonical tag on blogger search console

Why Are You Getting This Error?

If you see redirection errors in Google Search Console, it’s likely due to the ?m=1 parameter that Blogger adds for mobile versions of your pages. Here’s how it works:

When you check the redirection errors in Search Console, you might see URLs like these:

• https://www.trendloft.xyz/2024/09/minimax-best-realistic-ai-video.html?m=1
• https://www.trendloft.xyz/2024/09/some-other-article.html?m=1
• https://www.trendloft.xyz/2024/09/yet-another-page.html?m=1

The issue arises because Google's crawler often behaves like a smartphone and tries to access your site using the normal URL without the parameter. When Google's smartphone bot visits a URL like this:

https://www.trendloft.xyz/2024/09/minimax-best-realistic-ai-video.html, it gets redirected to this URL:

https://www.trendloft.xyz/2024/09/minimax-best-realistic-ai-video.html?m=1. This URL includes the ?m=1 parameter, which indicates it's showing the mobile version of the page. Google thinks these are two different URLs, which causes a redirect error.

Understanding how URL parameters work can help you manage your site's SEO better. For more information on URL parameters, visit Google's Search Central.

Common Mistakes When Trying to Fix the Error

I’ve seen many people try to fix this error with 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 parameter from the URL but doesn’t really solve the main problem for several reasons:

• Temporary Fix: The script only changes what users see in their browsers; it doesn’t change how Google sees the URL.
• Doesn't Remove the Parameter Completely: The script hides the parameter temporarily but doesn’t change its existence in search engine indexing.
• Indexing Problems: If Googlebot finds a URL with the parameter, it could see it as different from one without it.
• User Experience: It only works for users who load the page after the script runs.

Using JavaScript to manipulate URLs can lead to more problems than solutions. For best practices in SEO and JavaScript, check out Moz's guide.

How to Fix This Issue

Here are some simple steps I’ve found helpful:

1. Don’t Block the Parameter: If you block URLs with the ?m=1 parameter in your robots.txt file, Google won't be able to access your content at all. For example, if you block:

   User-agent:Disallow:?m=1

   Google will try to crawl your normal URL like this: https://www.trendloft.xyz/2024/09/minimax-best-realistic-ai-video.html

   But when it tries to access it, it gets redirected to: https://www.trendloft.xyz/2024/09/minimax-best-realistic-ai-video.html?m=1

   Since this URL is blocked, Google cannot crawl or index your content. This means your page may not show up in search results.

2. Ignore Redirection Errors: Sometimes these errors are unavoidable due to the ?m=1 parameter. Focus instead on ensuring that Google can crawl and index your site correctly.

3. Request Indexing: Use Google Search Console's URL Inspection Tool to submit URLs with the ?m=1 parameter for indexing: https://www.trendloft.xyz/2024/09/minimax-best-realistic-ai-video.html?m=1
4. Check Your Canonical Tags: Make sure your canonical tags are set up correctly so Google knows which version of your page should be indexed. For more details on canonical tags, check out Google's official documentation.
For more tips on SEO for Blogger, visit Search Engine Journal

Keeping your robots.txt file updated is crucial for good SEO practices. Learn more about robots.txt files here.

FAQs

What is the ?m=1 parameter in Blogger URLs? +

The ?m=1 parameter is added by Blogger to show the mobile version of a page.

Why does Google Search Console show redirection errors with the ?m=1 parameter? +

Google shows these errors because the ?m=1 parameter causes the URL to redirect to the mobile version, which can confuse Google’s crawler.

Can I fix the redirection error by using JavaScript to remove the ?m=1 parameter? +

No, removing the parameter with JavaScript only affects what users see in their browsers. It doesn’t fix the underlying issue, and Google may still encounter redirection errors.

Should I block URLs with the ?m=1 parameter in robots.txt? +

No, blocking these URLs can prevent Google from accessing the mobile version of your site, which could lead to more issues with indexing.

How should I set up my robots.txt file for Blogger? +

Your robots.txt file should allow all URLs to be crawled, including those with parameters like ?m=1.

What should I do if I see redirection errors in Google Search Console? +

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.

How can I request indexing for a mobile page? +

Use Google Search Console’s URL Inspection Tool to submit the URL with the ?m=1 parameter and request indexing.

Can I remove the ?m=1 parameter from Blogger permanently? +

No, you cannot remove the ?m=1 from Blogger; the only possible solution is to ignore it.