Blogger Redirect Error in Google Search Console: A Frustrating Challenge

 


When submitting your Blogger posts to Google Search Console, you might encounter a "Redirect error." This issue stems from Blogger's mobile URL implementation, which automatically redirects mobile users to a URL with the ?m=1 parameter. Let's delve into the problem and potential workarounds.

The Root Cause: Mobile Redirects

Blogger's mobile-friendly design automatically redirects users on mobile devices to a mobile version of your page, appending the ?m=1 parameter to the URL. This redirection triggers the "Redirect error" in Google Search Console, as it sees two different URLs for the same content.

The Lack of a Direct Solution

Unfortunately, there's no known way to prevent this mobile redirection within Blogger's settings. While some suggest using JavaScript to mask the ?m=1 parameter, this doesn't actually stop the redirection and won't resolve the error in Search Console.

The Current Workaround: Indexing the Mobile URL

The most common workaround involves submitting the entire URL with the ?m=1 parameter (e.g., (original post url)?m=1) for indexing. This tells Google to index the mobile version of your page. While tedious, it's currently the most reliable approach.

The Mystery of Original URL Indexing

Interestingly, some users report that their original URLs (without the ?m=1 parameter) get indexed without any extra effort. The reason behind this remains unclear, adding to the frustration.

Why This Happens

Blogger's automatic mobile redirection creates two different URLs for the same content, confusing Google Search Console. While Google usually handles mobile redirects gracefully, Blogger's implementation seems to cause issues.

What You Can Do

  1. Submit Mobile URLs: Submit the full URL with the ?m=1 parameter for indexing in Google Search Console.
  2. Monitor Indexing: Check which URLs (with or without ?m=1) Google has indexed for your posts.
  3. Hope for Automatic Indexing: Keep an eye on your Search Console reports. Sometimes, Google might index the original URL automatically.

Conclusion

The "Redirect error" in Google Search Console due to Blogger's mobile redirects is a persistent challenge. While submitting mobile URLs is the current workaround, the occasional indexing of original URLs suggests there might be underlying factors at play. Hopefully, Blogger or Google will provide a more permanent solution in the future.

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