Double 301 Redirect - The Outcome After 2+ Weeks | Warrior Forum - The #1 Digital Marketing Forum & Marketplace

Banned 12 years ago

Double redirect using blogspot.com as buffer domain.

Where I saw results within 48 hours with the first batch of 7 sites, I haven't seen any recoveries using blogspot.com as buffer domain for another batch of 6 sites that I setup 4 days ago.

As we don't have access to a .htaccess file to setup the redirect at blogspot.com I used a redirect in the header by editing the template. Perhaps this has to do with it?

Thanks
1 reply

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Paz

12 years ago

Originally Posted by nik0

As we don't have access to a .htaccess file to setup the redirect at blogspot.com I used a redirect in the header by editing the template. Perhaps this has to do with it?

It's possible. I haven't used blogspot for years but I'm certain that the redirect you have implemented on blogspot is a meta refresh ie a browser redirect that has been "handled" different to server side redirects (eg htaccess) with the main differences being that the client side redirects take longer to kick in and often the direction they work in is backwards.
The most famous hijack I know of was Google back in 2005;
Google AdSense site hijacked in the Google serps… oh the irony « JenSense Contextual Strategy

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nik0

Banned 12 years ago

Originally Posted by Paz

It's possible. I haven't used blogspot for years but I'm certain that the redirect you have implemented on blogspot is a meta refresh ie a browser redirect that has been "handled" different to server side redirects (eg htaccess) with the main differences being that the client side redirects take longer to kick in and often the direction they work in is backwards.
The most famous hijack I know of was Google back in 2005;
Google AdSense site hijacked in the Google serps… oh the irony « JenSense Contextual Strategy

This (as someone left in the comments)

{META HTTP-EQUIV=”Refresh” CONTENT=”0; URL=hxxps://www.google.com/adsense/”}

looks pretty much like the code I added to the header indeed, so I guess I'm doing it wrong, back to search for other ways.

Let's see if this would work:

Code:

<?php
header("HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently");
header("Location: http://example.com/newpage.html");
exit();
?>

No that doesn't either as blogspot doesn't seem to be able to execute php script in the HTML editor.

Any help appreciated!

Thanks
1 reply

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IMCapitalist 12 years ago

would like to read more on this issue, will patiently sit and listen
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SEO Power

12 years ago

Maybe you'd have had a 100% success rate in restoring the previous rankings of those penalised domains if you hadn't redirected through a buffer. I recovered a site hit by Penguin a year ago within one day using a direct 301 to a new domain and it ranked in the 2nd spot page 1 (t'was 3rd before the penalty). I'm sure it's still that effective if done right (I.e. no buffers). Consider redoing the test without using any buffers.

Also, you shouldn't have deindeded the penalised sites. Duplicate content is a nonissue when a 301 is involved. In other words, the new domains would have ranked well even if you left the penalised domains indexed. The deindexing probably prevented them from passing a significant portion of their link juice.

Thanks
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nik0

Banned 12 years ago

Originally Posted by SEO Power

Maybe you'd have had a 100% success rate in restoring the previous rankings of those penalised domains if you hadn't redirected through a buffer. I recovered a site hit by Penguin a year ago within one day using a direct 301 to a new domain and it ranked in the 2nd spot page 1 (t'was 3rd before the penalty). I'm sure it's still that effective if done right (I.e. no buffers). Consider redoing the test without using any buffers.

Also, you shouldn't have deindeded the penalised sites. Duplicate content is a nonissue when a 301 is involved. In other words, the new domains would have ranked well even if you left the penalised domains indexed. The deindexing probably prevented them from passing a significant portion of their link juice.

There are dozens of people I personally know that redirected without a buffer and those rankings lasted from a few days to a few weeks with a rare exception where it lasted a few months so why reinvent the wheel.

I ain't saying this double redirect is going to last longer as not enough time has passed by.

Initially I didn't deindex the domains and they ranked, after deindexation they still ranked, some very well, some not so. If deindexing would cause a significant loss of link juice a number of these sites wouldn't rank at page one.

Besides that, when people move a site it's quite common they delete the old site and when a site is offline for long enough it automatically gets deindexed without having an effect on the rankings.

Thanks

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yukon

Banned 12 years ago

Seriously, you don't know the difference between a meta redirect & 301 redirect?
You didn't already know that a blogspot can't use php code?

[sigh]

Thanks
1 reply

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nik0

Banned 12 years ago

Originally Posted by yukon

Seriously, you don't know the difference between a meta redirect & 301 redirect?
You didn't already know that a blogspot can't use php code?

[sigh]

Google and Yahoo accept undelayed meta refreshs as 301 redirects

Old blog, just info I found on Wikipedia.

Why on earth would I ever use blogspot? I only use it cause people made me aware that blogspot is suitable for redirects.

Gonna try this:

Code:

<script type="text/JavaScript">
location.replace('http://www.example.com/');
</script>

Well that does redirect as well, time will tell whether it passes juice, guess just have to try a few different methods and see which one works out.

And if that doesn't work I'm gonna read some hack on how to get php working at blogspot here:

http://www.mybloggerlab.com/2013/10/...n-blogger.html

Thanks
2 replies

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nik0 Banned 12 years ago

Ok this is getting really retarded.

I just found out that I didn't redirect through blogspot at all, cause I was distracted and had everything setup only forgot to actually redirect the old ones to blogspot, important to keep focus.

So now the 6 new domains where the sites were installed received two redirects, from blogspot and the old domain.
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yukon

Banned 12 years ago

Originally Posted by nik0

Google and Yahoo accept undelayed meta refreshs as 301 redirects

Old blog, just info I found on Wikipedia.

Why on earth would I ever use blogspot? I only use it cause people made me aware that blogspot is suitable for redirects.

Gonna try this:

Code:

<script type="text/JavaScript">
location.replace('http://www.example.com/');
</script>

Well that does redirect as well, time will tell whether it passes juice, guess just have to try a few different methods and see which one works out.

And if that doesn't work I'm gonna read some hack on how to get php working at blogspot here:

How to Easily Add PHP Codes in Blogger ~ My Blogger Lab

nik0, nik0, nik0...

Your blogspot with a meta redirect is still Google caching the blogspot page. Go look. Wait a year If you want, it will still have a Google cache on the blogspot. Your blogspot page will also continue to be indexed in Google SERPs.

In order for a meta redirect to work, the webpage has to load in a browser. So... the opportunity for a real redirect is already done & over with.

A meta redirect is browser based (javascript).
A 301 redirect is server based, it's in the http response header (Google it).

Google is looking for http response header codes (ex: 404, 301, 302, etc...), they're not looking at browser meta redirects (javascript).

Download Firebug or Live HTTP Headers (easier on the eyes), both for Firefox.

Why on earth would I ever use blogspot?

Because everyone else in the free world has at some point? Your using it now.

BTW, your not going to use php on any other 2.0. Now you know that.

Thanks
1 reply

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nik0

Banned 12 years ago

Originally Posted by yukon

nik0, nik0, nik0...

Your blogspot with a meta redirect is still Google caching the blogspot page. Go look. Wait a year If you want, it will still have a Google cache on the blogspot.

A meta redirect is browser based (javascript).
A 301 redirect is server based, it's in the http response header (Google it).

Google is looking for http response header codes (ex: 404, 301, 302, etc...), they're not looking at browser meta redirects (javascript).

Download Firebug or Live HTTP Headers (easier on the eyes), both for Firefox.

Because everyone else in the free world has at some point?

I've Googled around and the opinions are very divided whether it works or not.

Yes I know it's browser based not server based, still some say it does pass juice, others say it doesn't, when searching for blogger 301 redirects most say it works, whether it's metarefresh, javascript, hacked php or whatever method out there. Heck I even managed to enable php at blogspot by hosting the php file elsewhere but it opens in an iframe (using object) so that was kinda useless as well.

Anyway I messed up by not redirecting to blogspot at all so all is fine.

I never used blogspot in the past btw, I used jouwweb.nl

Thanks

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yukon

Banned 12 years ago

I edited my last post above, added more...

Trust me on this nik0, you need a 301 redirect.

Thanks
1 reply

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nik0 Banned 12 years ago

Originally Posted by yukon

I edited my last post above, added more...

Trust me on this nik0, you need a 301 redirect.

Yeah I trust you, that's why I don't bother moving them to blogspot and just leave it as it is, bit surprised why rankings didn't move from one domain to the other though despite the direct 301 from .htaccess.
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yukon

Banned 12 years ago

Another thing about that meta redirect, you can add a timer & delay the redirect that traffic will see on their browsers. All the more proof a meta redirect isn't a redirect that should be used for anything related to SEO.

Example meta redirect with a 7 second timer:

Code:

<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="7;URL=http://domain.comy">

Test that code above on your blogspot, you'll see the timer start working (7 second timer).

Your meta redirect code earlier in this forum thread had the timer set to 0 which is why it looked like the page was being redirected instantly. It's an illusion because the entire HTML for the webpage still loaded while the meta tag was being executed in the browser. It just happened so fast you couldn't see what was going on.

Again, Google will still cache/index the meta redirect webpage. The page still exist like nothing is out of the ordinary as far as Googlebot is concerned while crawling links/pages.

[edit]
Google might have an algo filter for the meta redirect (refresh) but it's still not redirecting a page for SEO value (cache + indexing is proof). If anything it's more like a "Why are they redirecting traffic?" type of thing which I could see as being a possible negative.

Thanks
1 reply

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nik0

Banned 12 years ago

Originally Posted by yukon

Another thing about that meta redirect, you can add a timer & delay the redirect that traffic will see on their browsers. All the more proof a meta redirect isn't a redirect that should be used for anything related to SEO.

Example meta redirect with a 7 second timer:

Code:

<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="7;URL=http://domain.comy">

Test that code above on your blogspot, you'll see the timer start working (7 second timer).

Your meta redirect code earlier in this forum thread had the timer set to 0 which is why it looked like the page was being redirected instantly. It's an illusion

Funny enough, despite the timer being set at 0 I still saw the blogspot showing up for about two seconds.

Thanks
1 reply

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UMS 12 years ago

Originally Posted by nik0

Funny enough, despite the timer being set at 0 I still saw the blogspot showing up for about two seconds.

The delay entirely depends on how long it takes for the entire page to load.
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Kevin Maguire

12 years ago

Ok I would like you to try this, maybe I didn't explain it better.

Yuk this one is a little blacker then your average redirect.

Root and then 301 the old site into a wordpress.com site. Root as in migrate the entire site over so the content can be cached on the new sub.

Google will treat the original site as a site move to the new wordpress sub. Using the already spammed to death wp.com link profile as mitigation against your penalty.

Now

Use this code in headers of the new wp.com sub

Code:

<script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[
window.location.replace("http://target-domain.com");
// ]]></script>

This should.

Move the site over to a seemingly unaffected Web2.0 from Penguin.
Allows Google to cache and index the new Web2 as a legit site move.
Allows you to send the traffic to a proper TLD without visitors landing on a wp sub.

The wp site will rank, but the refresh redirects the traffic to something more commercially viable. (The new Tld)

p.s

Don't use meta refreshes like that on any Google property (blogspot), it's usually an instant delete for using manipulative code.

Thanks
1 reply

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nik0

Banned 12 years ago

Originally Posted by Kevin Maguire

Ok I would like you to try this, maybe I didn't explain it better.

Yuk this one is a little blacker then your average redirect.

Root and then 301 the old site into a wordpress.com site. Root as in migrate the entire site over so the content can be cached on the new sub.

Google will treat the original site as a site move to the new wordpress sub. Using the already spammed to death wp.com link profile as mitigation against your penalty.

Now

Use this code in headers of the new wp.com sub

Code:

<script type="text/javascript">// <![CDATA[
window.location.replace("http://target-domain.com");
// ]]></script>

This should.

Move the site over to a seemingly unaffected Web2.0 from Penguin.
Allows Google to cache and index the new Web2 as a legit site move.
Allows you to send the traffic to a proper TLD without visitors landing on a wp sub.

The wp site will rank, but the refresh redirects the traffic to something more commercially viable. (The new Tld)

p.s

Don't use meta refreshes like that on any Google property (blogspot), it's usually an instant delete for using manipulative code.

Alright will give it a shot to see what happens. No idea how migrating to wordpress.com works though as we don't have phpmyadmin but I'll figure it out.

Thanks

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pixelcreative

12 years ago

Do you use blogspot for bufffer websites?

Originally Posted by nik0

As some might remember I tried a redirect on 7 domains in total.

Definition of double redirect

Old money site domain ---> brand new buffer domain ---> new domain where the old site is hosted

Old money site has been deindexed using the URL removal tool in Google Webmasters

Here's the outcome in the end:

- One site didn't recover at all

- Three sites semi-recovered, 2 out of 4 keywords retrieved their old rankings but on regular base they drop out of the top 500 and then the other 2 keywords regain their old rankings, and this go's on for almost 2 weeks already, very jumpy

- Three sites really recovered, though some keywords still jump in and out of the top 500, still 3 out of 4 main keywords seem to hold somewhat steady.

- Three sites did recover but instead of ranking at page one again they now rank at page two/three, while hit they tanked to page 10-20 but recovering to page 2/3 isn't worth much either of course.

Extra facts:

- All the sites use the same WP template, content written by same writer, site structure identical besides the fact that it are differnet product niches (eg Amazon sites)

- All the sites received the exact same amount of links and same type of links though some on other domains / IP's but then again setup in the same way

- Anchor diversity is the same for all the sites as well

- The link building was performed in phases as this was one batch of sites that I worked on at the same time each time so as you can see there's a lot of factors that are the same.

Overall conclusion after double redirect

- Results are very inconsistent, unstable, chaotic so the only conclusion I can draw is that it's a big gamble, 7 sites, everywhere different results

Overall traffic:

- Pre Penguin 3.0 - approx 1000 unique visitors/day
- Post Penguin 3.0 - approx 300 unique visitors/day
- After redirect - approx 500-700 unique visitors/day

So overall we are better off then before but if you have only one site to recover it's pretty much of a hit or miss.

Still I'm happy I did this as it's christmas time and I can't complain about my current earnings opposed to when they all tanked.

Thanks

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Pixel Creative
www.pixelcreative.com.tr

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Double 301 Redirect - The Outcome After 2+ Weeks

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