Useless forbidden knowledge

In which the author writes about something that bloggers should probably ignore, in the hopes that greater knowledge will (please!) convince them to ignore it. ¶ 

Google's Search Console, useless for most bloggers (or nearly so), will tell you that there is something related to your blog called "redirect error."

Don't panic.

Here is what is going on, according to barryhunter, a product expert in Google's webmaster help community:

The phantom redirect error occurs when Google tries to crawl [the blog post]. It makes the initial crawl, gets the redirect, but there isn't enough crawl capacity available to complete the crawl.

...the console (incorrectly!) thinks that means the redirect is malfunctioning. But the redirect isn't the problem, it the state of low crawl budget.

(All emphasis is original.)

Let's unpack this, shall we?

Redirect, meet crawl budget

First of all, this is a phantom redirect. Specifically, it involves a web address on your blog that ends with "m=1," the mobile-device parameter.

Normally, this does complete the redirect, permitting Google to assess the post or page. But it is interrupted this time.

What's happening: Blogger still uses redirects for mobile compatibility. This is inefficient (requiring two steps instead of one) but not broken, and there is nothing you can do about it.

Meanwhile Google has been using its mobile crawler for all web pages since 2020. 

Second, this isn't something wrong with your blog. It's how Google Search Console reports a particular event. "Incorrectly," as barryhunter notes.

Search Console says the source of this error is "website," and that you should fix it. This is false: the error lies with Search Console.

You can't fix Search Console, and there is nothing to fix in your blog.

Third, every website gets a "crawl budget" from Google. It is based on what Google thinks of the site.

Use up the budget, and crawling comes to a screeching (though temporary) halt. Sometimes, for Blogger, in mid-redirect.

Fourth, if your crawl budget is low, you will see a lot of unindexed pages in your report, for a variety of reasons. Including "redirect error."

It's not that Google ignores your blog because of these errors. Rather, you are seeing these errors because Google ignores your blog.

Fifth, this glitch is temporary. As barryhunter tells us,

The good news is it not 'final,' just because it failed that time round, doesn't mean it can't be crawled correctly next time. Googlebot will retry.

It's not clear, however, when "next time" is. Probably we should think of the whole "redirect error" category as equivalent to the "discovered, not indexed" category you will also see in GSC. If your crawl budget is low, this will take a while to resolve.

Finally, though, just because a page is crawled does not mean that it will be indexed or appear in Google Search. That is a separate issue entirely: see "crawled, not indexed" (another category).

What you can't do

It's understandable that some bloggers, annoyed at how Google is snubbing them, would be drawn to a purely technical explanation.

Good! That is something that can, they hope, be fixed.

Alas, no.

The "error" is within Google's search system, dutifully reported in GSC. It is not located in Blogger. Barryhunter again, with a warning:

Typically any attempt to try to "fix" it just makes things worse, you fight the redirect that is there, and get things in more of a tangle. 

I add: If Google does not favor your blog, that has to do with the content and organization of the blog. "Redirect error" is not the cause: if anything, it is a symptom.

Treat the cause.

I hate to give this issue any more oxygen, but perhaps the truth will convince some bloggers to stop obsessing about Search Console.

Instead, just blog. It's the only thing that can help

What you (maybe) can do

Some blogs get bigger crawl budgets than others. Google likes them. They have fewer redirect "errors." (This one still has plenty, but it's been slowly getting better.)

Over time, it might be possible to get Google to like your blog better.

If so, however, it's not a technical task. It entails (1) satisfying Google's own editorial guidelines (so, just blog!) and (2) promoting your blog so that it gets organic backlinks.

This is is not an overnight project! It will take time.

Google's AdSense has some great tips on making your blog better, too (even if you have no interest in serving ads on your blog).

Pure speculation

If you are feeling quantitative, and can't just let this go, here is a metric you can track over time.

At Search Console > Pages,  use the drop-down menu to show only submitted pages. This will filter out duplicates and other non-canonical pages.

In that mode, divide the number of indexed posts by the number of redirect posts. That is your "Googlebot score." This is a technical term I just made up, so, science.

Track this score over time. If it grows, you are on the right track. Your crawl budget is also growing, and "redirect errors" are gradually being taken off the board.

Keep up whatever you are doing!

Your score reflects both current and past treatment by Googlebot, so is not likely to change quickly.

If your score does not improve at all, then Google is just not into you. You can change Google's mind, sometimes, but it will take time.

Links

• Barryhunter's full explanation
• What Google says it likes
• Great advice from Google AdSense
• Search Console is not the tool you are looking for
• If Google is just not into you

Photo by Олег Мороз on Unsplash