Forum Moderators: open
I know some matters of URL canonicalizationt have been discussed before, but never about the effect this also creates in the Google directory.
All started when DMOZ listed my site www.widgetz.com as widgetz.com in their directory with the result that also the Google directory list my site as widgetz.com instead of www.widgetz.com.
Even adding a rewrite rule in htaccess to try and solve this problem is not helping.
When searching for "Widgetz topics" then "widgetz.com" shows up in the first positions BUT without a Freshtag since nearly 40-days and without the link to the Google Directory where "widgetz.com" is listed as widgetz.com.
(This page is twice-daily updated with current news about widgetz and has a PR of 5).
When searching for +"www.widgetz.com", only then do I find the "www.widgetz.com" index-page that has a freshtag on it and has a link to the Google Directory (but remember in the directory we are listed as widgetz.com and not www.widgetz.com)
Searching:
link:witgetz.com I get 75 backlinks
and searching:
link:witgetz.com I get 83 other backlinks
where in reality I should get 158 backlinks for the whole site as they are all different backlinks.
I have tried to repair the error at DMOZ in vain.
The category I am in does not have any editor any more and using their update function or sending them an email is not helping as I am not getting any answer.
I also reported on different occasions the problem to Google using the keyword urlcanonicalization.
So what should be the next step to take?
I tried to get a similar error in dmoz fixed and instead of fixing it they removed the site and then they went and removed every other site they could find that they thought I might be involved with and any site I had ever edited.
Be careful what you ask for.
or volunteer to edit that cat, and/or get more links
i think wm to blame not G. see similar dns issue [webmasterworld.com]
What I am really scared about, is that Google will think that this are 2 sites with duplicate content.
Google is good at handling such issues created by webmasters
My guess is that creating a 301-permanent-redirect from "widgetz.com" to "www.widgetz.com" would make all clear up -- eventually.
Google is good at handling such issues created by webmasters
No, they aren't.
My guess is that creating a 301-permanent-redirect from "widgetz.com" to "www.widgetz.com" would make all clear up -- eventually.
My guess too.
I have tried to repair the error at DMOZ in vain.
The category I am in does not have any editor any more and using their update function or sending them an email is not helping as I am not getting any answer.
I have been trying to get a description updated in DMOZ for about 2 years. Finally I applied to be the editor. I never got a reply.
I really wish Google would quit using DMOZ under the circumstances.
THANKS for all the answers.
1. Yes, their is a TYPO in my message, which should read like this:
#######
Searching:
link:www.witgetz.com I get 75 backlinks
and searching:
link:witgetz.com I get 83 other backlinks
#############
2. Creating a 301-permanent-redirect rom "widgetz.com" to "www.widgetz.com" (which I have done) does not
solve the problem that 83 very good backlinks, including DMOZ and the "Google Directory" will always be pointing to "witgetz.com" and are lost for the PR of "www.witgetz.com"
3. Their are many sites that use DMOZ to build their own directory. aslong as I can not update DMOZ then every month some new site will appear with a page linking to "witgetz.com"
4. Quote: "or volunteer to edit that category" - I have tried to volunteer at DMOZ, they simply do not answer the email.
5. I have read the threat that "widgetz.com" is not the same as "www.widgetz.com" but I have never found any site were they are not the same. This is not logic...they should to be the same
If you have a bit of patience it will eventually solve the problem.
No, they aren't
Let's agree that these have been caused by users and that know-how-it-works webmasters can set up totally different content on example.org from www.example.org
Thanks GoogleGuy for the intervention. GREAT!
Not immediately. But it DOES solve it. The ODP has its own spider (robozilla) that flags "permanent-redirect" listings. When these are flagged, editors check them.
Robozilla runs every 3 months or so. Many active editors treat its flags as very-high-priority quality-control issues: I'd expect something like this to be changed within 2-3 weeks after the next robozilla run.
After that, Google Directory updates ... eventually. Many of the smaller ODP listings are really ODP-site-sniffers rather than mirrors, so they will immediately update.
Nilloc, let's hope the resolution of your problem is the start of a new trend and we're about to see something more than, "well, they're different subdomains you know, and you're sh*t out of luck because of that bad incoming link... let's hope the redirect works".
Congratulations.
Options +FollowSymLinks
RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST}!^example\.com$
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} example
RewriteRule ^(.*) [example.com...] [L,R=301]
Which I think redirects www.example.com to example.com (my host gave me this tidbit)-- which all my gazillion internal links point at anyway.
Anyway - I don't know if this is proper, but since doing it I went from #9 to #2 in G for my main KW - & my backlinks resolved.
Just a little observation:
With all the members that are here on those forums, wouldn't it be better that Google starts to have it's own editors for the "Google-Directory" instead of depending on a copy of DMOZ.
I read so many times that very good sites can not be listed in DMOZ because the category has no editor!
Many sites that are still listed in DMOZ are no more online and many others are completely out of date.
I only take an example of "Daily breaking news from Widgetz country". DMOZ list sites of which the last update happened in the year 1999. As so these sites also appear in the "Google Directory".
I am sure that many forum-members from "webmaster world" would volunteer to take care of one or more categories of the "Google Directory".
Google won't do it though, of course; they have enough on their plate as it is, what with IPO's and constant algo changes. Better that DMOZ gets revamped, (although I don't how that would happen). Anyway, pencil me in for marmalade.
Yes, Stefan, I know Google would never go for it!
But if you look at all the potential that is here at Webmaster World and that could be used to create a cleaner WWW......Maybe I am only dreaming Stefan.
The same goes for "Spam on the Internet".
I have a little search engine specialized in Widgetz. In this little niche topic of mine, I can smell spam from a mile far .... And I mean SPAM, not a SEO that tries to gain a better position, but is honnest and stays on topic.
I mean dirty spam like using hidden text, links and keyphrases related to children and religion to gain top positions in the 3-letter S-word.
Take 100-members from this board, have their findings triple-checked by 3-other members, then report the SPAM and you would have the best team of cleaners in the world.
Google isn't going to break away from using the ODP anytime soon. As far as taking care of categories:
a fair number of members here are ODP editors also.
For example, read above where you were told about the ODP spider that checks for things such as redirects and flags them.
Thats all fine for categories that have editors that after the robot crawled and flagged the site cause of a 301, that the editor has a look and OK's the redirect or not.
Whay happens with site's like mine.... now we have a redirect from widgetz.com to www.widgetz.com, I get flagged by the robot for redirecting but NO editor available to check it out....Do I simply stay flagged or to I get eliminated?
Volunteer to be an editor...Did it a couple of times over the last 2-years...never an answer, even with mailing to the editor above the category and the editor above him. Same goes for Ediding a site, also never an answer.
I read so many times that very good sites can not be listed in DMOZ because the category has no editor!
You may read it a million times. You may even write it yourself. Doesn't make it true.
You've probably read almost as many times that every category has an editor. Most have more than one. Everyone up the tree from a category can edit it, as can the couple of hundred editors who can edit anywhere they like.
If you've never even had an automated response logging the receipt of you application to be an editor, then check your spam filters.
If you've had that, but no further reply, again check your spam filters, and then ask over at the place we are not allowed to mention here.
You've probably read almost as many times that every category has an editor. Most have more than one. Everyone up the tree from a category can edit it, as can the couple of hundred editors who can edit anywhere they like.
If that is the case then they might as well not be editors. One category that I'm listed in has not been updated for over 18 months, another has an editor listed who resigned over a year ago. I emailed him and he says that he has asked every month for twelve months to have his details as editor removed.
I've volunteered twice now to edit catagories that I know something about and on both occasions have been turned down even though they do not have an active editor.
Based on my very bad evperiences (like trying to get a redirecting page removed for over 18 months) I honestly think that someone needs to get a grip of the ODP editor situation and give it a right good shake up.
Best wishes
Sid
Your tip om "You know what I now also know" solved my problem in less than 4-hours.
Changes will be seen on the DMOZ live server within the next 2-days from non-www to www.
Then hoping that Google will very fast do a new data-dump from DMOZ so that the changes in the "Google Directory"
Thanks for the tip, Victor
p.s Stefan;
let's hope the resolution of your problem is the start of a new trend and we're about to see something more than, "well, they're different subdomains you know, and you're sh*t out of luck because of that bad incoming link... let's hope the redirect works".
I couldn't agree more; pure commonsense - and perhaps the end of x 1000 page threads about doing brain-surgery with a spoon (sorry, setting up htaccess on a shared server).
nilloc, I passed on your feedback. I think the next iteration of data should consider the two sites as one again.
Apologies for seeming to top-post, but GG's statement appears to have been overlooked. Was he referring to a change in the way not-www and www are treated in general in the Google directory?
