Google 404 Errors

[Uncas]

Hi All,

I am using .htaccess file to generate friendly URLs for my dynamic PHP pages...

http://www.example.com/Dir1/Dir2/Dir3/1234

For some reason, google doesn't index these pages and returns for 404 error codes in my sitemap...

I am using "Header Checker" tools to check the return codes and it is returning 200 code..

Here is the actual code

#1 Server Response: http://www.example.com/Dir1/Dir2/Dir3/1234
HTTP Status Code: HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Date: Mon, 03 Dec 2007 02:09:43 GMT
Server: Apache/1.3.37 (Unix) mod_fastcgi/2.4.2 mod_gzip/1.3.26.1a mod_auth_passthrough/1.8 mod_log_bytes/1.2 mod_bwlimited/1.4 FrontPage/5.0.2.2635.SR1.2 mod_ssl/2.8.28 OpenSSL/0.9.7a PHP-CGI/0.1b
Cache-control: private
Expires: Thu, 19 Nov 1981 08:52:00 GMT
Pragma: no-cache
X-Powered-By: PHP/4.4.4
Set-Cookie: PHPSESSID=760c73aaa2e7ffff9ed84dfaa6f23ac3; path=/
Set-Cookie: example[0]=34; expires=Wed, 02 Jan 2008 02:09:43 GMT; path=/
Set-Cookie: example[1]=city_name; expires=Wed, 02 Jan 2008 02:09:43 GMT; path=/
Connection: close
Content-Type: text/html

I couldn't figure out why google consider these pages as 404

Any help is appreciated..

Thanks

[5ubliminal]

I also experience this pattern ocasionally. Funny thing is sometimes it works (200) and sometimes it gives a 404. And when you 404 several pages they go supplemental almost instantly and then you wait for them to get back into index and so on ...

Could it be the hosting?

[Uncas]

I am not really sure if it is hosting..I am using same type of logic for creating other URL with little different directory structure and they are indexed...

Also, I wsa looking at the log files the other day..Google visited the page htaccess redirects...

In my htaccess file the logic is

ex:
http://www.example.com/Dir1/Dir2/Dir3/1234

Redirects to page below
http://www.example.com/inc/index.php?1234

Google visited http://www.example.com/inc/index.php?1234

[5ubliminal]

Your .htaccess is messed up. Google should not see the internal htaccess redirects. Check Apache's manual. You must not use R=301 or anything like this in the rule. You need to end the RewriteRule with [L].

My issue is random. Sometimes I get 200 , sometimes 404 without any rational reason.

[Uncas]

Thanks 5ubliminal...

Let me try add that code and see if it is going to change anything...Without that code I was still getting 200 from header response..but it is worth a try...