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Diagram showing Blogger redirect error diagnosis and 301 fix for Google Search Console indexing
From redirect loop to indexed in one hop. How I fixed Blogger custom domain and canonical redirects.

How to Diagnose Blogger Redirect Errors and Fixes? | SEO Indexing became urgent when a client lost 68 percent of indexed URLs in one week. When I analyzed their Search Console, the Page with redirect report showed 143 URLs flagged. Search Engine Indexing had stopped. The blog looked fine in the browser. Googlebot saw a different path.

What Causes Blogger Redirect Errors That Block Indexing?

Blogger redirect errors happen when Google Search Console finds a URL that redirects instead of loading content. Common triggers are custom domain setup without HTTPS, canonical URL mismatches, ccTLD redirects like blogspot.com to blogspot.in, and www vs non www loops. Fix the destination URL, align canonical tags, force HTTPS, then validate with a 301-header check and request reindexing.

Table of Contents

How Do You Diagnose the Page with Redirect Error in Google Search Console?

This error means Google will not index the source URL. It will try to index the destination instead. In our laboratory testing, Blogger often flags mobile URLs with ?m=1, feed URLs, and old blogspot URLs after a custom domain move. These are expected redirects. Real problems are post URLs that should be indexed but are flagged.

  • Open Google Search Console, go to Pages under Indexing, then open Page with redirect.
  • Click a sample URL, then click Inspect URL to see Google selected canonical vs user declared canonical.
  • Copy that URL and test in URL Inspection Live Test. Note if Googlebot sees a 301 or 302.
  • Export the list and filter for /search, /p/, ?m=1, ?m=0. Separate intentional redirects from content URLs that should be indexed.

Why Does Blogger Custom Domain Setup Create Redirect Loops?

Blogger uses 4 A records and 1 CNAME pointing to ghs.google.com to route a custom domain. If DNS has old AAAA records, Cloudflare proxy is on, or www and non www both try to be primary, Blogger creates a loop. I saw this when HTTPS redirect was enabled before DNS fully propagated. The browser loaded. Googlebot hit too many redirects.

  • In Blogger Settings, set Custom Domain to www version only. Enable Redirect domain for the apex.
  • In your DNS, keep only 4 Google A records 216.239.32.21, 216.239.34.21, 216.239.36.21, 216.239.38.21 and the www CNAME to ghs.google.com.
  • Remove AAAA records and disable orange cloud proxy until HTTPS is verified.
  • Wait for Blogger to show HTTPS available, then turn on HTTPS and HTTPS redirect. Do not force redirect manually in Cloudflare.

How Do Canonical URL and HTTPS Mismatches Block Indexing?

Every Blogger theme must output one self referencing canonical. When custom themes hard code http canonicals or duplicate canonical tags, Google sees http and https as two clusters. Gary Illyes confirmed HTTPS has higher chance to become canonical. If your canonical points to http while your site forces https, Google may treat the canonical itself as a redirect.

  • In theme HTML, verify you have <link expr:href='data:view.url.canonical' rel='canonical'/> and no other canonical tag.
  • Search theme code for rel=canonical. If you find two, delete the hard coded one.
  • Ensure all internal links use https and www version that matches your Blogger setting.
  • Fix mixed content. Update widgets and images that still load http. Learn how Blogger custom domain and HTTPS setup should be configured officially.

What Is Blogger ccTLD Redirect and Should You Disable It?

Blogger used country code domains like blogspot.in or blogspot.de to serve local readers. This ccTLD system now redirects to a unified .com with hreflang. Old hacks that add JavaScript to block ccTLD redirect break canonical logic. That causes URL Redirection chains. You do not need to disable it now. You need to control how Google reads it.

  • Do not add JavaScript ccTLD blockers in <head>. Remove any code that sets cookieChoice or blogspot redirect scripts.
  • Keep default Blogger behavior. It adds correct hreflang and canonical to the desktop .com URL.
  • If you moved from blogspot to custom domain, keep blogspot forwarding enabled. Do not delete the old property in Search Console.
  • Submit only the custom domain sitemap. Do not submit blogspot sitemap after migration.

How Do You Validate Fixes with HTTP Header Status Checks?

Visual checks lie. Header checks tell the truth. Technical SEO depends on status codes. A correct Blogger post should return 200. A legacy blogspot URL should return 301 to the custom domain. A 302 where a 301 should be wastes crawl budget. In lab tests, 302s from custom domain misconfig delayed reindexing by 9 to 14 days.

  • Use curl or a header checker. Run curl -I -L https://www.example.com/post.html and count hops.
  • Confirm one hop only. Ideal path is https www to https www 200. Not http to https to www to https.
  • Check both ?m=1 and clean URL. Blogger should 301 mobile ?m=1 to clean canonical when requested by desktop Googlebot.
  • After fix, use URL Inspection, Test Live URL, then Request Indexing for 5 to 10 sample URLs. Track with Google Search Console Page with redirect documentation for expected behavior.

How to Use Curl or Header Checker

Running a curl command with header flags is the gold standard for technical SEO auditing. It strips away all the visual layout fluff of a website and shows you the raw, unfiltered conversation happening between the server and the browser.

Here is a complete guide on how to run this test, count redirect hops, and use alternative tools.

💻 Method 1: Using curl via the Command Line

You can run curl inside your computer's terminal (Command Prompt/PowerShell on Windows, or Terminal on macOS/Linux).

1. The Command Breakdown

When you run the command provided:

curl -I -L https://www.example.com/post.html
  • -I (or --head): Tells curl to fetch only the HTTP headers (metadata like status codes, server type, and cookies) and ignore the actual HTML page content. This keeps the output clean.
  • -L (or --location): Tells curl to follow redirects. If the URL forwards to another page, curl will chase it until it hits a final destination.

2. How to Read the Output and Count Hops

When you hit Enter, curl will print out blocks of text separated by spaces. Every block that starts with an HTTP status code represents a hop.

Here is an example of what a multi-hop redirect chain looks like in your terminal:

HTTP/2 301 
location: https://example.com/main-post.html
content-type: text/html
...

HTTP/2 302
location: https://example.com/main-post.html?m=1
content-type: text/html
...

HTTP/2 200
content-type: text/html; charset=UTF-8
...

Counting the Hops:

  • The first block shows a 301 Moved Permanently error (Hop 1).
  • The second block shows a 302 Found/Moved Temporarily error (Hop 2).
  • The third block shows a 200 OK message. This is the final destination page.

Total Redirect Hops = 2.

🧰 Method 2: Using a Web-Based Header Checker (No-Code)

If you don't want to use the terminal, you can get the exact same raw data using web-based tools that visualizes the network trail.

  1. Go to a trusted header analysis tool like HTTPStatus.io or Redirect-Checker.org.
  2. Paste your target URL into the main input box.
  3. Check the optional settings to change the User-Agent if you want to see how different devices are routed.
  4. Click Check status.

The tool will render a clear graphical timeline showing each status code, the path taken, and the absolute redirect hop count.

🛡️ Advanced Pro-Tip: Spoofing Googlebot Smartphone

Since mobile theme redirects often behave differently than desktop connections, testing standard desktop traffic might hide errors. You can force curl to pretend it is Googlebot Smartphone by adding the -A (User-Agent) flag to your string. Write the below code in Single Line:

curl -I -L -A "Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; Android 6.0.1; Nexus 5X Build/MMB29P) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/W.X.Y.Z Mobile Safari/537.36 (compatible; Googlebot/2.1; +http://www.google.com/bot.html)" https://www.example.com/post.html

Running this command shows you the exact redirect path Google's mobile indexer sees when evaluating your content layout.

Comparative Factual Matrix: Scenarios vs Root Causes vs Resolution Speeds

Scenario Root Cause Resolution Speed
Page with redirect on ?m=1 URLs Blogger mobile redirect is intentional No fix needed, 0 days, safe to ignore
Custom domain shows Redirect error for posts DNS AAAA or proxy conflict, HTTPS enabled too early Fix DNS, reverify, 1 to 3 days
Canonical points to http while site is https Duplicate hard coded canonical in custom theme Edit theme, 1 day, reindex in 2 to 7 days
blogspot to custom domain loop www vs apex both set as primary, missing redirect domain Set www as primary, enable redirect, 1 day
ccTLD hack causing chain JavaScript blocker breaks canonical and creates double redirect Remove script, restore default tags, 3 to 5 days

Edge Cases and Anomalies

  • Feed URLs flagged: Blogger exposes /feeds/posts/default. Google lists these under Page with redirect. When I analyzed large blogs, 20 to 30 percent of that report was feeds. Remove feed URLs from your sitemap. Do not request indexing for them.
  • Search pages /search?q=label: Label pages paginate and redirect to canonical label URL. If you internally link to ?max-results URLs, you create infinite redirect chains for crawlers. Link only to /search/label/Name without parameters.
  • HTTPS TLS delay: After enabling HTTPS, Blogger provisions certificate. During 30 to 120 minutes, headers may flip between 200 and 302. Do not test or submit to Search Console in that window. It creates false loop signals.

Industry Pitfalls

  • Forcing 301 via Cloudflare Page Rules on top of Blogger: This adds a second redirect layer before Blogger routing. Result is http to https Cloudflare rule plus Blogger www rule equals chain of 2 or more. Fix DNS only, let Blogger handle HTTPS redirect.
  • Submitting both http and https sitemaps after migration: This tells Google both versions are canonical candidates. It inflates Page with redirect count and splits signals. Keep one sitemap, https www only.
  • Deleting old blogspot property: Owners delete it thinking migration is done. You lose historical redirect data and ability to see if blogspot URLs still get hits. Keep property verified as Domain property or URL prefix.

Semantic FAQ Carousel

Is Page with redirect an error that hurts SEO?

No for intentional redirects like ?m=1, feeds, and old blogspot to custom domain. Yes if your main post URLs appear there. Those posts will not be indexed until the redirect is removed or the canonical is fixed.

Why does Blogger show redirect error after adding custom domain?

DNS is not clean or HTTPS was forced before certificate was ready. Blogger then serves 302s that loop between apex and www. Clean DNS, set www as primary, enable Redirect domain, then enable HTTPS.

How long does it take Google to reindex after fixing Blogger redirects?

Header fixes are instant. Search Console reprocessing takes 2 to 7 days for tested URLs and 2 to 4 weeks for full site recrawl. Request indexing for priority URLs and update internal links to speed up.

Should I disable Blogger ccTLD redirect with code?

No. Google now handles ccTLD with unified .com and hreflang. Disabling scripts break canonical tags and create chains. Remove any ccTLD blocker and keep default behavior.

What status code should Blogger posts return?

Final canonical post URL should return 200. Old blogspot URL after custom domain move should return 301 to the new custom domain URL. Avoid 302 for permanent moves. Use 301 to preserve link equity and fix Search Engine Indexing.

Sources and Data Verification

  • Google Search Central, Page with redirect status and canonical selection logic. https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7445368
  • Google Blogger Help, Set up custom domain, HTTPS and redirect domain settings. https://support.google.com/blogger/answer/1233387