Google is identifying duplicate meta description and title errors for all pages that have comment boxes. For example, the following pages have the same description, page contents and title:
http://www.wikiwealth.com/research:tsra/comments/show
http://www.wikiwealth.com/research:tsra
When this happens, Google ranks both pages lower. To fix this issue, I've had to remove most of my comment boxes. I'd rather keep the boxes, so if there is an easy solution, I would prefer to allow my user to add comments.
This also causes issues: http://www.wikiwealth.com/research:tsra/p/2
This is a problem when I create a link directly to it: http://www.wikiwealth.com/research:tsra/edit/true
I assume you will get a significant boost to all Wikidot websites with this fix. I'll keep reporting any SEO errors I come across
Thank you so much!
Thanks, we will be looking at this issue. There are a few solutions that, one of which is specifying a canonical url as described here: http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2009/02/specify-your-canonical.html
We will look into this and make a solution for all Wikidot sites.
Michał Frąckowiak @ Wikidot Inc.
Visit my blog at michalf.me
Canonical links was added on pages with "/comments/show".
Bartłomiej Bąkowski @ Wikidot Inc.
';.;' TeRq (Write PM)
Fantastic. That will eliminate thousands of errors. Thank you!
WikiWealth.com - Stock, Fund, Commodity & Currency Research | SWOT Analysis, WACC
Is there any way to add canonical links for Listpages @URLs (e.g. "mypage/tags/_current")?
BMC Creative | RoaringApps | @brycecammo
What are canonical links?
It tells search engines that the current page is the same as the canonical link.
BMC Creative | RoaringApps | @brycecammo
Do you mean:
on page "http://site.wikidot.com/mypage/tags/_current" create canonical link to:
???
Bartłomiej Bąkowski @ Wikidot Inc.
';.;' TeRq (Write PM)
Yes :)
BMC Creative | RoaringApps | @brycecammo
Rather not, as the ListPages (with different arguments) may be a unique content.
Bartłomiej Bąkowski @ Wikidot Inc.
';.;' TeRq (Write PM)
I'm glad this was done. I've never noticed this happening with any of my pages but with a forum it could be even worse since each time a thread is created from someone commenting on an article, the result is a link the page with "comments/show" that google could see as a duplicate page. Never thought of of it but thanks, WikiWealth, for catching on to it. And thanks for fixing it, Wikidot.
Edit* I have noticed, in the past, searches being directed to pages like this, with comments open, but I never put two and two together and saw it as a problem.