Comments on: Express newspaper creates an infinite number of URLs using rel = canonical http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/rel-canonical-infinite-express/ Where to find Malcolm Coles, reviews, and tips on how to do things I couldn't do. Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:22:31 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: Alan Bleiweiss http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/rel-canonical-infinite-express/#comment-28255 Alan Bleiweiss Tue, 24 May 2011 19:11:37 +0000 http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/?p=6016#comment-28255 hahahahaha Malcom, while the shear volume of it trumps my client site issue, the fact that this is just ONE problem, is superseded by my client's multiple layers of different problems. SO I'd say my client site wins from the "shear pathetic stupidity of the developers" perspective. Not by much though. Not by much at all... :-) hahahahaha Malcom, while the shear volume of it trumps my client site issue, the fact that this is just ONE problem, is superseded by my client's multiple layers of different problems.

SO I'd say my client site wins from the "shear pathetic stupidity of the developers" perspective. Not by much though. Not by much at all...

:-)

]]> By: Simon Heseltine http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/rel-canonical-infinite-express/#comment-22797 Simon Heseltine Fri, 06 May 2011 13:35:52 +0000 http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/?p=6016#comment-22797 ...and they have the same issue as the Independent had / the Sun has re: only the article ID being the unique identifier. Which is why they have http://www.express.co.uk/features/view/244786/AV-referendum-Why-we-must-vote-NO & http://www.express.co.uk/features/view/244786/AV-referendum-Why-we-must-vote-NO-to-the-new-voting-system in the index... Canonical tags can be great, but they have to be implemented right, and a little bit of testing doesn't go amiss ...and they have the same issue as the Independent had / the Sun has re: only the article ID being the unique identifier. Which is why they have

http://www.express.co.uk/features/view/244786/AV-referendum-Why-we-must-vote-NO
&
http://www.express.co.uk/features/view/244786/AV-referendum-Why-we-must-vote-NO-to-the-new-voting-system

in the index...

Canonical tags can be great, but they have to be implemented right, and a little bit of testing doesn't go amiss

]]> By: Matt Kelly http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/rel-canonical-infinite-express/#comment-22793 Matt Kelly Fri, 06 May 2011 13:31:13 +0000 http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/?p=6016#comment-22793 didn't understand a bloody word of that but it sounds freakin' awful. glad you're on our side! didn't understand a bloody word of that but it sounds freakin' awful. glad you're on our side!

]]> By: Gerry White http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/rel-canonical-infinite-express/#comment-22722 Gerry White Fri, 06 May 2011 08:46:11 +0000 http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/?p=6016#comment-22722 I have seen this so often in sitemaps - where this same reason causes duplication and sitemaps created from crawling have this repetition in them... I thought that Google would be better at fixing this and similar issues though! (even if I think that Google shouldn't have to) I have seen this so often in sitemaps - where this same reason causes duplication and sitemaps created from crawling have this repetition in them... I thought that Google would be better at fixing this and similar issues though! (even if I think that Google shouldn't have to)

]]> By: Malcolm Coles http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/rel-canonical-infinite-express/#comment-22689 Malcolm Coles Fri, 06 May 2011 07:35:28 +0000 http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/?p=6016#comment-22689 Some testing might have been in order. Some newspapers suffer from CMSes that create multiple versions of URLs for different sections (ie with /section/ in the URL) etc - 301ing often isn't an option for their current implementations (as you'll lose section specific rules about layout, colour etc). Better CMSes are the ultimate solution of course! Some testing might have been in order. Some newspapers suffer from CMSes that create multiple versions of URLs for different sections (ie with /section/ in the URL) etc - 301ing often isn't an option for their current implementations (as you'll lose section specific rules about layout, colour etc). Better CMSes are the ultimate solution of course!

]]> By: Peter Young http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/rel-canonical-infinite-express/#comment-22688 Peter Young Fri, 06 May 2011 07:16:24 +0000 http://www.malcolmcoles.co.uk/blog/?p=6016#comment-22688 Amazing how an organisation such as the Express can get something like this so so wrong, but they aren't the first and they certainly wont be the last. I for one, am not wholly against canonical tags, they do have a very useful function in certain specific instances, however I am increasingly seeing more widespread implementations of these around various campaigns and not always in implementations I would deem relevant and where other options such as 301's may be better alternatives. Amazing how an organisation such as the Express can get something like this so so wrong, but they aren't the first and they certainly wont be the last.

I for one, am not wholly against canonical tags, they do have a very useful function in certain specific instances, however I am increasingly seeing more widespread implementations of these around various campaigns and not always in implementations I would deem relevant and where other options such as 301's may be better alternatives.

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