304 "If Modified Header" Triggers Error in Google Ads?
-
We have a client who is launch some Google Ads campaigns, and they recently asked us to fix 304 "Errors" on their website as per this feedback:
"When we inspected the website we came across a number of 304 status errors. In order to get the ads running, we will need all of the website domain status codes converted to 200. “
Of course, all of their website pages return a 200 Status, it's just the HTTP headers that additionally clarify with a 304 Response (not an error).
Has anyone else ever run into this issue with Google Ads? IMHO it makes no sense to remove this functionality. Google has even recommended in the past to use this it:
https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2008/11/date-with-googlebot-part-ii-http-status.html
Thanks for any tips or feedback!
-
So - we pushed back a bit because we seriously couldn't fathom why we'd need to remove all of the 304 functionality from the website due to a directive from the Google Ads team.
Turns out, our gut instinct was right. The client's PPC agency ended up giving the Google Ads team a call, and then they learned that there was actually a 404 error happening (face palm) for one page. Not a 304.
Leaving this post here for good measure in case this ever happens to anyone else. Watch out for typos!
-
This means that Google believe there is an error with the landing pages which you have entered for your ads. 9 times out of 10, this comes down to someone putting the wrong URL into the Google Ads back-end and then having issues. This is especially the case for 3XX errors which usually indicate that redirects are at play. In your case, the story seems to be a bit different
Google is telling you that when they visit your landing URLs for your ads, instead of the ad connecting straight to the page, Google gets redirected:
"The HTTP
**304 Not Modified**client redirection response code indicates that there is no need to retransmit the requested resources. It is an implicit redirection to a cached resource."So basically, Google cannot load your landing page because they are being redirected to a cache of the landing page instead of the live URL. This is unlikely to be down to someone entering the URL incorrectly in Google Ads (as that would be more likely to spawn a 301, 302 or 307). If you keep serving Google a cached version of your landing page, they can't know what's underneath of that redirect. As such, they can't trust the contents of the web-page
Some unscrupulous marketers, might use a 304 to get Google to evaluate a fake landing page, then send actual users to a completely different landing page (other than the one which Google evaluated). My guess is, this is a vulnerability which Google are unwilling to tolerate on their ads platform
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
301 Redirects and Google Shopping Feeds
I am moving my site from Volusion to Shopify. The domain remains the same but the URL paths are different. With respect to my Google Shopping feed, is it best to send old URLs (with 301 redirects) or to send the new URLs?
Paid Search Marketing | | vgusvg0 -
Can Google shopping listings affect SEO rankings?
Hello everyone. Here is my question: Until 4 weeks ago we used to have just around 2,000 product/pages on Google shopping of our product pages, then we added over 40,000 more items/pages to it, and our Google natural search rankings dropped on most of our long-tail keywords pointing to the same product pages. Do you think that's just coincidence or could the number of products/pages on Google shopping affect natural search results?
Paid Search Marketing | | fablau0 -
Google Account verification requires phone number - too many clients!
Hello, all! I like to create a Google Account for my smaller clients, so that I can associate Analytics, AdWords, GMB, etc. all with the same account. Problem: I've used my phone number too many times, so I can't get the new account verified. I've also used all three of the other phones in our family. 🙂 I tried using the "Burner" iPhone app to create a new number, but apparently the all-knowing Google even has info on phone numbers, as it returned "This phone number cannot be used for verification." I'm sure that there's an obvious solution out there - who among you has found it, and is willing to share?! 🙂
Paid Search Marketing | | measurableROI0 -
How to deal with the InCorrect Price Issue for the Google Shopping Product Listing Ads?
Hello All, Yesterday when i was checking with the one of the search term for "canvas prints"..i come to know that one of the advertiser EasyCanvasPrints.com is showing Incorrect price. On Search result they guys are showing $7.46 incorrect price for the PLA - Product listing ads. Go to below links: https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=webhp&tbs=vw:l,mr:1,seller:8521978&tbm=shop&q=canvas+prints&sa=X&ved=0CJkGELMrahUKEwjmj-PSgfzIAhUHBY4KHc0VBBQ https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=canvas+prints&tbm=shop https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=canvas+prints&start=0 But when we click on it then i can not this price $7.46 http://www.easycanvasprints.com/single-canvas?singlecanvas=1&height=19&width=14&pcode=5345334C6B74647246774137536C786768544B5458776C35644F747855796D39&utm_source=google_base&utm_medium=data_feed I have done various claim and send to Google support about this misguiding price for the Easy Canvas Prints but they not taking any actions on it. Guy Can u please help me how can i pass this message to Google to take actions for this advertiser? Waiting for your reply Regards Dinesh
Paid Search Marketing | | CommercePundit0 -
Site penalized by google
I noticed for a while that our competitors don't rank for any keywords organically and they are using paid ads to gain traffic. They have been in the industry for over 6 years and we are only new and have ranked above them already. How can we find out if a competitor has been penalized? Thanks
Paid Search Marketing | | edward-may0 -
Google Display Network had 3000 new placements in May
Hi all, I'm running through traffic figures from May as there was a huge spike. This is down to a spike in Adwords, specifically the Display Network. In May 2014, there is a total of 4337 placements. In April 2014, there is a total of 1561 placements. With nearly 3000 new placements where the ad could be shown, would anybody be able to explain as to how and why this has happened? I've run through the change history, and nothing i've done explains the extra placements. Auto add placements was on, but has been on for 12 months with no more than 50 extra per month. The only change that has been done that may link is I've added a mobile phone extension on ads displayed on mobile devices? The significant extra cost has been of no benefit to the campaign, as the advert displayed on various apps, forums and irrelevant websites.Would be great if anybody could shed some light here! Thank You
Paid Search Marketing | | Whittie0 -
Two google analytics accounts on one site.
I've got a client who is using a third party for cpc ads, to track these we need to give the third party admin access to google analytics. Being that we are seeing massive discrepancies in reported cpc ads and refunds etc.. have been offered, I can't trust that as an admin they won't delete the profile with all data proving reason for refund. Can we create a second google analytics account (not profile) to protect the data? We want to give access to sensis to the new account so we can start seeing the cpc separation in traffic source from now while ensuring the existing account can't disappear.
Paid Search Marketing | | salemtas0 -
Adding nyc to a keyword in Google Adwords
Hello. If I have a keyword in Google Adwords that is using phrase match ("keyword"), could it be useful to add the keyword phrase "keyword nyc"? Even if I did not add the second keyword phrase, my ad would be triggered if someone searched for "keyword nyc." So would it be redundant to add the second keyword phrase? Thank you!
Paid Search Marketing | | nyc-seo0
