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We would like to get some insight on what is the best practice of setting up canonical URLs in the below scenario.

CMS used: Liferay – we believe they are using java. The URL structure at this stage can not be changed to best practices (/en/ and /ar/). Currently the language redirections works like this:

English: https://www.website.com/page1?AF_language=en

Arabic: https://www.website.com/page1?AF_language=ar

Depending how you entered the website last time the root URL will show English or Arabic content without the ‘sufix’:

https://www.website.com/page1

All 3 different URL’s are being indexed on Google - which is causing duplication and confusion.

We have a few ideas:

Have 2 main URLS:

https://www.website.com/page1?AF_language=en and have the canonical set to https://www.website.com/page1?AF_language=en

https://www.website.com/page1?AF_language=ar and have canonical set to https://www.website.com/page1?AF_language=ar

However, how would you handle the root page which does not have a specific language attached. If we need to make a choice we would go with Arabic, as mainly Arabic pages are indexed on Google with the root domain. This way we would (hopefully) retain the rankings for this.

Question: did anybody had to deal with a similar situation? What would you do in a similar situation and why?

Thanks for all your input.

Hi there,

I saw a notable difference between the number of backlinks from ref domains to my website in search console and majestic.

I basically have two questions: why such a difference? And which tool gives me the most accurate number between these two?

Thank you!

I found the answer I was after here: http://moz.com/ugc/is-your-website-being-replaced-with-google-plus-local-listings

Hi everyone,I was wondering why on my ranking report there is a fluctuation between the local listing page and the domain name page. Is it a way to always get the domain name ranking higher than the local listing?Thanks for your support,RM

Mark, glad you like the blog. I'm writing more at Search Engine Land these days if you want to check it out. The other columnists writing about mobile search usually also have great things to say.

I wrote a column recently on how to best optimize a mobile site, and wouldn't recommend responsive design if you're not simply duplicating the desktop site. In fact, though there is debate about how to build a mobile site for visibility in search, even proponents of one URL like Michael Martin would not recommend responsive design without a one to one relationship.

Good luck!

Mike, thanks for the mention. Appreciate it. I also wrote a separate column in Search Engine Land on mobile link building if you're interested, Mark.

Mike, I agree with you frequently, but there are two things you said here that I strongly disagree with:

1. "Aside from the queries that return hyperlocal results the only true differentiation for mobile search over Desktop is made for dump phones like Motorola RAZRs and early Blackberrys rather than iPhones and Androids. "

Google actually has a smartphone Googlebot now, which they use to present mobile sites in smartphone search results. It's called skip redirect/Old Possum and I have pictures of it in the wild here. Beyond that I've actually detailed 14 differences between desktop and smartphone search results, though I agree they can seem similar at first glance.

2. "You should use the stylesheet in order to make use of link equity garnered by the desktop site."

This is a popular myth, as mobile URLs that are duplicates can rank without link equity due to Google's inclusion of mobile URLs through smartphone Googlebot. In addition, it misses opportunities from creating mobile content to address mobile search behavior, as I've explained most recently in Search Engine Land here. Better to build your site using a hybrid model with both responsive and dedicated mobile URLs.

As you say, there is a split in the SEO community, but I have yet to see proponents of responsive design argue against the missed opportunities with mobile content or display evidence of split link equity preventing mobile content from ranking on smartphones. If you have it, I'd love to see it.

As always, love to see others discussing mobile SEO, and trying to come closer to standards for this relatively early discipline.

Popular tactic, but usually makes a site less visible to mobile searchers, not more. Wrote in Search Engine Land last year about how disallowing their mobile site made Home Depot nearly impossible to find in search here: http://searchengineland.com/why-mobile-friendly-is-not-mobile-seo-66192

Better to properly redirect user agents, including Googlebot mobile and smartphone Googlebot as Google explains here: http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2011/12/introducing-smartphone-googlebot-mobile.html

I really wouldn't recommend this as you're potentially making your site invisible to smartphone searchers. Googlebot mobile is Google's featurephone crawler and smartphone searchers usually get a variation of the desktop index. There's no need to use robots.txt at all if you properly redirect Googlebot mobile and smartphone Googlebot, as the right pages will be presented to the right searchers.

Cyrus, thanks for the mention. Appreciate it.

Glad to see more people talking about mobile SEO. I agree responsive web design can work well for duplicate pages, but I think there's often a case to be made for dedicated mobile content. I also think SEOs in general are too concerned with splitting link equity between desktop and mobile sites when mobile sites can rank without link equity with Google's Skip Redirect/Old Possum update in December. I have a mobile search column in Search Engine Land where I discussed responsive design and SEO if you're interested in learning more: http://searchengineland.com/for-mobile-seo-ask-what-do-mobile-searchers-need-116072

The best way to build a mobile site for better visibility in search is really to build a hybrid of responsive pages and dedicated mobile content. I've detailed the process here: http://searchengineland.com/how-to-best-optimize-your-mobile-site-for-seo-112940

This actually isn't true. Google has indexed mobile sites for years and showed them when relevant. But now with Google's Old Possum/Skip Redirect update in December you start to see a lot more mobile URLs ranking in smartphone search where desktop URLs were previously. Screenshots of Old Possum in the wild here: http://www.brysonmeunier.com/skip-redirectold-possum-in-google-smartphone-search-results/

Hi Mark,

If your desktop searchers and mobile searchers have similar interests and intents, and use similar keywords to locate similar concepts, then responsive design will be an adequate solution for mobile SEO. In most cases, however, mobile searchers have different needs and use different keywords than desktop searchers, and sites constructed with the principles of responsive design without addressing mobile users and keywords will have decreased engagement and be eligible for fewer keywords than a site that has an optimized mobile home page and site architecture with additional pages for mobile-specific visitors. In that sense responsive design is a step towards optimization, but will never be as optimized as a well-optimized mobile site. See my recent column in Search Engine Land for an example of how Walgreens designed their mobile site in a way that addresses mobile searchers concerns in a way that responsive design will never be able to: http://searchengineland.com/how-to-best-optimize-your-mobile-site-for-seo-112940

That article outlines the process I recommend for optimizing mobile sites to be truly competitive in mobile search, so that should answer your first question. As for the others...

> do I need to submit a mobile sitemap to Google?

No, but it doesn't hurt. As I explained in another SEL article about mobile SEO myths:

These can help with indexing feature phone content, and for letting Google know that you want your content to appear in their index of accessible mobile content. But if you’re indexing smartphone content, you don’t need it, says Google’s John Mueller. To back him up on this, none of the ranking sites in the upcoming Resolution Media study on smartphone search results used mobile sitemaps.

Mobile sitemaps probably can’t hurt, and like Web sitemaps, they could help sites get more unique content indexed, but they’re not necessary for mobile SEO unless you’re concerned about indexing feature phone content.

**>Do I need to link from the mobile page to the corresponding page on the desktop site and vice versa? **

No, but it is a best practice from a usability standpoint as some searchers are going to prefer your full site. Especially if they can't easily find what they're looking for on your mobile site.A link from your desktop site helps with search engine discovery, so it is helpful, though not completely necessary from an SEO standpoint.

>Will Googlebot Mobile naturally find the site from the desktop link?

Maybe, but it's better to properly redirect Googlebot mobile and smartphone Googlebot to your feature phone and smartphone sites, respectively. I would also verify your site(s) in Google and Bing Webmaster Tools, as in my experience that is the fastest way to get new sites indexed.

>What about link building for mobile sites, any thoughts on this, are there specific mobile sites that will link such as directories for a start?

I wrote an article on mobile link building at Search Engine Land, giving five easy steps for beginners:

http://searchengineland.com/better-mobile-linkbuilding-in-5-easy-steps-86410

It contains a link to my blog, where I have a list of several hundred mobile directories

>Any other tips or resources? Any SEOMoz resources on this?

Rand doesn't believe in mobile SEO, as he's under the mistaken impression that search engines are platform agnostic, in spite of the the evidence to the contrary. As it is, there hasn't been much written here on the subject.

Would definitely recommend reading more of my column, as you have asked a lot of questions about things I've addressed in my column in the past. The other columnists who write regularly on mobile search at Search Engine Land also give great advice.

Here are a few more resources to check out:

My Natural Search and Mobile SEO Blog, where I've been writing about mobile SEO since 2007

Cindy Krum's Mobile Moxie site, that has tools and info on the subject

Sherwood Stranieri's Bars of Signal blog

Interview with the three of us on BlueTrain Mobile

Covario also has a good white paper by Michael Martin

>What about the same domain versus the subdomain debate about hosting the mobile site? Any thoughts?

If you want to spot a newbie to mobile SEO, ask him/her if mobile pages split link equity and prevent mobile pages from ranking. The concept makes sense in theory, but mobile content is a different paradigm, and properly redirected pages will actually appear in search results as of December 2011 regardless of link equity. And Google had been doing a pretty good job prior to that distinguishing mobile pages from desktop pages and displaying the most appropriate content: http://searchengineland.com/dont-penalize-yourself-mobile-sites-are-not-duplicate-content-40380

As I recommend in the how to article above, an m.domain.com site is preferred for mobile homepages and other mobile-specific landing pages. For all transcoded desktop content it's fine to use responsive design with the same URL.

Hope this helps!

Best,
Bryson