Curses these subject lines with a limit. As I was trying to say: Can't set the preferred domain prefix in the G WMT area because it says I have to now verify the non-www version.
This is insane, and I'm not surprised. I was looking at the G WMT area and I see they changed the description of setting a preferred domain prefix. They used to say this was
ONLY for how your pages APPEARED in the search RESULTS--cosmetic only. Now it says something different about the way they "follow a link" to your site and actually treating non-www and www
IBL's to your site totally differently. We all know their dumb bot has been doing this for years, and looking at www and non-www as duplicate content, hence the reason for a 301 redirect. But this is the first I have heard about setting this
once-cosmetic-only preferred domain in the WMT area for this reason.
So, even though I have a 301 redirect going to www, I thought I would set my preferred domain to the www version in the WMT area. Well, I CAN'T! I dot the area for www, and get this:
Part of the process of setting a preferred domain is to verify that you own http://***********.com/. Please verify http://********.com/.
WTF?? How in the hell can anyone "verify" a
NON-www page when
there is a 301 www redirect site-wide???? Furthermore, note that it is saying above that I have to verify the
NON-www version, even though I'm
directing to the www version. So, apparently trying to set a preferred version is totally useless for those using a 301 redirect!
I go to the verification area, and it says this:
Use this page to reverify all currently verified owners of this site.
Ensure the verification file or meta tag is still in place for your account.
Your verification file: google*****************.html
The meta tags or verification files below may exist on your site.
You are the only verified site owner.
Yet, it is still apparently saying that I have to verify the non-www version of my site. Brilliant.
So how is one supposed to set the preferred domain?? I know that even with this new description it still may not be necessary with a 301, but you know G, and you can't take any chances with them, they'll take any reason to penalize you.
Thanks Guys.
