url not found my site default.htm

[flanok]

Hi,
In Google sitemaps most of sites have come up with http://www.mysite.co.uk/default.htm not found.

I do not have a default.htm page in any of my sites.

Can someone tell me why this has happened and should I create a page to delete it from Google index?

Mark

[Webnauts]

Can you tell the URL?

[flanok]

Hi yes,

http://www.breakdown-cover.net/default.htm
http://www.anthonyrobbins-tickets.co.uk/default.htm
http://www.best-breakdowncover.co.uk/default.htm
http://www.driving-experience.co.uk/default.htm

I have never created these pages, nor linked to them.
They have just appeared in sitemaps as URLS not found.

Thanks
Mark

[Webnauts]

Mark that is a weird story.

You only need to use 301 redirects. If you do not know how, post again. :)

[flanok]

Hi,
Thanks for the reply.
Yes I would like to know how to do 301 direct.

I have read about them in the forum and I think I understand what they do, but have never put a 301 in place.
It seems stange to happen on 4 of my sites and not just one, although they are all from the same webspace provider.
Thanks
Mark

P.S. I have just thought, I have now created links from the above post, should I edit or just allow the redirects to do their job?
Mark

[Webnauts]

Here is a howto: http://www.stevenhargrove.com/redirect-web-pages/

If you still can't do it, send me a PM with your email addess, and I will do it for you. :)

[flanok]

great thanks!

I will give it a go first.
Mark

[Webnauts]

Mark go for it. I will be here if you need help.

[flanok]

Hi again.
I just want ot know if I have done this right for one of my sites. also on further investigation I found other issues to the default.htm issue that I have created some time ago and now I am trying to cure those at the same time
First of all I created the htaccess file in notepad, I have saved it htaccess and not htaccess.txt is this right?

Also because I have several issues now I have listed them. here is my file.

Redirect 301 /breakdown-cover.net/default.htm http://www.breakdown-cover.net/
Redirect 301 /breakdown-cover.net/?european-breakdown-cover http://www.breakdown-cover.net/
Redirect 301 /breakdown-cover.net/?aa-%20breakdown http://www.breakdown-cover.net/
Redirect 301 /breakdown-cover.net/?cheapest-breakdown-cover http://www.breakdown-cover.net/
Redirect 301 /breakdown-cover.net/?car-breakdown-cover http://www.breakdown-cover.net/
Redirect 301 /breakdown-cover.net/?rac http://www.breakdown-cover.net/
Redirect 301 /breakdown-cover.net/?car http://www.breakdown-cover.net/
RewriteEngine On
rewritecond %{http_host} ^breakdown-cover.net
rewriteRule ^(.*) http://www.breakdown-cover.net/$1 [R=301,L]

I have found 2 non www sub pages, do I write this rewrite once for the whole site, or do I repeat it per page that has been duplicated?

Many thanks again
Mark

[Webnauts]

My version:

Redirect 301 /default.htm http://www.breakdown-cover.net/
Redirect 301 /?european-breakdown-cover http://www.breakdown-cover.net/
Redirect 301 /?aa-%20breakdown http://www.breakdown-cover.net/
Redirect 301 /?cheapest-breakdown-cover http://www.breakdown-cover.net/
Redirect 301 /?car-breakdown-cover http://www.breakdown-cover.net/
Redirect 301 /?rac http://www.breakdown-cover.net/
Redirect 301 /?car http://www.breakdown-cover.net/

Options +FollowSymLinks
RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^breakdown-cover\.net
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://www.breakdown-cover.net/$1 [R=permanent,L]

[flanok]

Brilliant,
thanks for comming back so quick.
I presume I was right with the htaccess and not htaccess.txt.
I will upload this straight away.
mark

[flanok]

Just figured it out it is .htaccess and not htaccess.

[Webnauts]

Originally Posted by flanok

Just figured it out it is .htaccess and not htaccess.

Obviously. :)

And please let me know if it works.

[flanok]

I will

thanks again
Mark

[Webnauts]

You are always welcome Mark. :)

[flanok]

Hi,
I am not having much luck at the moment.

I now have a

"General HTTP error
General HTTP error: 500 (Internal server error)"

can this be related to the .htaccess file?

I have tried deleting the file and verifying my site in Google sitemaps again, but this does not work either.
So I am assuming it is a separate issue that could have been there from earlier in the day.

I have emailed my web provider to help me sort it.
I have added the .htaccess to the other 3 sites also and they seem ok, but they did not have the rewrite code in them just the 301 redirect.

any ideas?

Mark

[flanok]

Hi,
I got it working again after deleting the file and waiting abit before resubmitting to sitemaps.
The feedback from my webserver company is the rewrite portion does not work, which makes sense as the other 3 sites I have actioned an htacces file for has worked and did not have the rewrite portion.

So I have now resubmmitted with the rewrite portion taken out.
I copied and pasted as was on the post, should I have left a line between the 301s and rewrite?
Thanks
mark

[incrediblehelp]

Originally Posted by flanok

Can someone tell me why this has happened and should I create a page to delete it from Google index?

Probably because someone (or even you) is linking to that page, then the bots crawl that page and rank it. As Webnauts has described if you getting clicks or crawling on a page (duplicate or not) simply do a 301 redirect.

Remember make sure your not doing any relative linking to /default.htm in your websites code.

[flanok]

Hi,
Yes it has worked with the first of my sites and the default page has done.

Many thanks again
Mark

Now to the other 5 new issues sitemaps have found