"new-post" Duplicate Content?

I had a question about the vBulletin quick links for the "goto=newpost" links on our forum.

Everything I've read about good SEO says, that you shouldn't have two different URL's showing the same content.

Our vbseo, and others I've seen point the "new post" to the same page but different URL's.

So for example in the "Last Post" column, we have:

Code:

<a href="http://forum.com/forum-title/12345-forum-title-new-post.html">Forum Title</a>

But that same page exists as:

Code:

<a href="http://forum.com/forum-title/12345-forum-title.html">Forum Title</a>

On that forum's (http://forum.com/forum-title/) sub page.

So wouldnt this count as duplicate content?

It's not a problem as the 'new post' URL is 301 redirected to the Thread URL with vBSEO.
For example, when you visit :

vbseo.com/f2/new-post-duplicate-content-33200-new/

you will be redirected to :

vbseo.com/f2/new-post-duplicate-content-33200/#post[ID of the First New Post]

Originally Posted by Shadab

It's not a problem as the 'new post' URL is 301 redirected to the Thread URL with vBSEO.

No, you are wrong, "goto=newpost" use 302 redirect and "goto=newpost" pages are indexed by googlebot causing duplicate content, check here: Google

Even with vbseo installed "newpost" still use 302 redirect, check here:

HTTP / HTTPS Header Check => Enter the URL: "new-post" Duplicate Content? - vBulletin SEO Forums => result is: HTTP/1.1 302 Found

vBSEO has a feature: "Direct Links to Threads For Guest Visitors", but it "reduce functionality for non-members". When I disable it, googlebot is indexing many urls like www.*******.***/example123-new/ disorganizing logical structure of my forum and making a lot of duplicate content.

It should be 301 redirect instead of 302. I don't like "Direct Links..." because it reducing functionality and on the other hand I don't want to make duplicate content on my forum. What should I do? Is there any method to change "goto=newpost" 302 redirect to 301 redirect which not cause duplicate indexing?

Google doesn't index ANYTHING that is not a 200. It will not index a 302, nor a 301..... It indexes the end source only.

The 302 is in place in stead of a 301 because "new" does not denote a final location. A new post can bump it a page, making "...-page2.html" the ultimate source for the time being. 301 means permanent. And with a dynamic of growing, it is the wrong redirect to use.

I've tried several queries in google such as
site:vbseo.com "-new" - Google Search

and cannot find a single url indexed ending with -new/ denoting the go to new post.

Originally Posted by Brian Cummiskey

Google doesn't index ANYTHING that is not a 200. It will not index a 302, nor a 301..... It indexes the end source only.
.....
I've tried several queries in google such as
site:vbseo.com "-new" - Google Search

You can't fint indexed ".... - new" pages for vBSEO.com because here vbseo.com uses enabled option: "Direct Links to Threads For Guest Visitors" and guest and googlebot don't see any "...-new" pages. Please disable that option for a few hours and you will find a lot of "...-new" pages in google index. If you still don't believe that google is indexing 302 "new" vbulletin pages, please check here:

prezone.pl inurl:"new-post"

I see a lot "new-post" pages, they are indexed, click one from that index, and you will be redirected to source, but pages are in index.

Another one site:

site:www.aberdeen-music.com/forums/ inurl:"new-post" - Google Search

Next:

http://www.google.com/search?q=site:...st%22&start=20

etc...

Googlebot is indexig 302 redirected vbulletin and vbseo pages, that can cause duplicate content and it is disorganizing logical structure of my forum. Solution is to enable "Direct Links to Threads For Guest Visitors" option but it reduce functionality for non members. So I have suggestion:

1. For logged-in members vbseo should use default "new-post" behavior.
2. For non-logged-in and googlebot, vbseo should:

a) forum has new posts - still use "new-post" links
b) forum has no new posts - use direct or eventually 301 links to "last post"

Googlebot don't use cookies, so it always see that forum don't has new posts and will only index links to last posts not duplicate "new-post" pages. It'is good sollution because non-logged-in users still have full forum functionality.

This shouldn't happen... i will flag this for developers to investigate.

Hello,

the "goto new post" redirect if performed by vBulletin, vBSEO just re-directs dynamic URL to rewritten one.
You can modify showthread.php file to change the http code for this redirect (exec_header_redirect() function call in case 'newpost' statement).
However, there is a logic here to have 302 (temporary) redirect for this link, since in point of time it redirects to URL1, and later on when there are more posts it will redirect to URL2.
Perhaps, the best option is to have enabled vBSEO's feature for "direct links for guests" - in this case there will be no "newpost" links for bots.

You are right, it is logic to have 302 redirect for "new-posts" links, but it is good to prevent that links from indexing.

I have "Direct Links to Threads For Guest Visitors" disabled, because I dont want to reduce funcionality for non members on forumhome and on forumdisplay pages. But I have solution how to hide 302 redirected pages for bots. Some code (functions_forumlist.php) and template (forumhome_lastpostby) modifications, and now on forumhome I have:

- forum has new posts - vbulletin uses standard 302 redirected "new-post" links for "First Unread Post"
- forum has no new posts - vbulletin uses "go to last post" url for "First Unread Post" - it is similar behavior as the standard vbulletin behavior for old forums

In my solution non members have full forum funcionality. For googlebot and other bots forum always has no new posts so googlebot see only 301 redirected "Go to last post" links. Now I need to find solution for that problem: Direct last post links on forum home and I will create a fully funcional for non members and clear for googlebot with no 301 and no 302 redirects forumhome page, perfect page

Setting up different links for humans vs bots is considered cloaking by google and you can/will be penalized for it.
Official Google Webmaster Central Blog: How Google defines IP delivery, geolocation, and cloaking

I use the same links for bots and for humans, please read my post above carefully. I also use the same links for members and non-members, so non-members have full functionality on my forum. I'm only using different link when forum has new post and different when forum has no new post to avoid bots from index 302 "new-post" pages. Simply, bots don't use cookies to determine if forum has new post so for bots forum always has no new post.

By the way, if you are worried about cloaking you should consider to stop using vbulletin software beause it has it's own builtin cloaking mechanism. vBulletin creates different pages for humans and different pages for bots. Don't believe me? Search for $show['search_engine'] variable and for connected with it $show['popups'] variable in vbulletin code and templates...

PHP Code:

// conditional used in templates to hide things from search engines.
$show['search_engine'] = ($vbulletin->superglobal_size['_COOKIE'] == 0 AND preg_match("#(google|msnbot|yahoo! slurp)#si", $_SERVER['HTTP_USER_AGENT'])); 


PHP Code:

$show['popups'] = (!$show['search_engine'] AND $vbulletin->options['usepopups'] AND !$vbulletin->GPC['nojs']); 


// conditional used in templates to hide things from search engines.

- oryginal vbulletin 4.0.8 code...

And that is wrong and should be rewriten by a competent developer using unobtrusive javascript code.... but i digress.

Use what you want on your own site at your own will. I can only offer a suggestion.

Hmm... what exactly is wrong in my solution? Why should I use Java for that? I'm not using any cloaking method. Now, both humans and bots gets the identical content and identical links. Forum has full funcionality, and duplicate "302" redirected pages aren't indexing by bots. All works fine and everyone is happy

Basically you can't code your site to show different content to bots and non-members. That is called cloaking and is not allowed according to SE rules

I'm not using different code for bots and humans. I'm using exactly the same code, bots and humans gets identical content. I have changed vBulletin behavior for both bots and humans.

I said only, that everyone, who use vBulletin software, they use cloaking on their sites, because vBulletin always use cloaking to hide some site areas for bots. For example you can check google cached vbseo pages:

vBSEO Style 1.0 PRO - Released for Everyone - vBulletin SEO Forums

Content Relevant URLs by - vBulletin SEO Forums

Acronym expansion limitations? - vBulletin SEO Forums

etc...

As you can see in google cache there is no "Previous/Next Thread" links on bottom. Because vBulletin hide these links for bots. It is only one example of vbulletin builtin cloaking. Nobody know that?

And in my modification, I'm not using that method. I'M NOT USING CLOAKING. On my forum, on forumhome, vBulletin creates different "new-post" link for forums where there are new posts (it create standard 302 new-post link) and different for forums where there are no new posts (it create 301 link to last post). Bots and humans gets exactly the same links. But only humans use cookies for "Read Marking", so if forum has new unread posts, humans see "new-post" links and they don't lose forum functionality. For humans that don't using cookies and for bots there are no unread posts on ALL vBulletin sites, so on my modified forum, they don't see duplicate content "new-post" links. In that place, they see 301 links to "last post" but human still don't lose forum funcionality, because it is similar to standard vBulletin behavior.

On standard vBulletin sites, on forumhome, no matter if forum has new posts or have no new posts, vBulletin always use "new-post" links which can cause duplicate content, so I have changed that behavior to more accurate and I use "new-post" link only if forum has new posts.

I know that my English is bad, but no one can understand my posts? Maybe someone can help me to better explain my idea in English?