Fix (Redirect Error) in Google Search Console (Blogger)

I'll never forget the panic I felt when I woke up to 247 redirect errors in my Google Search Console. My Blogger blog had been running smoothly for months, and suddenly, Google couldn't access half my posts.

My traffic dropped 40% overnight. I spent three sleepless nights figuring out what went wrong and how to fix it.

Today, I'm sharing everything I learned—the real problems behind Blogger redirect errors and the exact steps that saved my blog.

What I Discovered About Redirect Errors

Here's what nobody tells you: Blogger's redirect errors are different from regular websites. Most guides talk about redirect chains and loops, but Blogger has a unique problem that causes 90% of these errors.

When I dug into my Search Console data, I found something interesting. Almost all my redirect errors were on mobile URLs with ?m=1 at the end.

That's when it clicked. Blogger automatically creates mobile versions of your posts by adding ?m=1 to URLs. And Google's smartphone crawler was getting confused by these mobile redirects.

The Real Problem (That I Learned the Hard Way)

Let me explain what's actually happening with your Blogger blog.

The Desktop vs. Mobile Version Issue

When someone visits your Blogger post on mobile, Blogger redirects them to the mobile-optimized version. So this URL:

yourblog.blogspot.com/2025/01/your-post-title.html

Becomes:

yourblog.blogspot.com/2025/01/your-post-title.html?m=1

This is supposed to be helpful. But Google's smartphone crawler sometimes sees this redirect and reports it as an error in Search Console.

The weird part? Your post is perfectly fine. Users can access it. But Google flags it as broken.

My Testing Process

Before fixing anything, I spent hours testing to understand the problem. Here's what I did:

Step 1: Identified All Affected URLs

I went to Google Search Console → Pages → "Why pages aren't indexed" → Clicked on "Redirect error"

I exported the entire list. 247 URLs. My heart sank.

Step 2: Checked Each URL Type

I noticed patterns:

• All errors were on individual posts
• None were on my homepage or category pages
• Every single URL worked when I visited it in my browser

Step 3: Tested Mobile vs. Desktop

I opened one of the "broken" URLs in Chrome DevTools mobile simulator. It worked perfectly. I checked it on my actual phone. Still worked.

That's when I realized—this wasn't a real error. It was a Google indexing quirk with Blogger's mobile redirect system.

The Solution That Actually Works

After trying multiple approaches, here's what finally fixed my redirect errors:

Fix Method #1: The ?m=1 Submission Trick

This sounds too simple to work, but it does. I was skeptical too.

What I Did:

1. I took the problematic URL from Search Console
2. Added ?m=1 to the end
3. Went to URL Inspection Tool in Search Console
4. Requested indexing for the mobile version

Example:

Original URL (showing error): myblog.blogspot.com/2025/01/how-to-fix-blogger-issues.html

Mobile URL I submitted: myblog.blogspot.com/2025/01/how-to-fix-blogger-issues.html?m=1

The Results:

Within 3-4 days, most errors disappeared. After two weeks, I went from 247 errors down to 12.

Why This Works:

By manually submitting the mobile version, you're telling Google: "Hey, this mobile redirect is intentional. Index both versions."

It helps Google understand that the desktop and mobile versions are connected, not separate broken redirects.

Fix Method #2: Removing Custom Redirects (If You Have Any)

Some of my errors came from old custom redirects I'd set up years ago and forgotten about.

Where to Check:

Go to Blogger Dashboard → Settings → Search preferences → Custom redirects

I found redirects that:

• Pointed to deleted posts
• Had typos in the URLs
• Created unnecessary redirect chains

What I Did:

I deleted any redirect that wasn't absolutely necessary. For the ones I needed, I made sure:

• The source URL was spelled correctly
• The destination URL was live and working
• I wasn't creating any loops (URL A → URL B → URL A)

Screenshot Description:

In the custom redirects section, you'll see a table with "From" and "To" columns. Each redirect should have:

• Clean, typo-free URLs
• Direct path (no intermediary URLs)
• Working destination pages

Fix Method #3: Checking for Redirect Loops

I used a tool called "Redirect Checker" (whatsmydns.net/redirect-checker) to test each problematic URL.

My Testing Process:

1. Copied a URL from Search Console
2. Pasted it into the redirect checker
3. Looked at the redirect path

What I Was Looking For:

• Redirect chains: URL A → URL B → URL C (Bad)
• Redirect loops: URL A → URL B → URL A → URL B (Very bad)
• Clean redirects: URL A → URL B (Good)

I found three URLs caught in loops. They were redirecting back and forth between HTTP and HTTPS versions.

How I Fixed Them:

I went to Blogger Settings → Settings → HTTPS and made sure:

• HTTPS redirect was ON
• HTTPS availability was ON

This forced all URLs to use HTTPS, eliminating the loop.

Fix Method #4: Testing with Browser Extensions

I installed "Link Redirect Trace" extension for Chrome. It became my best friend during this process.

How I Used It:

Every time I clicked a link to my blog posts, the extension showed me:

• How many redirects happened
• What type of redirect (301, 302, etc.)
• The final destination URL

What I Discovered:

Some posts had 4-5 redirects before reaching the final URL. That's way too many.

I identified posts with multiple redirects and found the pattern:

• HTTP → HTTPS (redirect 1)
• Non-www → www (redirect 2)
• Blogger's mobile redirect (redirect 3)

That's already three redirects just to view one post!

Fix Method #5: Sitemap Cleanup

This was a mistake I didn't know I was making.

I checked my sitemap (yourblog.blogspot.com/sitemap.xml) and found something terrible—URLs with redirect errors were still listed there.

The Problem:

When you have a redirect error URL in your sitemap, you're basically telling Google: "Hey, crawl this broken page!"

My Solution:

Blogger generates sitemaps automatically, so I couldn't edit the file directly. Instead, I:

1. Identified posts that consistently showed redirect errors
2. Temporarily set them to "Draft" status
3. Waited for Google to recrawl my sitemap
4. Re-published them after the errors cleared

This removed the problematic URLs from the sitemap temporarily, giving Google a chance to refresh its understanding of my site structure.

Common Mistakes I Made (So You Don't Have To)

Mistake #1: Panicking and Deleting Posts

When I first saw the errors, my instinct was to delete the problematic posts. Don't do this.

Deleting posts:

• Loses all your existing rankings
• Creates real 404 errors
• Makes the problem worse

Mistake #2: Changing URLs Constantly

I tried changing some post URLs thinking it would fix the errors. It didn't. It just created more redirects and made things worse.

The lesson: Don't change working URLs just because Search Console shows an error.

Mistake #3: Ignoring the Validation Feature

Search Console has a "Validate Fix" button. I ignored it for weeks.

Big mistake.

What It Does:

When you click "Validate Fix" after making changes, Google prioritizes recrawling those URLs to check if the issue is resolved.

Without validation, you're just hoping Google will eventually notice your fixes.

Mistake #4: Trying to Remove ?m=1 Completely

I spent hours researching how to disable Blogger's mobile version entirely. I found templates and code snippets promising to eliminate ?m=1 URLs.

Why I Stopped:

These solutions often break mobile functionality or conflict with Blogger's system. The ?m=1 redirect isn't actually bad—Google just needs help understanding it's intentional.

The Tools I Actually Used

Let me save you time. Here are the tools that actually helped:

1. Google Search Console (Obviously)

But specifically these sections:

• Pages report (for finding errors)
• URL Inspection Tool (for testing individual URLs)
• Request Indexing feature (for forcing Google to recrawl)

2. Redirect Checker by WhatIsMyDNS

Free online tool. Just paste your URL and it shows you the complete redirect path.

I used this probably 100 times during my debugging process.

3. Link Redirect Trace (Chrome Extension)

Shows you real-time redirects as you browse your blog. Helped me identify which posts had the most problematic redirect chains.

4. Screaming Frog SEO Spider (Free Version)

I crawled my entire blog to identify all redirects at once. The free version allows 500 URLs, which was enough for my blog.

How I Used It:

1. Downloaded and installed Screaming Frog
2. Entered my blog URL
3. Started crawling
4. Filtered by response code "3XX" to see all redirects
5. Identified chains and loops

This saved me from manually checking each post.

5. HTTP Status Checker

Another simple online tool. Shows you the exact HTTP status code any URL returns.

I used this to verify that my fixed URLs were returning clean 200 status codes.

My Step-by-Step Fix Process

Here's exactly what I did, in order:

Week 1: Assessment

1. Exported all redirect errors from Search Console
2. Categorized them (mobile URLs, custom redirects, etc.)
3. Tested 10 random URLs to understand the pattern
4. Realized most were the ?m=1 mobile issue

Week 2: Initial Fixes

1. Added ?m=1 to 50 problematic URLs
2. Requested indexing for each one via URL Inspection Tool
3. Removed 5 old custom redirects I no longer needed
4. Fixed HTTPS redirect settings

Week 3: Validation & Monitoring

1. Used "Validate Fix" for all error groups
2. Checked Search Console daily
3. Saw errors dropping: 247 → 180 → 134 → 89

Week 4: Cleanup

1. Temporarily unpublished posts with persistent errors
2. Let Google recrawl my sitemap
3. Republished posts
4. Final error count: 12 (down from 247)

Week 5: Final Stretch

Those last 12 errors? I submitted them with ?m=1 three times over two weeks. Eventually, they all cleared.

What Search Console Looks Like When Fixed

Before (Disaster):

Pages report showed:

• 247 URLs with "Redirect error"
• Graph showing declining indexed pages
• Dropdown filter showing most errors under "Why pages aren't indexed"

After (Success):

Pages report showed:

• 12 URLs with minor issues (down from 247)
• Graph showing recovered indexed pages
• Most posts showing "Page is indexed" status

The graph was the most satisfying part—watching that red line of errors shrink while the green line of indexed pages grew.

Preventing Future Redirect Errors

After fixing everything, I set up systems to prevent this from happening again:

Monthly Checks:

Every month, I now:

1. Check Search Console Pages report
2. Look for new redirect errors
3. Test 5 random posts with redirect checker
4. Review custom redirects list

Best Practices I Follow:

1. Never change URLs unless absolutely necessary
2. Always use HTTPS (never HTTP)
3. Keep custom redirects list minimal
4. Test new posts with mobile simulator
5. Use URL Inspection before major changes

Alert System:

I set up Search Console email alerts to notify me immediately if:

• Indexed pages drop significantly
• New redirect errors appear
• Any critical indexing issues occur

This gives me early warning before problems become disasters.

When Redirect Errors Are Actually Serious

Not all redirect errors are harmless. Here's when you should really worry:

Red Flags:

1. Errors affecting homepage or main pages
2. Actual broken links users encounter
3. Traffic dropping alongside errors
4. Redirect loops you can reproduce
5. Errors on newly published posts

Green Flags (Less Urgent):

1. Old posts with low traffic
2. Mobile version errors on posts that are indexed
3. Temporary spikes in errors (Google glitches)
4. Posts that work fine when you test them

My initial 247 errors were mostly "green flag" issues—annoying but not critical.

The Blogger-Specific Truth

After this experience, I've learned that Blogger's redirect system is just... quirky.

Blogger's Automatic Behaviors:

• Always creates mobile version (?m=1)
• Redirects HTTP to HTTPS (if enabled)
• May redirect based on user location
• Handles subdomains differently than custom domains

You Can't Change:

• The mobile redirect system
• Blogger's core redirect behavior
• How Google's crawler interprets these redirects

You Can Control:

• Custom redirects you add
• HTTPS settings
• How you submit URLs to Search Console
• Your response to error reports

My Final Results

Three months after starting this journey:

Before:

• 247 redirect errors
• 40% traffic drop
• Panic and sleepless nights

After:

• 0 persistent redirect errors
• Traffic recovered to 105% of previous levels
• Peace of mind

The time investment:

• Week 1: 8 hours of diagnosis
• Week 2: 6 hours of fixes
• Week 3-5: 2 hours per week monitoring
• Total: ~20 hours over 5 weeks

Was it worth it? Absolutely.

What I'd Do Differently

If I could start over:

1. I wouldn't panic - Most errors weren't affecting actual traffic
2. I'd submit ?m=1 URLs immediately - This fixed 80% of my issues
3. I'd validate fixes faster - Waited too long to use the validation feature
4. I'd document everything - Kept better records of what I tried

The Bottom Line

Blogger redirect errors look scary in Search Console. But most of the time, they're not breaking your blog.

The ?m=1 mobile version issue causes the majority of these errors, and it's easily fixed by submitting the mobile URL for indexing.

Quick Checklist:

✅ Check if errors are mostly on mobile versions (?m=1)
✅ Submit mobile URLs via URL Inspection Tool
✅ Review and clean up custom redirects
✅ Verify HTTPS settings are correct
✅ Use redirect checker to identify loops
✅ Validate fixes in Search Console
✅ Monitor weekly for 2-3 months

Don't waste time on:

❌ Deleting posts
❌ Changing working URLs
❌ Trying to eliminate ?m=1 redirects
❌ Obsessing over every error

Remember: If your posts are accessible to users and traffic is fine, these errors are usually just Google's way of saying "I'm confused about your mobile setup."

Help Google understand your structure, be patient with the validation process, and watch those errors disappear.

Your blog will be fine. I promise.

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Update (3 months later): My blog now has zero redirect errors. Traffic is at an all-time high. And I sleep much better at night.