Trailing = sign (equal sign) on forum URL's

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  • hilary
    Senior Member
    • Oct 2005
    • 193
    • 4.1.x

    Trailing = sign (equal sign) on forum URL's

    Hi,

    We just started noticing that somehow URL's are being found in our forum that include a trailing = sign.

    I found some other threads where people have experienced the same issue - but there hasn't really been an answer as to why.

    What could be causing this sort of behaviour? And how do you fix it?

    We fear that these URL's are being found by Google and sending people to a 'Invalid Forum specified' page instead of our content.

    Would really appreciate some guidance on this.

    Thanks,
    BH-Tech
  • Wayne Luke
    vBulletin Technical Support Lead
    • Aug 2000
    • 73978

    #2
    What is an exact URL that you're seeing?
    Translations provided by Google.

    Wayne Luke
    The Rabid Badger - a vBulletin Cloud demonstration site.
    vBulletin 5 API

    Comment

    • hilary
      Senior Member
      • Oct 2005
      • 193
      • 4.1.x

      #3
      It's in the format of:


      And the actual page is:

      Comment

      • Wayne Luke
        vBulletin Technical Support Lead
        • Aug 2000
        • 73978

        #4
        If they are all like that than it won't cause a problem. Not having a valid working link to your website prevents me from providing more help.
        Translations provided by Google.

        Wayne Luke
        The Rabid Badger - a vBulletin Cloud demonstration site.
        vBulletin 5 API

        Comment

        • hilary
          Senior Member
          • Oct 2005
          • 193
          • 4.1.x

          #5
          I don't really want to post a link to an error page is all.

          Can I PM you a link somehow?

          Comment

          • hilary
            Senior Member
            • Oct 2005
            • 193
            • 4.1.x

            #6
            I will just post a correct URL and then you can add the '=' sign to the URL when you visit it.



            Let me know if you need anything else.

            Thanks for your help,
            BH-Tech

            Comment

            • Wayne Luke
              vBulletin Technical Support Lead
              • Aug 2000
              • 73978

              #7
              Where are these URLS coming from? I don't see any on your site with a trailing =. If I don't see them as a guest, Google shouldn't see them. Do you have any addons installed in your browser?

              Very nice site though.
              Translations provided by Google.

              Wayne Luke
              The Rabid Badger - a vBulletin Cloud demonstration site.
              vBulletin 5 API

              Comment

              • hilary
                Senior Member
                • Oct 2005
                • 193
                • 4.1.x

                #8
                Hi Wayne,

                That's the issue - we don't know where the URL's are coming from.

                They are only being reported on in Google Analytics and a private spider crawler.

                Should we be redirecting the URL's with the = sign at the end to the non equal sign version anyway? Or is that something vBulletin should be doing?

                Comment

                • Wayne Luke
                  vBulletin Technical Support Lead
                  • Aug 2000
                  • 73978

                  #9
                  It isn't a default function of vBulletin. There is no reason to add these from our standpoint. As a guest user, I see proper URLS that end in a session key. There shouldn't be equal signs in the URL unless your passing variables. Bots shouldn't see the session URL and we have been stripping that correctly for years. However you may have installed an addon that interferes with that functionality.

                  If I switch my user agent to Googlebot, I see the proper links still. No session key or trailing =.
                  Translations provided by Google.

                  Wayne Luke
                  The Rabid Badger - a vBulletin Cloud demonstration site.
                  vBulletin 5 API

                  Comment

                  • hilary
                    Senior Member
                    • Oct 2005
                    • 193
                    • 4.1.x

                    #10
                    Hi Wayne,

                    I understand what you're saying - and that's why I'm so confused.

                    It's almost as if there is a User Agent crawling the site, and it see's the 'showthread.php?4561-This-Thread' and thinks that because the '4561-This-Thread' comes after a ? that it's actually a variable, so it automatically adds a = sign.

                    I've also noticed that every single 'showthread.php' URL in Google Analytics ends with a = sign. Effectively linking me to an undefined thread when I go to view the page. Any ideas on that?

                    Thanks,
                    Taylor

                    Comment

                    • Wayne Luke
                      vBulletin Technical Support Lead
                      • Aug 2000
                      • 73978

                      #11
                      We can't control external scripts or bots. You can turn off friendly urls (Settings -> Options -> Friendly URLs) or uninstall whatever URL rewrite module you're using to use the default links.
                      Translations provided by Google.

                      Wayne Luke
                      The Rabid Badger - a vBulletin Cloud demonstration site.
                      vBulletin 5 API

                      Comment

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