Google Search Console “Page with redirect” Fix

Problem

Google Search Console is reporting “Page with redirect” errors for pages on thomas-serre.com. This happens because:

1. GitHub Pages Automatic Redirects: When you set up a custom domain with a CNAME file, GitHub Pages automatically redirects all tserre.github.io URLs to thomas-serre.com
2. Google Discovers Redirects: Google Search Console tracks both domains and flags redirects as issues
3. Expected Behavior: These redirects are actually intentional and necessary for GitHub Pages custom domains

Root Cause

• GitHub Pages redirects https://tserre.github.io/* → https://thomas-serre.com/*
• Google discovers URLs that redirect and flags them in Search Console
• Even though redirects are expected, Google reports them as issues

Solution

1. Ensure All URLs Use thomas-serre.com

All canonical tags, sitemap URLs, and meta tags should reference thomas-serre.com only:

• _config.yml: url: https://thomas-serre.com (already correct)
• Canonical tags: Using https://thomas-serre.com/REDIRECT_FIX.html (already correct)
• Sitemap: Only lists thomas-serre.com URLs (already correct)

2. Complete Sitemap

The sitemap has been updated to include all pages:

• Homepage
• About page
• Blog page
• All blog posts
• Other pages (docs, boxes, etc.)

3. Google Search Console Actions

Since the redirects are automatic and expected, you should:

1. Remove tserre.github.io Property (if you have it):
   • Go to Google Search Console
   • Remove the tserre.github.io property
   • Only keep thomas-serre.com as the verified property
   • This prevents Google from tracking redirects between domains
2. Validate the Fix:
   • In Google Search Console, go to the “Page indexing” report
   • Click “Validate Fix” for the redirect errors
   • Google will recrawl and update the status
3. Request Indexing (optional):
   • Use URL Inspection tool to request indexing for key pages
   • This speeds up the process

Why Redirects Are Expected

GitHub Pages automatically redirects the old domain to preserve:

• SEO value: Passes link equity to the new domain
• User experience: Old bookmarks and links still work
• Domain authority: Consolidates all traffic to one domain

These redirects are 301 (permanent) redirects, which is the correct type for domain migrations.

Expected Outcome

After these changes:

1. All pages use thomas-serre.com URLs
2. Sitemap only lists thomas-serre.com URLs
3. Canonical tags point to thomas-serre.com
4. Google will eventually stop flagging redirects as errors (they’re expected)
5. Only thomas-serre.com will be indexed (as intended)

Timeline

• Immediate: Code changes are complete
• 5-10 minutes: GitHub Pages rebuilds site
• 1-3 days: Google recrawls pages
• 1-2 weeks: Redirect errors should clear from Search Console
• Ongoing: Google indexes thomas-serre.com URLs

Files Changed

• sitemap.xml - Updated to include all pages with thomas-serre.com URLs
• _config.yml - Already configured with url: https://thomas-serre.com
• _layouts/default.html - Already has canonical tags using site.url

Notes

• The redirects from tserre.github.io to thomas-serre.com are automatic and cannot be disabled
• This is expected behavior for GitHub Pages custom domains
• Google Search Console may continue to show redirect warnings temporarily
• The redirects are 301 (permanent), which is correct for SEO
• As long as all canonical tags and sitemaps use thomas-serre.com, Google will eventually understand and index correctly