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Showing posts from May, 2025

You’ve fixed the issues flagged in GSC, but the status hasn't changed. What might be happening?

 If you’ve fixed the issues flagged in Google Search Console (GSC) but the status hasn't changed , here are some common reasons and what might be happening: 🔍 Why the Status Might Not Update Immediately 1. Google Hasn't Re-Crawled or Re-Processed the URLs Yet GSC relies on real user field data (CrUX) and crawls that take time. Google may take days to weeks to re-collect and process updated data. Fixing the issue on your server doesn’t instantly update reports. 2. Validation Process is Ongoing If you clicked “Validate Fix” in GSC: Google monitors the URLs for roughly 28 days to confirm the fix. During this period, the status remains “ Validation in progress ” . 3. Partial or Incorrect Fixes Some issues require fixes across multiple pages/templates . Google samples URLs; if some still have problems, status remains failing. Fixes may not fully address the root cause (e.g., images still missing dimensions). 4. Cached or Stale Data GSC...

How do you interpret and act on the 'Core Web Vitals' report in GSC?

Interpreting and acting on the Core Web Vitals report in Google Search Console (GSC) is crucial for improving page experience , which directly affects SEO rankings and user satisfaction . 📊 What Are Core Web Vitals? Core Web Vitals measure real-world user experience across three key metrics : Metric What It Measures Target Value LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) Loading performance – time to load main content ≤ 2.5 seconds FID (First Input Delay) Interactivity – delay before response to input ≤ 100 milliseconds CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) Visual stability – unexpected layout shifts ≤ 0.1 🔍 How to Access & Interpret the Report 1. Go to GSC > Page Experience > Core Web Vitals Split into Mobile and Desktop sections. URLs are grouped by performance status : Good, Needs Improvement, Poor. 2. Understand URL Groups GSC groups similar URLs to reflect performance patterns. Each group shows: A sample URL Failing metric(s) The number of affected URLs ...

Why do valid pages appear in the 'Excluded' section of GSC, and what should be your next step?

Valid pages can appear in the “Excluded” section of Google Search Console (GSC) for several reasons, even if they are live and accessible. The “Excluded” category means Google is aware of the page but has chosen not to index it , or can't index it due to specific conditions. 🔍 Common Reasons Valid Pages Are 'Excluded' 1. Crawled - Currently Not Indexed Google crawled the page but decided not to index it yet . Common for: Thin content Duplicate or low-quality pages New or recently updated content Next step: Improve content quality and usefulness; then request reindexing. 2. Discovered – Currently Not Indexed Google knows about the page (e.g., from a sitemap or internal link) but hasn’t crawled it yet. Often due to: Crawl budget limits New websites or large sitemaps Next step: Build internal links to the page and monitor crawl activity. 3. Alternate Page with Proper Canonical Tag The page is marked with a canonical pointing...

What does 'Page with redirect' mean in GSC, and how can it affect indexing?

 In Google Search Console (GSC) , the “ Page with redirect ” status means that Googlebot encountered a redirect when attempting to crawl the submitted URL. In other words, the URL doesn't serve content directly — it automatically forwards to another URL (via HTTP 3xx status codes). 🔁 Common Types of Redirects 301 (Moved Permanently) – Recommended for SEO; tells Google to index the new URL. 302 (Found / Temporary) – May not pass full SEO value; not ideal for permanent moves. JavaScript-based redirects – May not be followed reliably by crawlers. Meta refresh redirects – Generally discouraged; can confuse Googlebot. ⚠️ How It Affects Indexing Impact Explanation ✅ Redirect target indexed Google will often index the final destination of the redirect chain. ❌ Original URL not indexed The URL shown in GSC won’t be indexed — because it’s just a redirection. 🔄 Chains and loops Multiple redirects (chains) or circular redirects can block indexing . 🧭 Signal dilutio...

How do you fix 'Submitted URL has crawl issue' in GSC?

The " Submitted URL has crawl issue " error in Google Search Console (GSC) means that Google attempted to crawl a URL you submitted via a sitemap or indexing request, but something prevented it from doing so successfully . It's a generic error , so identifying the exact cause requires investigation. Here’s how to diagnose and fix it: 🕵️‍♂️ Step-by-Step Fix Guide 🔍 1. Inspect the URL in GSC In GSC, go to “ URL Inspection ” and enter the problematic URL. Check: Crawl status Page fetch results Indexing status Coverage report details ✅  2. Common Causes & Fixes Problem What to Check & Do ❌  Server error (5xx) Your site/server might be down. Check hosting/server logs. Fix outages. 🕓  Timeout Page load may be too slow. Optimize page speed and reduce server response time. 🔒  Blocked by robots.txt Verify that the URL is  not disallowed  in  /robots.txt . 🚫  Noindex tag Check if the page has a  <meta name="ro...

How does BGP hijacking occur, and how can you prevent it?

  BGP hijacking is a serious network security threat where an attacker injects false BGP routes into the global routing system, diverting traffic to malicious destinations, blackholing it, or enabling man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks. 🚨 How BGP Hijacking Occurs BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) works on trust — any Autonomous System (AS) can announce prefixes without built-in validation. BGP hijacking exploits this: 🔧 Common Types of BGP Hijacks: Prefix Hijack An AS announces a prefix it doesn’t own (e.g., AS64500 advertises 192.0.2.0/24). If upstream providers accept and propagate this, traffic destined to the real owner is rerouted to the hijacker. Subprefix Hijack Hijacker announces a more specific prefix (e.g., 192.0.2.0/25 instead of 192.0.2.0/24). Since BGP prefers longer matches, this overrides the legitimate route. AS Path Manipulation Hijacker spoofs an AS path to appear as a legitimate route. Can be used to hide the origin or manipul...

Explain uRPF (Unicast Reverse Path Forwarding) and where it’s useful.

Unicast Reverse Path Forwarding (uRPF) is a security feature used on routers to prevent IP address spoofing by ensuring that incoming packets arrive on the interface that the router would use to send return traffic to the source IP address.                      🧠 How uRPF Works When a packet arrives on an interface, uRPF checks the source IP address against the router’s routing table to verify that: The best return path (route to the source IP) goes out the same interface that the packet came in on. If the check fails, the packet is dropped. This helps mitigate spoofed or misrouted traffic . 🔍 Modes of uRPF 1. Strict Mode The most secure. Packet is accepted only if the source IP is reachable via the same interface the packet arrived on. Ideal for single-homed or stub networks . 🔴 Can cause false drops in asymmetric routing environments. 2. Loose Mode Packet is accepted if the source IP exists ...

How do you secure dynamic routing protocols?

Securing dynamic routing protocols (like BGP, OSPF, EIGRP, RIP, etc.) is crucial to maintaining the integrity and stability of a network. These protocols were not originally designed with strong security in mind, so network engineers must apply a combination of authentication, filtering, and policy controls to mitigate threats like route hijacking, spoofing, and DoS. Here's a breakdown of how to secure the most common dynamic routing protocols: 🔐 1. Authentication ✅ OSPF, RIP, EIGRP (Interior Protocols) Use MD5 or SHA authentication on routing updates to ensure only trusted routers participate. Example (OSPF): interface GigabitEthernet0/1 ip ospf authentication message-digest ip ospf message-digest-key 1 md5 SECRET_KEY ✅ BGP Use TCP MD5 authentication ( neighbor x.x.x.x password ) or TCP-AO (Authentication Option) for session protection. Example (Cisco): router bgp 65000 neighbor 192.0.2.1 password YOUR_SECRET 🔒 Purpose : Prevents unauthorized peers ...

What’s the impact of BGP full routes on router memory and performance?

Receiving full BGP routes (i.e., the full global BGP routing table) has a significant impact on a router's memory and performance. Here's a breakdown of the key impacts: 🔧 1. Memory Usage (RAM) A full BGP table typically contains ~1 million IPv4 routes and growing (~200k+ IPv6 routes). Each BGP route consumes tens to hundreds of bytes of memory, depending on attributes (AS path, communities, etc.). This translates to hundreds of megabytes to several gigabytes of RAM just for storing the BGP RIB (Routing Information Base). The FIB (Forwarding Information Base) , which is installed into the router's hardware or kernel for actual packet forwarding, also consumes memory (especially in TCAM for hardware routers). ❗ Example A router might require 4–8 GB of RAM (or more) to comfortably handle full BGP routes with headroom for growth and stability. 🧠 2. CPU Utilization High CPU load during: Initial BGP session establishment (parsing all rout...

What would happen in a BGP route reflector cluster if the route reflector loses connection with the client but not the rest of the network?

If a BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) route reflector (RR) loses connection with one of its clients but remains connected to the rest of the network (including other clients, non-clients, and other route reflectors), the impact is localized to the communication between the RR and the affected client. Here's what happens in more detail: 1. Loss of Routes from the Client The route reflector stops receiving BGP updates from the disconnected client. Any prefixes originated by the client or learned through the client are withdrawn from the route reflector's BGP table. These withdrawn routes are also no longer advertised by the route reflector to other clients or external peers, leading to potential reachability issues for those prefixes. 2. No Redistribution to the Client The client stops receiving route updates from the route reflector. As a result, the client may lose access to routes that were only reachable via the route reflector (e.g., routes from othe...

How does BGP prevent routing loops? Explain AS_PATH and loop prevention mechanisms.

 In Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), preventing routing loops is critical — especially because BGP is the inter-domain routing protocol used to connect Autonomous Systems (ASes) on the internet. 🔄 How BGP Prevents Routing Loops The main mechanism BGP uses is the AS_PATH attribute . 🔍 What is AS_PATH? AS_PATH is a BGP path attribute that lists the sequence of Autonomous Systems (AS numbers) a route has traversed. Each time a route is advertised across an AS boundary, the local AS number is prepended to the AS_PATH. Example: If AS 65001 → AS 65002 → AS 65003 is the route a prefix has taken, the AS_PATH will look like: makefile AS_PATH: 65003 65002 65001 It’s prepended in reverse order — so the last AS is first . 🚫 Loop Prevention Using AS_PATH ✅ Core Mechanism: BGP routers reject any route advertisement that contains their own AS number in the AS_PATH. 🔁 Why It Works: If a route makes its way back to an AS that’s already in the AS_PATH , that AS kno...