Duplicate Pages On Site

[Virtual Imager]

I was just noticing in my awstats that I have duplicates of some pages... for example:

 

****/particularpage

and

****//particularpage

 

(note the double slashes)

 

Did I somehow create this when I uploaded the files? Should I delete them? Could this cause any navigational or other problems?

 

From what I can tell, they are identical...

 

Thanks,

VI

[natimage]

When you look at your files with an FTP client, or using Cpanel's file manager, do you see both files listed as you mentioned above?

 

If not...I would suspect that it's not a file duplication, but maybe a typo in a link somewhere in your page. For example...one page links to www.yoursite.com/whatever...whereas another links to www.yoursite.com/whatever//...effectively taking people to the same page, but indexing as two distinct links???

 

That's really just a guess...if I'm completely off track, I apologize!

[Virtual Imager]

They are only listed once in /public_html. And I think all my internal links are ok... one slash only. This is what I see on awstats:

 

Pages-URL (Top 25)   -   Full list   -   Entry   -   Exit   

38 different pages-url Viewed Average size Entry Exit 

 

/ 115 9.18 KB 67 57

 

/virtualparis.htm 26 11.51 KB 17 16

 

/Virtualimages.html 16 26.07 KB 5 7

 

/virtualglass.htm 14 14.97 KB 6 6

 

/VirtualJudaica.html 13 15.02 KB 7 7

 

/foodandfocusworkshops.html 12 13.55 KB 4 3

 

/virtualcandles&usa.htm 12 22.55 KB 6 8

 

/Pricelist.html 10 17.04 KB 2 6

 

/Shows.html 10 15.36 KB 3 3

 

/Virtualnewyork.html 9 14.29 KB 1 2

 

/virtualmaui.htm 8 21.24 KB 2 2

 

/virtualautumn.html 7 21.26 KB 2  

 

/ArtistStatement.htm 6 13.07 KB    

 

/LocalWorkshops.html 6 12.58 KB   2

 

/foodandfocusprovence.html 6 24.46 KB 3 2

 

/PrescottWorkshop.html 5 12.93 KB 1 2

 

/framesample.html 4 11.34 KB 1 1

 

/OrderForm.htm 3 10.88 KB    

 

/showinvitations.html 3 9.33 KB   1

 

/index.html 2 15.75 KB   1

 

//VirtualJudaica.html 2 15.02 KB 1 1

 

//virtualmaui.htm 1 21.24 KB    

 

//Virtualnewyork.html 1 14.29 KB    

 

//LocalWorkshops.html 1 12.58 KB    

 

//framesample.html 1 11.34 KB   1

 

Others 13 15.36 KB 1 1 

 

When I click on the links from awstats I think I'm taken to the same page unless I somehow uploaded duplicates... I just don't know where that second slash is coming from...

[natimage]

VI...I'm just not sure. I checked my awstats and have no listings with //. However, if I browse to one of my pages with // instead of /...the page loads fine. Which would lead me to believe that you don't have duplicates on your site. I don't know why it is showing up in awstats that way, though. Unless someone is browsing to those pages using // in the address.

 

Sorry I can't be more help!

[ThumpAZ]

This could be due to your FTP client.

try this:

Go into FTP and see if you have a directory called "/" if so, go under this directory and see if the pages are there. If they are, rename the directory, change the page locally and upload again. Go to your site and compare the seemingly correct page, then type in the newly renamed directory path and look at the supposed-to-be modified page for the changes.

If they do exist, you need to find out which is the correct page (check modified dates of pages you did not change in the alternate directory) and remove the alternates as well as the "/" directory.

 

Good Luck

[Virtual Imager]

I don't see anything called "/" when I go into FTP, but awstats lists "/" as the page of mine with the most views. As for renaming directories, etc. I am totally lost. So long as the pages are coming up correctly with either one slash or two, I'll probably just leave it alone till I can get some guru to help me get it all sorted out. I went into my site on my husband's computer and navigated through all the pages and everything seems to be working so I guess it doesn't really matter. Does it? I'm planning a full revamp of my site to add shopping cart, order form, and enable visitors to send postcards using my images... I'll get it all cleaned up then.

[MikeJ]

I don't see anything called "/" when I go into FTP, but awstats lists "/" as the page of mine with the most views.

'/' just means your home page is the most viewed. Someone goes to http://yoursite.com/, then '/' is considered the page viewed.

 

Multiple slashes in a row in a URL are handled like a single one. If they show up in your awstats, it just means either there is an external link somewhere that has an too many slashes, or you may have an internal link that is adding one to many. It doesn't mean you have duplicate pages.

 

For example:

 

http://www.totalchoicehosting.com////////////////index.html will still display even though it's really /index.html, but it'll be logged as ////////////////index.html for awstats.

[Virtual Imager]

Thank you Monkey Guru... for the clear and concise answer.

 

Everyone here is so helpful, but quite honestly the answers often go way beyond my abilities. I wouldn't know a script if I fell over one!! I designed my site with a wysiwyg and I thought I was doing pretty well just to get it up and running. May I humbly suggest a new forum: "Websites for Dummies!" There we can post questions and whoever answers will know that, for the most part, we won't understand a word they're saying! Could be entertaining if nothing else.

 

VI

[bellringr]

I like that idea!

[ThumpAZ]

you know... I feel like an idjit at this point. I was sitting here racking my brain trying to figure out what it could have been, but simply could not come up with anything that was simple. I was shooting in the dark looking for hard evidence instead of linking issues.

 

Thanks MG for the answer!

 

<~~~~going to crawl back in his hole in the ground and think about the KISS principle he seems to have forgotten.

[DarqFlare]

I've missed simple reasons many-a-time, so don't think you're the only one, Thump... lol.