Google still confused?

[SpeedyPin]

I'm experiencing an issue which is NOT horrible, but I would still appreciate your feedback on it. Thanks in advance!!!

Situation

After a recent crawl, I noticed that the listed URL for our homepage changed to http://ourdomain.com/?=(affiliate-code-goes-here) from just http://ourdomain.com.

Google knows that in most cases a homepage, more often than not, would be http://ourdomain.com. Why the sudden "oops?" :confused:

More importantly, this becomes a problem for us in a couple of ways that I would like to highlight with hopes that it enlightens others on this thread.

A query for our domain http://ourdomain.com results in no listing for us (Web & Directory Results). This equates to lost type in traffic which could mean less new customers for us since we typically hold a Top 10 ranking in each for well over 1 1/2 years. Our web stats show a significant number of sales related to type in traffic.

A query for http://ourdomain.com/?=(affiliate-code-goes-here) results in a listing for us (Web & Directory Results). So, I know that Google for one reason or another has determined that this URL is more appropriate.

Knowing that Google currently lists some of our URLs with affiliate code attached (none with great rankings mind you) and not wanting to upset any of our affiliates, which of the following resolutions would you suggest:

Do nothing and wait until G sorts this out/corrects this on its own?

Utilize a 301 Header and hope that not to many affiliates freak-out if they no longer see OUR URLs with their affiliate code affixed?

Thanks for your help!

[SpeedyPin]

I guess nobody wants to touch this one? LOL

I'll go straight to Matt on this.

[JohnW]

Google sees http://ourdomain.com/?=(affiliate-code-goes-here)
as a duplicate copy of
http://ourdomain.com.

You are lucky they were not both killed.

[SpeedyPin]

Lucky? Perhaps. This is truly an affiliate URL. We link new customers to affiliates by the unique ID. Our affiliates promote their URL (http://ourdomain.com/?=(affiliate-code-goes-here). As the Golden Rule goes, "If there is a legitimate reason for "doing it" ..." Clearly there is a legitimate reason.

This is in no way a sneaky tactic. It's actually a superior way to offer "lifetime" / recurring commissions to our affiliates. Oh well, I guess we have no choice but to play the waiting game.

Maybe our affiliate if a Google person and is laughing all the way to the bank? LOL

[JohnW]

I never suggested that it was a sneaky tactic. I'm sure it is not.

My guess, without knowing your url, is that somehow the home page is being outranked by the aff link. When G saw 2 identical pages, they killed the weaker one of them. Thats the lucky part - lots of times they kill both.

Why is your home page outranked by an aff link? That is one area to concentrate on. You may also be able to re-write the domain.com/? over to to the domain.com/.

[SpeedyPin]

Sorry John. Did not mean to imply you thought it was "sneaky" in any way. Just wanted to make it clear for those new to the industry. Like you, I don't want to contribute to the spreading of misinformation. AND I really appreciate your feedback.

[JohnW]

No problem.

> I guess we have no choice but to play the waiting game

I would not wait. A redirect/rewrite with a 301 response should help clear it up. Also, perhaps some more links to your home page? And see if there is some other thing hurting your home page as well.. for example what is going on with the www. version of the page?