Is Google Generating Uppercase URLs?

2 responses to “Does Google generate upper-case URLs?”

1. It sounds like you’re encountering a bit of a mystery with Googlebot (Gbot) and uppercase URLs on your new website. Let’s break down the situation and explore some possible explanations and solutions:

   Understanding the Situation

   1. Uppercase URLs Indexed: You’ve noted that Google is indexing URLs with uppercase characters (e.g., example.com/Page1.html), even though you only use lowercase URLs on your site. These uppercase URLs are returning a 200 OK status, suggesting that the server is serving content for both uppercase and lowercase versions.

   2. Canonical Tags: The canonical tags on these pages point to the lowercase version, and Google Search Console (GSC) acknowledges them as “Alternate page with proper canonical tag.”

   3. No Internal Linking or Backlinks: You’ve checked with tools like Screaming Frog and Ahrefs and found no evidence of internal links or backlinks leading to the uppercase URLs.

   Possible Explanations

   1. Server Configuration: Some web servers, especially those running on Windows, may treat URLs as case-insensitive. This could cause both uppercase and lowercase variants to serve content. Ensure your server is configured to treat URLs as case-sensitive (common on Linux servers).

   2. Hacker or Scraper Activity: It’s possible that external forces, such as a bot or scraper, accessed these uppercase URLs. Some bots attempt to crawl variations of URLs to discover hidden content.

   3. User Errors or Typos: If anyone has manually entered or shared your URLs with uppercase letters, these could have been crawled and indexed by Google.

   4. Misconfigured Redirects or Rewrite Rules: Check your .htaccess file, IIS settings, or any URL rewrite rules that could unintentionally allow or generate uppercase URLs.

   Suggested Actions

   1. Redirect Uppercase to Lowercase: Implement 301 redirects from any uppercase URLs to their lowercase counterparts. This ensures that any traffic or link equity is correctly passed to the intended pages.

   plaintext
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} [A-Z]
RewriteRule (.*) ${lc:$1} [R=301,L]

   1. Server Configuration Check: Verify your server’s case sensitivity settings. If you’re on a case-insensitive server, consider migrating to one that enforces case sensitivity or adjust its settings.

   2. Monitor GSC: Keep an eye on your GSC account for any further discoveries of uppercase URLs and ensure they point correctly

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2. It’s fascinating to see your analysis of the uppercase URLs detected by Googlebot, especially when your site strictly adheres to lowercase URLs. This raises interesting questions about how search engines interpret URL formats. Although you’ve already confirmed that the canonical tags are properly set, there are a few factors worth considering.

   1. **URL Case Sensitivity**: As you probably know, URLs are case-sensitive on many web servers. While your canonical tags may redirect the search engines to the preferred lowercase version, the existence of those uppercase variants can create confusion. Double-checking server configurations to ensure proper handling of URL cases can help solidify search engine understanding.

   2. **Linking Practices**: Sometimes, even if you haven’t noticed any backlinks, automated processes (like internal scripts or third-party tools) might create uppercase links inadvertently. It could be worthwhile to audit internal links and any external references that could inadvertently point to uppercase versions.

   3. **Historical Data and Caching**: If the subdomain has been live or has been connected to previous content, there may be remnant links or cached versions that display uppercase URLs. It might be beneficial to examine any historical data or prior content associated with that subdomain as well.

   4. **Time and Bot Behavior**: Since your site is fairly new, the various crawl behaviors of Googlebot may take time to stabilize. Monitoring your GSC data closely over the coming weeks could reveal any parts of your site that gain traction in terms of indexing or backlinks, which might clarify

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