RFH's 404 pages with a 200 header?

[RFH Reseller: Rappie]

I've found something curious today. Whenever a website can not befound on a domain (I guess because there are no DNS records, or there is something wrong with the DNS) a page like this shows up. Now thats a good thing of course, I like the detailed page.

But it has a 200 HTTP status code. And so it keeps getting crawled and indexed by google. Doesn't this page actually need a 404 status code?

[RFH Reseller: nick]

The actual page that shows the details does exist, I'm not sure however what type of redirect is done to get there. Not sure how to find out either, can't seem to get firebug to track that.

[Staff: Warren Ashcroft]

I could get that page to return any HTTP status code, not sure of the SEO effects though...

[RFH Reseller: Rappie]

The actual page that shows the details does exist, I'm not sure however what type of redirect is done to get there. Not sure how to find out either, can't seem to get firebug to track that.

What is it you're excacly trying to find out Nick?

I could get that page to return any HTTP status code, not sure of the SEO effects though...

Like when you accidentally delete a sub domain it still be kept in the index by google, and thus not losing its PR as fast? That is a valid argument. But it's a drawback as well, because deleted (sub) domains keep getting indexed, with no purpose.

[RFH Reseller: nick]

What is it you're excacly trying to find out Nick?

If you enter foo.mydomain.com there is a redirect happening taking the browser to potassium where the details page exists, http://potassium.lon.periodicnetwork...=xx.xxx.xx.xxx
It is the redirect code I was questioning. Maybe I'm not thinking clearly. If it is a temporary redirect, then supposedly that's what a search engine would go by and would continue to poll the original path assuming the result may change.

Like when you accidentally delete a sub domain it still be kept in the index by google, and thus not losing its PR as fast? That is a valid argument. But it's a drawback as well, because deleted (sub) domains keep getting indexed, with no purpose.

I think I agree here though.

It would be worth adding this too

<meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow" />

[Staff: Warren Ashcroft]

What about redirecting to the info page with:
307 Temporary Redirect

And then adding robots noindex to the info page?

[RFH Reseller: nick]

I think that makes a fair bit of sense

[RFH Reseller: Rappie]

Sounds like a solid solution.

[Staff: Warren Ashcroft]

...but actual info page itself should still return 200, that OK?

[RFH Reseller: nick]

I guess so…