Sand-Rite Manufacturing
How we removed a malware infection, fixed a broken cross-domain redirect that was blocking visitors in multiple browsers, and cleaned up a long list of Ahrefs-flagged SEO issues for a family-owned contour sanding tools manufacturer.
Visit WebsiteChallenges Faced
Sand-Rite's e-commerce site was dealing with a malware infection, a domain redirect that was quietly breaking for visitors on certain desktop browsers, and a backlog of Ahrefs-flagged SEO issues that needed a careful, page-by-page review.
Malware Infection on the Live Site
The site had been compromised by malware, putting both site security and search visibility at risk until it could be located and removed.
Broken Cross-Domain Redirect
The redirect from sandrite.com to sand-rite.com was set up over HTTP instead of HTTPS and had no wildcard rule, so only the homepage redirected while every other folder and file was left unprotected — triggering "not secure" warnings and blocking the redirect entirely in some desktop browsers.
Inconsistent Access Across Browsers
The redirect worked on mobile Safari and Chrome but was blocked on desktop Chrome, Edge, and Firefox, making the root cause hard to pin down without cross-checking VPN access, curl header responses, and office network IP details.
Backlog of Ahrefs Errors, Warnings & Notices
Ahrefs flagged noindex pop-up pages, a missing/empty H1 warning, incomplete Open Graph tags on two key pages, overly long meta descriptions, and long title tags — on top of merchant listing issues that still needed review.
Our Strategy
Security first, then a root-cause fix for the redirect, followed by a full pass through every Ahrefs-flagged SEO issue.
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Located and removed the malware affecting the live site
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Verified the fix was clean before moving on to the redirect and SEO work
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Diagnosed two separate causes: the redirect was running over HTTP instead of HTTPS, and the wildcard rule wasn't activated
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Reconfigured the redirect at the domain level so every folder and file — not just the homepage — redirects securely
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Updated the Cloudflare nameservers and set up the correct A record and CNAME record for the Duda platform to fully resolve the HTTP issue
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Walked the client through VPN checks and a "curl -I" header test, plus their office's public IP, to rule out a local network-level block versus a site-level issue
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Fixed meta descriptions and title tags that were running too long across the site
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Reviewed the 7 noindex/nofollow pages flagged by Ahrefs and confirmed they were correctly set, since they were pop-up pages that should stay out of the index
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Investigated the missing/empty H1 warning and confirmed the heading was present but loading in after the page, rather than actually missing
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Documented the two pages — the sign-in page and the store archive page — where the Open Graph URL couldn't be made to match the canonical URL without breaking things across every product, and explained why to the client
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Reviewed the merchant listing issues flagged for the store
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Re-checked the Ahrefs issues that had been temporarily disabled, so nothing fell through the cracks
Results That Speak
A clean, secure site with a properly configured redirect and every fixable Ahrefs error, warning, and notice resolved.
Malware Removed
Redirect Root Causes Fixed
Fixable Errors, Warnings & Notices Resolved
Noindex Pop-Up Pages Verified
Before & After
Redirect and Ahrefs audit status before and after the fix.
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Sand-Rite Manufacturing
Sand-Rite Manufacturing Co. is a family-owned business founded in 1942 by Meyer S. Kaplan, who built the company's first contour sander to speed up sanding work in a Chicago mill room. Today the company is run by his son, Mark I. Kaplan, and manufactures pneumatic pump bag sanding drums, brush head and flap sanders, and coated abrasives used by woodworkers, furniture makers, and carvers. The site needed to be secure and technically sound to keep supporting its online store and customer base.
Sand-Rite Manufacturing
Contour Sanding Tools & Coated Abrasives
Small Issues, Big Losses —
We Solve Both
Your website deserves to be found — and to be safe. Let our SEO specialists fix the security issues, redirect problems, and audit findings that are costing you clicks and customers.