What does Google say about SEO?

How should you structure a language learning website to maximize SEO performance and avoid Google's ranking confusion?

John Mueller Sep 06, 2022 ★★

For a website that teaches another language, the recommendation is to have clearly one primary language for each page, while being able to create separate pages for other languages on the same site.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Pagination & Structure International SEO

How Does Google Crawl Your Site by Sections and Why Are Some Areas Explored More Often Than Others?

Gary Illyes Sep 05, 2022 ★★★

Gary Illyes explained during a recent "Search Off the Record" podcast that Google can analyze certain parts or sections of sites and thus crawl certain areas more frequently while visiting others less often. Google will deduce from the overall site w...

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Domain Name Search Console

Have Links Become Secondary in Google's Ranking Algorithm?

John Mueller Sep 05, 2022 ★★★

John Mueller indicated on Twitter that to his knowledge, no recent update to the search engine's algorithm has focused on in-depth link analysis, aside from anti-spam algorithms, of course.

Algorithms Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Penalties & Spam Social Media

How will Google's 'Helpful Content' update shake up SEO?

Google Sep 01, 2022 ★★★

Google has announced a new algorithm update called the 'Helpful Content Update.' If the content is not useful to users, the ranking will decrease. The entire site with this type of content will also see its ranking diminish.

Algorithms Content AI & SEO

How can you create truly unique and impactful content for SEO?

Google Sep 01, 2022 ★★★

Instead of using content that is available everywhere, create content with your own unique perspective. Even for a site utilizing existing content, add your own point of view and added value. As long as you create content supported by users, there's ...

Content JavaScript & Technical SEO

Should you keep using the hreflang tag after the Search Console update?

Google Sep 01, 2022 ★★★

The International Targeting report will be removed from Search Console after the 22nd of the month, but the hreflang tag itself will NOT be discontinued. Continue to use it as usual.

AI & SEO Search Console International SEO

Are indexed redirect pages really a concern for your SEO?

Google Sep 01, 2022 ★★

If redirect pages (like external login pages) are indexed, there is usually no particular problem. There's no need to worry excessively. The URL removal tool is not recommended in this scenario.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing Domain Name Redirects

Is it true that Google overlooks your redirects for the canonical version?

Google Sep 01, 2022 ★★

Google automatically tries to normalize pages among various variations. If Google deems a page useful, it might be considered canonical even if a redirect is present. This is a normal phenomenon.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Redirects

How can you effectively manage robots.txt and noindex for Google?

Google Sep 01, 2022 ★★★

If a page is blocked by robots.txt but needs to be unblocked for noindex: first unblock robots.txt as instructed, allow Google to crawl and see the noindex, then block it again if necessary. The most reliable method is to keep noindex in place.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Why is mastering the FAQ format in SEO essential?

Google Sep 01, 2022 ★★

The use of FAQ structured data with a standard question-answer format is correct. Google reserves the right to determine if the content poses any issues, which falls under the review and anti-spam team's jurisdiction.

Content Structured Data JavaScript & Technical SEO Penalties & Spam

Are Pros and Cons structured data really unsuitable for product pages?

Google Sep 01, 2022 ★★★

Pros and Cons structured data is intended for PRODUCT USERS who summarize their impressions on personal blogs, not for product creators on their product pages. Google can automatically display pros/cons even without structured markup.

Domain Age & History E-commerce Local Search

Why is the noarchive meta tag essential for SEO?

Google Sep 01, 2022 ★★

The noarchive meta tag stops cached pages from showing. If a cached page temporarily reappears using the cache: operator, it's only temporary and will be blocked again. The tag works as intended.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Web Performance

Is adding a job application button really not considered SEO cloaking?

Google Sep 01, 2022 ★★

For job searches, inserting a job application button in view when visiting the site via search parameters does not pose a cloaking problem, as long as the content is not different between the search engine and the users.

Content AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Penalties & Spam

Is your page suddenly losing its SEO ranking?

Google Sep 01, 2022 ★★

When a page disappears from search results or loses its top 3 ranking, it's usually the result of normal algorithm judgment. Reevaluate whether the page offers unique value and a clear reason to be displayed at the top.

Algorithms Domain Age & History AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO

Should you really focus solely on creating valuable content for users?

Google Sep 01, 2022 ★★★

The core message is to continue creating content that holds value for users. Display the information that users are searching for. Users are looking for something specific, so provide exactly that information.

Domain Age & History Content Local Search

Should You Index Comment Pages to Improve Your SEO Rankings?

John Mueller Aug 29, 2022 ★★★

John Mueller explained on Twitter that it's better not to index pages that would only contain comments, whether on a blog, product page, or elsewhere. However, high-quality comments beneath editorial content, without spam, can be valuable since they ...

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing E-commerce AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Penalties & Spam Local Search Social Media

Should You Cloak Your Affiliate Links to Improve Your SEO?

John Mueller Aug 29, 2022 ★★★

John Mueller responded on Twitter to a question about the merits of cloaked affiliate links. His answer: "I don't think you gain anything by masking affiliate links, it just adds complexity. You can also use a database-based configuration without."

Content AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Social Media

Should You Follow the Quality Raters Guide to Improve Your SEO Rankings?

John Mueller Aug 29, 2022 ★★★

John Mueller indicated on Twitter that the Quality Raters guidelines document was not a list of tips for ranking better on Google. However, reading it could provide insights into content quality and how to create a website that satisfies users (and s...

Content AI & SEO PDF & Files Social Media

Does Google really have total control over when rich results appear in search?

Alan Kent Aug 29, 2022 ★★

Rich results are displayed at Google's discretion, but require that Google has access to enriched product data in order to present them.

Structured Data E-commerce Featured Snippets & SERP AI & SEO

Should you really duplicate product data between your website and Merchant Center?

Alan Kent Aug 29, 2022 ★★★

Google officially recommends providing both structured data in web pages AND product feeds via Merchant Center. Google can perform cross-checks between feed data and website data.

Domain Age & History E-commerce AI & SEO