What does Google say about SEO?

Can you block indexation of entire directories using server modules instead of robots.txt?

Gary Illyes Jun 30, 2022 ★★

To block indexation of a large portion of a site, you can use Apache modules or Nginx configurations to automatically apply the noindex tag to all URLs under a given prefix or pattern, although this is more technical than robots.txt or HTML.

Content Crawl & Indexing Domain Name

Should you really use rel=canonical over noindex for aging content?

Gary Illyes Jun 30, 2022 ★★★

To manage old blog articles that remain relevant, it's better to use the rel=canonical tag pointing to your main page rather than deindexing them with noindex. This allows you to preserve historical access while consolidating signals toward the canon...

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing Discover & News AI & SEO

Should you really use max-snippet and max-image-preview to control how your content appears in search results?

Gary Illyes Jun 30, 2022 ★★

The 'max-snippet' and 'max-image-preview' meta tags allow you to control the length of text snippets and the size of image previews displayed in search results, with particularly visible effects in Google Discover when using large images.

Domain Age & History Content Discover & News Featured Snippets & SERP AI & SEO Images & Videos

Should you use individual nofollow attributes or a meta robots nofollow tag to control PageRank distribution?

John Mueller Jun 30, 2022 ★★

The meta robots 'nofollow' tag applies to all links on a page, while the nofollow attribute can be applied individually to specific links, particularly for advertising or sponsored links.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

Is the X-Robots-Tag header really the only way to keep PDFs out of Google's index?

Gary Illyes Jun 30, 2022 ★★★

To block indexing of files like PDFs, you must use the HTTP X-Robots-Tag header. If header access isn't available through your CMS, the only alternatives are to not publish the file or use the removal tool.

Crawl & Indexing HTTPS & Security AI & SEO Images & Videos PDF & Files

Should you really create specific content for every step of the buyer's journey?

Alan Kent Jun 29, 2022 ★★★

You need to have relevant content for users at different stages of their buying journey: homepage for inspiration, category pages to target product ranges, and advisory content for buyers in the research phase.

Domain Age & History Content E-commerce

Should you really master technical SEO before producing content?

Alan Kent Jun 29, 2022 ★★★

Even with an excellent content strategy, if Google cannot crawl your website, your content will have no impact. It is crucial to master technical aspects before investing in content.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Is Google Search Console really enough to catch all your technical SEO problems?

Alan Kent Jun 29, 2022 ★★★

Google Search Console is the recommended tool for detecting technical issues on your site. It offers several reports covering different types of potential problems.

Content Search Console

Why should e-commerce product titles absolutely contain the brand name and color?

Alan Kent Jun 29, 2022 ★★★

Page titles should include details such as brand name and product color to provide useful information to buyers and clearly distinguish between different products. These titles are used as the foundation for title links displayed in search results.

Domain Age & History Content E-commerce AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

Are structured data really essential for Google to properly understand your pages?

Alan Kent Jun 29, 2022 ★★★

Adding structured data to web pages helps Google correctly understand the purpose of each page. There are specific structured data formats to describe products on product pages, improving Google's understanding of product attributes.

Domain Age & History E-commerce AI & SEO

Should you really keep out-of-stock product pages indexed?

Alan Kent Jun 29, 2022 ★★★

For out-of-stock products, it is recommended to keep them listed on your site and inform Google that they are currently not available for purchase, rather than completely deleting the page.

Domain Age & History E-commerce

Should you really create a unique URL for every product variant?

Alan Kent Jun 29, 2022 ★★★

Each product variant (color, size) must have a unique URL, for example with query parameters. You need to select one variant as canonical, and all variants must include the canonical page URL to help Google understand their relationships.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing E-commerce AI & SEO Domain Name

Should you really describe every product variant in your canonical page?

Alan Kent Jun 29, 2022 ★★★

The canonical product page must include text describing all available variants (colors, sizes), either in the product description or via alternative text on color selectors, to match searches across all variants.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing E-commerce AI & SEO Images & Videos

Should you really reuse the same URL for your recurring promotional events?

Alan Kent Jun 29, 2022 ★★★

For recurring promotional events like Mother's Day, you should reuse the same URL each time rather than creating a new one. Avoid including the year in the URL path. Keep the page active year-round rather than waiting for Google to index a new page e...

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing Domain Name

Is user experience really a decisive ranking factor at Google?

Alan Kent Jun 29, 2022 ★★★

The performance of web pages is so important that user experience has been integrated as a Google ranking signal, influencing the positioning of pages in search results. If two pages have the same textual content, page speed can be the deciding facto...

Domain Age & History Content Web Performance Search Console

Why does PageSpeed Insights combine real-world data with lab testing to measure performance?

Alan Kent Jun 29, 2022 ★★

The PageSpeed Insights report runs several lab tests on a page and also displays real-world data from the Chrome User Experience Report if available. It provides a list of potential issues and recommendations to resolve them.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Web Performance Local Search Search Console

Why does SEO really take several months to deliver measurable results?

Alan Kent Jun 29, 2022 ★★★

SEO is a long-term game. Certain ranking signals can take several months to change, and there's no guarantee of success. You need to be patient and wait several weeks before seeing benefits from your SEO efforts.

AI & SEO

Is buying backlinks really destroying your SEO, or is Google's stance on paid links more nuanced than we think?

Alan Kent Jun 29, 2022 ★★★

Beware of agencies claiming to improve your rankings by paying for more links to your site. Creating artificial links to your pages goes against Google's quality guidelines and can have negative consequences on your rankings.

Domain Age & History Links & Backlinks

Is 'the best possible content' really Google's strategic compass, or just clever marketing spin?

Alan Kent Jun 29, 2022 ★★★

Google Search's final objective is to present the best possible content to users performing a search. Algorithms change over time, but this ultimate goal does not. Therefore, you must focus on creating content and experiences that best serve your cus...

Algorithms Content AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

What's the real maximum HTML crawl limit that Googlebot accepts in 2024?

John Mueller Jun 27, 2022 ★★★

In 2015, John Mueller indicated that Googlebot would not crawl more than 10 MB of source code for a given page. Last week, the online help on this subject (English only) was updated and the figure of 15 MB is now the standard. Beyond this limit, the ...

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO PDF & Files