What does Google say about SEO?

Should you really ban nofollow from your internal links?

John Mueller Jun 08, 2022 ★★★

Using nofollow on internal links generally makes no sense. It is better to use rel=canonical to indicate preferred URLs or robots.txt to block crawling of problematic URLs that cause server load.

Crawl & Indexing Links & Backlinks Domain Name

Should you stop relying on the site: command to measure indexation?

John Mueller Jun 08, 2022 ★★★

The number of results displayed by a site: query is a very rough approximation and should not be used for diagnostic purposes. Search Console provides the exact and reliable number of indexed URLs in the indexation report.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Domain Name Search Console

Why does Google really prefer server-side redirects over JavaScript redirects?

John Mueller Jun 08, 2022 ★★★

Server-side redirects (301, 302) are strongly preferred over JavaScript redirects because they're processed immediately. JavaScript redirects require preliminary rendering, which slows down the process. Server redirects are always recommended wheneve...

AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Redirects

Should you really care about the difference between 301 and 302 redirects for SEO?

John Mueller Jun 08, 2022 ★★

A 301 redirect (permanent) tells Google to focus on the destination page. A 302 (temporary) tells it to keep focusing on the source page. Codes 307/308 handle POST requests differently for forms and APIs.

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

Should you really isolate your archived content to boost your SEO performance?

John Mueller Jun 08, 2022 ★★

For obsolete content, it is recommended to move it to a clearly separated archive section. This helps Google focus on your main active content. Using noindex on archives is optional and depends on your site's objectives.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Can you really force Google to display sitelinks in search results?

John Mueller Jun 08, 2022 ★★

There are no meta tags or structured data that can force sitelink display. Google recommends good site structure, clear internal links, and explicit titles to help systems identify relevant pages to display as sitelinks.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Pagination & Structure Local Search

Should you really abandon PDFs and iframes if you want your text content to rank properly?

John Mueller Jun 08, 2022 ★★

Google converts PDFs to HTML pages for indexing. Hiding a PDF's OCR text in HTML is not recommended. If you want to index content as a web page, make it visible directly in HTML rather than embedding the PDF in an iframe.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing PDF & Files Web Performance

Is it really worth blocking or hiding external links to protect your PageRank?

John Mueller Jun 08, 2022 ★★★

Using complex patterns (like PRG) to mask external links is completely pointless and excessive. A simple rel=nofollow is all you need if necessary. Blocking all external links makes no sense — you need to participate naturally on the web with bidirec...

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

Does Google really favor certain CMS platforms for SEO rankings?

John Mueller Jun 08, 2022 ★★★

Google gives absolutely no preferential treatment to WordPress, WooCommerce, Shopify, or any other platform. Google's systems do not respond to the site's backend structure. All platforms can achieve good SEO results.

AI & SEO Pagination & Structure

Does Google really crawl URLs found in your structured data?

John Mueller Jun 08, 2022 ★★

Google can discover and crawl URLs found in your structured data, but this is not guaranteed. If you want a URL to be crawled, create a real HTML link with anchor text. If you don't want it to be crawled, block it via robots.txt or use rel=canonical.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Domain Name

Is Google really crawling your entire site exclusively with a mobile user agent?

Alan Kent Jun 02, 2022 ★★★

Because most users perform searches on mobile devices, Google explores websites using a mobile device user agent in HTTP headers to index content.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing HTTPS & Security Mobile SEO

Is mobile speed really the bottleneck that's killing your search rankings?

Alan Kent Jun 02, 2022 ★★

Site speed is generally a more critical concern for mobile devices, since they often have less powerful processors and inferior network performance compared to desktop computers.

Mobile SEO Web Performance Search Console

Does the Mobile Friendly Test really catch the mobile SEO problems that matter for your rankings?

Alan Kent Jun 02, 2022 ★★

The Mobile Friendly Test tool allows you to analyze a page by simply entering its URL. It detects problems such as the use of outdated plugins, missing viewport property, or font size that is too small.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Mobile SEO Domain Name

Is hiding critical content on mobile really worth the ranking penalty you'll pay?

Alan Kent Jun 02, 2022 ★★★

Mobile sites can omit important information for indexing purposes to reduce page size. While this marginally improves performance, it can prevent pages from appearing as frequently in search results.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Mobile SEO Web Performance Search Console

Is mobile really driving more than half of all Google search traffic to websites?

Alan Kent Jun 02, 2022 ★★★

More than half of Google search traffic comes from users on mobile devices. This is traffic that Google actually sends to websites, which is why mobile optimization is so critical.

Mobile SEO

Can Google Search Console really diagnose your mobile indexing problems?

Alan Kent Jun 02, 2022 ★★★

Google Search Console provides detailed information about what Google has indexed on a site, including reports of problems found when indexing mobile pages.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Mobile SEO Search Console

Is it really necessary to use a sitemap and Google Merchant Center to get properly indexed by Google?

Alan Kent Jun 02, 2022 ★★★

To help Google find all your pages, it's recommended to use a sitemap file or provide Google Merchant Center with a feed of all product pages. These methods offer alternative discovery paths rather than relying solely on crawling.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing E-commerce AI & SEO Images & Videos PDF & Files Search Console

Why Does PageSpeed Insights Combine Lab Data with Real-World Field Metrics?

Alan Kent Jun 02, 2022 ★★

PageSpeed Insights is valuable because it includes both lab data from controlled artificial tests and field data based on real user experiences on your site.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Web Performance

Is Google Search Console's mobile usability report really enough to fully optimize your site?

Alan Kent Jun 02, 2022 ★★★

Google Search Console has a mobile usability report for pages that Google has indexed on a site. You need to search for 'mobile usability' in the side menu.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing Mobile SEO Pagination & Structure Search Console

Does a simplified mobile design really work just as well on larger screens?

Alan Kent Jun 02, 2022 ★★

Simpler mobile website designs often perform well on larger screens too. Simpler pages can help buyers focus on their purchasing journey with fewer distractions.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Mobile SEO