What does Google say about SEO?

Why are more than 15% of Google searches completely new every day, and how should this reshape your SEO strategy?

John Mueller May 12, 2022 ★★★

Over 15% of all search queries submitted every day on Google Search are completely brand new. This metric has remained stable over many years, meaning that every single day there are opportunities for new websites to be discovered.

Pagination & Structure

Why is Google pushing domain-level verification in Search Console—and should you switch now?

John Mueller May 12, 2022 ★★★

Google recommends verifying your site's property in Search Console at the domain level because it offers the most options. An API exists to facilitate this verification.

AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name Search Console

Why do Google Analytics and Search Console never show the same numbers?

John Mueller May 12, 2022 ★★★

Search Console and its APIs cover everything that happens in Google Search until a user lands on a site. Google Analytics, on the other hand, examines everything that happens after, once the user is on the site. The measurements are slightly differen...

JavaScript & Technical SEO Search Console

Are video structured data really essential to appear in search results?

Dikla Cohen May 12, 2022 ★★★

Websites can facilitate the extraction of key information about videos (thumbnail, title, duration) by using structured data or other methods. Video indexing does not depend on where you host your videos.

Content Crawl & Indexing Structured Data AI & SEO Pagination & Structure

Are JavaScript Web Components really crawlable by Google's bots?

John Mueller May 08, 2022 ★★★

JavaScript-based Web Components can be processed by Google Search. It is recommended to test the rendering with Search Console's Inspect URL tool to verify that Google can properly extract important content. Most modern JavaScript is supported by Goo...

Content AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name Search Console

Does Google really require FAQ Schema content to follow a strict presentation format?

John Mueller May 08, 2022 ★★★

To use FAQ Schema markup, questions and answers must be visible on the page. They can appear in different sections of the page (such as blog section headings), not necessarily in a traditional FAQ format.

Domain Age & History Content Structured Data AI & SEO

Why does Google penalize excessive variations of the same content?

John Mueller May 08, 2022 ★★★

Creating many variations of the same content by simply changing a few words constitutes doorway pages, which goes against Google's Webmaster Guidelines. This dilutes your site's quality instead of reinforcing it.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Penalties & Spam

Does Google really see your JavaScript content the way you do?

John Mueller May 08, 2022 ★★★

The Inspect URL tool in Search Console allows you to check how Googlebot renders a JavaScript page. You can see the rendered screenshot and the generated HTML to ensure that important content is properly accessible to Google.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name Search Console

Should you really trust rel=canonical to control indexation?

John Mueller May 08, 2022 ★★★

The rel canonical is a signal that helps Google choose which URL to index among duplicate pages. Google doesn't always follow this indication: its systems can decide that another URL is preferable. This doesn't affect rankings.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Domain Name

Are backlinks pointing to 404 pages really worthless for your SEO?

John Mueller May 08, 2022 ★★★

Backlinks pointing to pages that return a 404 code are not taken into account by Google, because there is no content to associate with them. These links are automatically abandoned by Google's systems.

Domain Age & History Content Links & Backlinks

Does the disavow tool really erase all traces of toxic links from Google's algorithms?

John Mueller May 08, 2022 ★★★

Links disavowed via the disavow tool are completely removed from Google's systems. They no longer have any effect, neither positive nor negative. Links still appear in Search Console but are ignored in ranking calculations.

AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Penalties & Spam Search Console

Can an SSL certificate really penalize your search rankings?

John Mueller May 08, 2022 ★★

If an SSL certificate works correctly in a browser, it will work correctly for Google indexing. An SSL certificate problem would not cause a drop in visibility in search results.

Crawl & Indexing HTTPS & Security AI & SEO

Do technical SEO issues really have an immediate impact on your rankings?

John Mueller May 08, 2022 ★★

Real technical issues (misconfigured robots.txt blocking, server errors) have an immediate impact on indexation. If a problem has existed for a long time without visible effect, then a decline occurs, the cause lies elsewhere, often in quality.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Does blocking Google Translate really impact your search rankings?

John Mueller May 08, 2022 ★★

The Translate this page feature uses a different infrastructure than Googlebot. If it's blocked, this has no impact on SEO as long as Googlebot can access your site normally. SEO depends solely on Googlebot's access.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing Pagination & Structure International SEO

Does FAQ Schema Markup Really Guarantee That Your FAQ Snippets Will Show Up in Google?

John Mueller May 08, 2022 ★★

FAQ Schema markup makes pages eligible for displaying FAQ snippets in search results, but does not guarantee their appearance. Google decides based on multiple factors whether these rich snippets will be displayed or not.

Domain Age & History Structured Data AI & SEO

Should you really avoid duplicating your own content for SEO?

John Mueller May 08, 2022 ★★★

Reusing your own content by changing a few words is not contrary to Google's guidelines, but delivers little value. It's better to create fewer, higher-quality articles. Warning: creating many variations can be considered doorway pages.

Domain Age & History Content Discover & News AI & SEO Penalties & Spam

Does your CMS really penalize your SEO compared to static HTML?

John Mueller May 08, 2022 ★★★

Whether pages are in static HTML or dynamically generated by WordPress or another CMS, Googlebot only sees the final HTML. The platform used has no impact on crawling, indexation or ranking.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing

Why aren't your pages getting indexed even though your site is technically flawless?

John Mueller May 08, 2022 ★★★

When technical aspects are correct and certain pages aren't indexed or ranking well, the problem usually comes from perceived content quality and overall site experience, not from technical infrastructure.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Pagination & Structure

Why have external user studies become essential for diagnosing quality issues that your team can no longer see?

John Mueller May 08, 2022 ★★

To understand quality problems, it is recommended to conduct user studies with people external to your site. Asking them questions about trust, experience, and difficulties encountered helps identify areas for improvement.

AI & SEO

Does a progressive multi-domain ranking decline reveal a quality issue rather than a technical one?

John Mueller May 08, 2022 ★★

When a ranking drop first appears on one TLD and then gradually extends to others, it suggests a problem with Google's overall understanding of your site rather than a localized technical issue.

Content AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name