What does Google say about SEO?

Is mobile-first indexing really impacting your Google rankings?

John Mueller Mar 14, 2022 ★★★

The shift to mobile-first indexing changes nothing about ranking. It's purely a matter of indexation and selecting which content to use. You shouldn't try to force this change. Google switches sites when they're ready.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing Mobile SEO

Does Your Robots.txt Really Need to Return 404 or 200 to Keep Googlebot Happy?

John Mueller Mar 14, 2022 ★★★

The robots.txt file must return the correct response code. If it doesn't exist, the server must return 404. If a server error is returned, Google treats it as a problem and won't crawl the site. This has always been the case.

Crawl & Indexing PDF & Files

Does Google really analyze video visual content for SEO purposes?

Danielle Marshak Mar 10, 2022 ★★

Google is working to understand videos through their visual signals: identification of objects, animals, movements. This technology continues to improve to identify key moments in videos.

Content AI & SEO Images & Videos

Could blocking your video files be secretly destroying your search visibility?

Danielle Marshak Mar 10, 2022 ★★★

Many sites block access to video files through content protection measures, preventing Google from accessing the content. Without access to the file, Google loses an important signal for indexation.

Content Crawl & Indexing PDF & Files

Does URL cache-busting really prevent Google from indexing your videos?

Danielle Marshak Mar 10, 2022 ★★★

If a video's URL changes with every page load (cache-busting), Google cannot properly index the video because the URL becomes invalid when Google tries to retrieve it.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing Domain Name Web Performance

Should you really use reverse DNS verification to authorize Googlebot?

Danielle Marshak Mar 10, 2022 ★★

Publishers can use reverse DNS verification or consult the IP addresses published by Google to specifically authorize Googlebot to access protected videos.

Crawl & Indexing

Why is Google finally making Googlebot IP addresses publicly available?

Gary Illyes Mar 10, 2022 ★★

Google recently published its IP addresses to make it easier for publishers to identify Googlebot without requiring multiple reverse DNS lookups.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Does Google really transcribe your video audio to rank them?

Danielle Marshak Mar 10, 2022 ★★★

Google extracts text from videos by using audio to understand spoken words, then segments these words into meaningful chunks. This is one of the main methods for understanding video content.

Content Featured Snippets & SERP AI & SEO

Does Google really analyze the text displayed in your videos for SEO rankings?

Danielle Marshak Mar 10, 2022 ★★★

Google uses Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to extract visible text in videos, such as titles or captions displayed on screen, in order to identify important moments.

Content AI & SEO

Why do video structured data markups remain indispensable despite Google's AI advances?

Danielle Marshak Mar 10, 2022 ★★★

Despite progress in video understanding, structured data remains crucial. It helps Google comprehend content, context, and relevant search queries for each video.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Why does Google require the video file URL in structured data to boost your rankings?

Danielle Marshak Mar 10, 2022 ★★★

It is essential to provide the video file URL (contentURL) in structured data so that Google can access and properly analyze the actual content.

Content Domain Name PDF & Files

Should you always prioritize content URL over embed URL in video structured data?

Danielle Marshak Mar 10, 2022 ★★★

If available, always provide the video content URL (content URL) rather than the embedding URL (embed URL). The embed URL only works as a last resort if the source file is not accessible.

Content Domain Name PDF & Files

Does Google really analyze video content or does it just rely on page text?

Danielle Marshak Mar 10, 2022 ★★★

Google uses both textual signals from the page (title, description, structured data) and the video content itself to understand the topic and determine relevant queries.

Domain Age & History Content

Can Google really index short-form videos if they have a crawlable URL?

Danielle Marshak Mar 10, 2022 ★★

Short-form videos can be indexed by Google if they are accessible via a URL, even if they are primarily viewed in mobile applications.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Images & Videos JavaScript & Technical SEO Mobile SEO Domain Name

Does improving user experience really impact your search engine rankings?

Martin Splitt Mar 09, 2022 ★★★

Making optimizations to improve user experience (performance, accessibility, usability) has a direct positive impact on search rankings. A search engine seeks to present sites offering the best experience to meet user intent.

AI & SEO Web Performance Search Console

Should you really ignore SEO blogs and only read Google's official documentation?

Martin Splitt Mar 09, 2022 ★★

It is recommended to consult Google's official resources directly (webmaster videos, documentation) rather than third-party sources that may contain outdated or incorrect information about SEO practices.

Images & Videos PDF & Files

Do Core Web Vitals Really Affect Your Google Rankings?

Martin Splitt Mar 09, 2022 ★★★

Performance metrics like LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) matter for SEO. Improving these indicators has a positive impact on your site's index rating and search visibility.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Web Performance Search Console

Is lazy loading really an easy SEO optimization to implement without risks?

Martin Splitt Mar 09, 2022 ★★

Adding lazy loading for images is a simple technical optimization to implement that can have a positive impact on performance and therefore on SEO.

Domain Age & History Content Images & Videos Web Performance Search Console

Does JavaScript package size really impact your SEO rankings?

Martin Splitt Mar 09, 2022 ★★

The size of JavaScript packages added to a page impacts performance, loading time, and user experience, which can negatively affect your SEO score and index rating if the packages are too large.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Web Performance Search Console

Is semantic HTML really a game-changing ranking factor for SEO?

Martin Splitt Mar 09, 2022 ★★

Using correct semantic HTML (semantic links, appropriate structure) is part of the basic SEO concepts that frontend developers should master for effective search engine optimization.

Content AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Pagination & Structure