What does Google say about SEO?

Can you really control PDF indexing through HTTP headers?

John Mueller Feb 18, 2022 ★★

It is possible to set a canonical tag on a PDF via HTTP headers. You can also use noindex in headers for PDF files.

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

Should you still use rel=next and rel=prev tags for pagination in 2024?

John Mueller Feb 18, 2022 ★★★

The old link rel='next' and rel='previous' tags for pagination have been deprecated and are no longer used by Google.

Domain Age & History Links & Backlinks Pagination & Structure

Does Googlebot really index all your infinite scroll content?

John Mueller Feb 18, 2022 ★★

Googlebot uses a very tall viewport during rendering and can partially trigger infinite scroll. This may load 2-3 pages but not everything. You need to test with the URL inspection tool to see what gets captured.

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

Should you really index every page on your website?

John Mueller Feb 18, 2022 ★★★

Google has no specific ratio regarding how many pages a site should have or how many should be indexed. Generally, fewer pages with more concentrated value perform better than many diluted pages.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Is a 97% crawl refresh rate actually a positive sign for your website's health?

John Mueller Feb 18, 2022 ★★

For an established site growing slowly, it's normal for 97% of crawl to be refresh and only 3% discovery. This is different for news sites or classifieds with lots of new content.

Content Crawl & Indexing Pagination & Structure

Does Google really measure crawl speed and Core Web Vitals the same way — and why should you care?

John Mueller Feb 18, 2022 ★★★

Crawl speed measures only the time to fetch a URL from your server, not the rendering in the browser. This is different from Core Web Vitals, which include JavaScript, external resources, and complete rendering.

Crawl & Indexing JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name Web Performance

Does Google really slow down crawling after a hosting migration, and how long does it last?

John Mueller Feb 18, 2022 ★★

When you change hosting or CDN providers, Google automatically reverts to a cautious crawl rate and then gradually increases it over several weeks until it reaches a safe level again.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Can CTR really penalize the rest of your website?

John Mueller Feb 18, 2022 ★★★

A low click-through rate on certain pages (such as Web Stories) will not affect the ranking of the rest of the site. There is no negative reinforcement loop based on the site's overall CTR.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO

Is internal linking really the most critical factor for SEO success?

John Mueller Feb 18, 2022 ★★★

Internal linking is one of the most important elements of a website. It's an excellent way to signal to Google what you consider important. Temporary links from your homepage help with fast crawling and indexing.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks

Does internal linking really take effect instantly after Google recrawls your pages?

John Mueller Feb 18, 2022 ★★

Internal linking changes are taken into account immediately as soon as Google recrawls and reindexes the affected pages. There is no additional artificial latency.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

Should you worry if Google isn't crawling all your pages?

John Mueller Feb 18, 2022 ★★★

It is completely normal for Google not to crawl and index all pages on a website. The 'Discovered - currently not indexed' status can last indefinitely. For a new site with lots of content, this is expected at the beginning.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Should you really concentrate your content on fewer pages to rank better?

John Mueller Feb 18, 2022 ★★★

Dividing one page into multiple pages means each part has to fight alone. Sometimes it's better to have fewer truly strong pages than many targeted pages. It's a strategic question.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO

Do Google's product review criteria apply even if your site isn't classified as a review site?

John Mueller Feb 18, 2022 ★★

Product review recommendations are relevant for all types of product reviews. If these best practices make sense for your content, apply them, regardless of whether Google considers your site a review site or not.

Content E-commerce Local Search

Does Google's Indexing API really work for all types of content?

John Mueller Feb 18, 2022 ★★★

The Indexing API only works for job postings and broadcast events. Using it for other content won't cause any negative issues, but it won't accomplish anything either.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO

Does having the same content in both PDF and HTML formats hurt your SEO rankings through cannibalization?

John Mueller Feb 18, 2022 ★★★

A PDF and an HTML page with the same content are not considered duplicate content because they are different formats. However, they can appear together in search results and compete with each other.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO PDF & Files

Should you really worry about the referrer page shown in Google Search Console?

John Mueller Feb 18, 2022 ★★

The referrer page in the URL inspection tool simply indicates where Google first found the URL. It's not a sign of quality and shouldn't be a concern, even if it's a random website.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Domain Name Search Console

Should you really redirect the old sitemap with a 301 or submit the new one directly instead?

John Mueller Feb 18, 2022 ★★

A 301 redirect from the old sitemap to the new one is acceptable and causes no problems. However, it is recommended to also submit the new URL directly in Search Console or robots.txt.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Domain Name Pagination & Structure Redirects Search Console

Does your server speed actually control how often Google crawls your site?

John Mueller Feb 18, 2022 ★★★

Google balances crawl demand (site quality, frequency of changes) with server limitations (response time, server errors). Slow response time or frequent 5xx errors reduce crawl speed.

Crawl & Indexing

Is the crawl rate parameter really a ceiling rather than something Google will try to maximize?

John Mueller Feb 18, 2022 ★★★

The crawl rate parameter in Search Console is a maximum not to be exceeded, not a target to achieve. It is useful for reducing crawl, not for increasing it.

Crawl & Indexing Search Console

Does quality content really outweigh technical SEO excellence?

Gary Illyes Feb 17, 2022 ★★

Aleyda Solis' first website won first prize and earned her first job not because of code quality or site design aesthetics, but because of the quality of content about sea turtles. This illustrates that quality content takes priority over technical a...

Content E-commerce AI & SEO