What does Google say about SEO?

How long does Google actually take to fully process a domain migration?

John Mueller Jan 14, 2022 ★★★

There is no fixed timeline for a domain or infrastructure migration to be completely processed by Google. The time required depends on many factors such as content changes, URL structure, and HTML format.

Content AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name Pagination & Structure Redirects

Can a site migration really boost your SEO rankings or destroy them completely?

John Mueller Jan 14, 2022 ★★★

A site migration can have very positive or very negative effects on SEO. The result depends on implementation quality: improvement of internal linking, URL structure, HTML quality. You should not assume that results will be identical after migration.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Domain Name Pagination & Structure Redirects

Does Googlebot really crawl from just one place when indexing your geo-targeted content?

John Mueller Jan 14, 2022 ★★★

For search purposes, Googlebot generally crawls from a single location, which likely corresponds to California for most Google systems. This means that geo-localized content served in California is the version that will be indexed.

Content Crawl & Indexing Local Search International SEO

Should you redirect mobile users to your app—and what are the hidden SEO risks?

John Mueller Jan 14, 2022 ★★★

Redirecting mobile users to an application is acceptable from an SEO perspective, but you must ensure you don't redirect Googlebot to the app store since it cannot install applications. A systematic redirect can also impact your Core Web Vitals data.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Mobile SEO Pagination & Structure Web Performance Redirects

Do you really need to translate your pages word-for-word for hreflang to work effectively?

John Mueller Jan 14, 2022 ★★★

Pages linked by hreflang do not need to have exactly identical content. Products, recommendations, and algorithms can vary between countries. Google uses hreflang to understand which URLs are equivalent according to the website owner, not to verify c...

Algorithms Domain Age & History Content E-commerce AI & SEO Domain Name International SEO

Does the domain directive in your Disavow file really help you bypass Google's 2MB limit?

John Mueller Jan 14, 2022 ★★

The Disavow file limit is 2MB. To optimize space, it is recommended to use the domain directive as much as possible rather than listing each URL individually.

AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Domain Name PDF & Files

Should you really use the Disavow tool only for purchased links?

John Mueller Jan 14, 2022 ★★★

The Disavow file should only be used for links where it is 100% obvious they were purchased or exchanged. Random links from spam sites, forums, or copied pages do not need to be added to the Disavow file.

Domain Age & History JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks PDF & Files Penalties & Spam

Does semantic HTML really boost your search rankings?

John Mueller Jan 14, 2022 ★★

Some semantic HTML elements give Google a bit more context about page content, but tags like footer don't really provide additional information for SEO. Semantic HTML remains useful for accessibility and browser compatibility.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO

Is AMP still a ranking factor in Google Search?

John Mueller Jan 14, 2022 ★★★

Currently, there are no Google search features exclusively reserved for AMP pages. There is therefore nothing to lose on this front by removing AMP.

Domain Age & History Mobile SEO

Is AMP really a ranking factor for Google?

John Mueller Jan 14, 2022 ★★★

AMP is not a ranking factor. You shouldn't expect any change in your search rankings simply because you use or don't use AMP pages. On the other hand, AMP pages are generally fast, and speed is a ranking factor.

Domain Age & History JavaScript & Technical SEO Mobile SEO Web Performance

Does removing AMP actually boost crawl on your regular pages?

John Mueller Jan 14, 2022 ★★

After AMP pages are removed, Googlebot that was frequently crawling these pages to refresh the cache will redirect this crawl activity toward the site's traditional pages.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Mobile SEO Web Performance

Should you test removing your Disavow file incrementally, or can you delete it all at once?

John Mueller Jan 14, 2022 ★★

To test the removal of a Disavow file, it is recommended to proceed incrementally by dividing the file into parts and gradually removing sections to assess the impact, rather than deleting everything at once.

Links & Backlinks PDF & Files

Why do knowledge panels display differently across devices and search contexts?

John Mueller Jan 14, 2022 ★★

Knowledge panels can be displayed differently on mobile and desktop depending on available space and estimated utility for the user. There is no single factor determining their display. Wikipedia is not the only criterion; Google uses various sources...

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Mobile SEO

Does Google's synonym system really work without any human intervention?

John Mueller Jan 14, 2022 ★★★

Google's synonym system is entirely automated. There is no manual work on synonym spreadsheets because approximately 10 to 15% of daily search queries are completely new. The system learns automatically, possibly through machine learning.

AI & SEO

Should you really create a separate page for each location to implement Local Business schema correctly?

John Mueller Jan 14, 2022 ★★

For a business with multiple locations, it is recommended to create distinct pages for each location and include an individual Local Business schema on each page with address, phone number, and specific opening hours.

Domain Age & History Structured Data AI & SEO Local Search International SEO

Do you really need to mark up ALL your content with structured data?

John Mueller Jan 14, 2022 ★★★

It is not mandatory to mark all visible content with structured data. If a page contains 20 FAQs, it is acceptable to mark only 5 with the FAQ schema. Structured data must be visible on the page, but not all visible content needs markup.

Domain Age & History Content Structured Data AI & SEO Pagination & Structure

Do you really need to display all FAQ schema questions visibly on your page?

John Mueller Jan 14, 2022 ★★★

For FAQ schema, Google requires that the question be visible on the page. The answer can be in an accordion system or dropdown menu, but the question must be directly visible.

Domain Age & History Structured Data AI & SEO Pagination & Structure

Can hidden accordion content really show up in featured snippets?

John Mueller Jan 14, 2022 ★★

Content initially hidden in accordions or tabs can be used for featured snippets and normal excerpts. Google generally tries not to show too much initially non-visible content in snippets, but this can happen if it's particularly relevant for providi...

Content Featured Snippets & SERP AI & SEO Pagination & Structure

Why does Google deliberately choose not to index your entire website?

John Mueller Jan 14, 2022 ★★★

Google doesn't necessarily index all content from every website—this is normal and expected behavior. If a substantial portion of your content is already indexed, that's a good sign. Internal linking architecture and overall site quality help improve...

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

Should you delete pages to boost your site's indexation?

John Mueller Jan 14, 2022 ★★★

If many pages are not indexed, it may be wise to reduce the total number of pages to concentrate value on fewer, higher-quality pages. This can help Google better index and rank your priority pages.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO