What does Google say about SEO?

Why are hreflang tags crucial for multilingual SEO success?

Google Nov 25, 2021 ★★★

For multilingual sites, Google advises using hreflang tags instead of URL parameters like lang=en. Each language version is indexed separately and recognized as a variant of the same content.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Domain Name International SEO

Is it true that showing different content on desktop and mobile can harm your SEO?

Google Nov 25, 2021 ★★★

With Mobile-First Indexing, hiding content with CSS only on mobile while it's visible on desktop counts as hidden text, which is a violation of the guidelines. The content must be consistent across versions.

Content Crawl & Indexing Mobile SEO Penalties & Spam Local Search

How are Chrome Data in Discover Changing Your SEO Insights?

Google Nov 25, 2021 ★★

The change allowing Chrome data to appear in the Discover reports of Search Console has been completed. Users cannot distinguish the source of the data but can observe an increase in traffic.

Discover & News AI & SEO Local Search Search Console

Why should you use the nofollow attribute as a fallback solution in SEO?

Google Nov 25, 2021 ★★

When it’s impossible to determine whether a link is sponsored or UGC (user-generated content), Google recommends using the nofollow attribute as a fallback solution.

Content Links & Backlinks

Why should you ditch separate URLs for mobile and desktop?

Google Nov 25, 2021 ★★

Google no longer recommends using separate URLs for mobile and desktop. It dissuades migrating to such a configuration now that responsive design and Mobile-First Indexing are standard.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Mobile SEO Domain Name Pagination & Structure

How can you conceal your site from Google search results while keeping it accessible?

John Mueller Nov 24, 2021 ★★★

There are three ways to hide a website from search results while allowing users to access it: using a password, blocking crawl, or preventing indexing.

Crawl & Indexing

Is using a password the most effective way to safeguard private content?

John Mueller Nov 24, 2021 ★★★

To keep a site private, locking it with a password is often the best approach. Neither search engines nor random web users will be able to see the content, making it highly secure.

Content

Can you really rely on the robots.txt file to stop search engines from crawling your site?

John Mueller Nov 24, 2021 ★★★

Crawling is blocked using the robots.txt file. Random users on the web can still access the website while well-behaved search engines will know not to access it.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO PDF & Files

Is it true that robots.txt doesn't guarantee your URLs won't be indexed?

John Mueller Nov 24, 2021 ★★★

Blocking crawling with robots.txt is not an ideal approach, as search engines can still index the website’s address without accessing the content. It's rare, but it can happen.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Domain Name

How does the noindex tag influence your SEO indexing strategy?

John Mueller Nov 24, 2021 ★★★

Blocking indexing is done by adding a 'noindex' meta robots tag to the pages. This tells search engines not to index this page after crawling it. Users do not see the meta tag and can still access the page normally.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

How does password protection impact the SEO of private content?

John Mueller Nov 24, 2021 ★★★

For private content, Google recommends using password protection. It is easy to verify that it is working, and it prevents anyone from accessing the content.

Content

When is it a good idea to block crawling or indexing for your SEO optimization?

John Mueller Nov 24, 2021 ★★

Blocking crawling or indexing can be good options when the content is not private or if it simply involves parts of a website that you wish to prevent from appearing in search results.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Does bold text really improve organic search rankings?

John Mueller Nov 22, 2021 ★★★

John Mueller reminded during a webmaster hangout that putting certain words in bold in a text helps for SEO. But it should be done in moderation, because if too many words or phrases are bolded, it no longer provides any benefit. Bold is a relevance ...

Domain Age & History Content HTTPS & Security AI & SEO

Why Must Your Logo Work on a White Background for SEO?

Google Nov 22, 2021 ★★★

A small piece of information found in Google's recommendations about logos and their structured data markup (in its English version): "make sure the image looks how you want it to look on a purely white background (for example, if the logo is mostly ...

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Images & Videos

Is it true that Google still indexes non-mobile-friendly pages?

John Mueller Nov 20, 2021 ★★★

Google still indexes pages even if they are not completely mobile-friendly. Mobile compatibility is used as a small ranking factor in mobile search results, but it does not prevent indexing.

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

Should You Worry About Title Tag Length for SEO?

John Mueller Nov 20, 2021 ★★★

Google has no recommendations regarding the length of title tags. Title length is not a ranking factor, even if the title displayed in search results is truncated.

Content

Does the length of URLs really affect SEO?

John Mueller Nov 20, 2021 ★★★

The length of the URL has no impact on SEO. Having words in the URL is a good practice for user readability, but it is not an SEO requirement. A URL composed solely of an ID is technically acceptable.

Content AI & SEO Domain Name Pagination & Structure

Why are real user data crucial for your SEO success?

John Mueller Nov 20, 2021 ★★★

For ranking purposes, Google uses field data that reflects what real users have experienced, rather than laboratory tests from PageSpeed Insights or Lighthouse. Real user data comes from Search Console.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Web Performance Search Console

Is site speed really crucial for SEO rankings?

John Mueller Nov 20, 2021 ★★★

Core Web Vitals and page experience are ranking factors, but they are not the most important ones. It is recommended to prioritize critical site elements before optimizing speed.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Web Performance

Does Google set a limit for doorway pages with 7 targeting similar keywords?

John Mueller Nov 20, 2021 ★★

Having 7 landing pages targeting similar keywords does not pose an issue of doorway pages. The webspam team would not take manual action on such a limited number of pages, even if the content is similar.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Penalties & Spam