What does Google say about SEO?

Search through official Google statements about search engine optimization

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9227 statement(s) found
Is it true that Google Penguin impacts site trust with spam links?
John Mueller Oct 30, 2021 ★★
Google tries to ignore identified spam links. If the systems detect a very strong pattern of link spam on a site and cannot isolate those links, they may reduce the trust placed in the site and take a conservative approach to ranking.
Algorithms AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Penalties & Spam
Do Web Stories Really Influence Your SEO?
John Mueller Oct 30, 2021 ★★
Web Stories must be linked from significant pages on the site for Google to understand their importance. They need to contain sufficient textual content as they are indexed like normal HTML pages, despite their visual nature.
Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing Images & Videos Links & Backlinks
How important is field data for Core Web Vitals?
John Mueller Oct 30, 2021 ★★★
Core Web Vitals depend on field data collected through mobile Chrome. Without sufficient data, Search Console displays nothing, and Google cannot use these metrics for ranking. Zero good URLs typically means a lack of data.
AI & SEO Mobile SEO Domain Name Web Performance Local Search Search Console
Why should you steer clear of using a generic author name on your SEO site?
John Mueller Oct 30, 2021 ★★
It's essential to avoid using generic author names like admin since they provide no information to users. A brand name is acceptable, but for certain topics like health, identifying a qualified expert is preferable according to the quality rater guid...
AI & SEO Pagination & Structure
Does the length of your URL really impact your SEO?
John Mueller Oct 27, 2021 ★★★
The length of the URL has no impact on organic search rankings. Google uses URLs as identifiers, regardless of their length. Neither the length of the URL nor the number of slashes influences rankings in search results.
AI & SEO Domain Name
Should you really limit your URLs to 1000 characters?
John Mueller Oct 27, 2021 ★★
John Mueller personally recommends keeping URLs below 1000 characters, but only to facilitate monitoring and management. This limit is not a technical requirement from Google for SEO.
Content AI & SEO Domain Name
How does URL length actually impact canonicalization?
John Mueller Oct 27, 2021 ★★★
URL length plays a role in the canonicalization process. When Google finds multiple copies of the same page on a site, its systems tend to select the shortest and cleanest URL for indexing.
Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing Domain Name
Does canonicalization really have no effect on SEO rankings?
John Mueller Oct 27, 2021 ★★★
Google's choice of the canonical URL has no effect on ranking in search results. It only determines which URL will be displayed in search results among duplicate versions of the same page.
Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing Domain Name
Why is a consistent URL structure essential for your SEO success?
John Mueller Oct 27, 2021 ★★
Google recommends using a URL structure that works for your site and can be maintained over time. The priority should be on consistency and longevity rather than the specific length or format.
AI & SEO Domain Name Pagination & Structure
Can Black Hat SEO Practices Really Work Without Putting Your Business at Risk?
John Mueller Oct 25, 2021 ★★★
John Mueller commented on Twitter about black hat practices (particularly in terms of link building) implemented by some companies: "There are many risky practices. Sometimes you don't get caught, and sometimes it works, even for a while (but not get...
Content AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Penalties & Spam Social Media
How Does Google Really Transform Your HTML Code Into Search Results?
Martin Splitt Oct 25, 2021 ★★★
Martin Splitt (Google) explained the "rendering" step implemented by Google in its engine more precisely during a webinar, using an example we particularly like: the cooking recipe: "If you think of HTML code as a recipe, and you have all the ingredi...
Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing E-commerce AI & SEO Images & Videos JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name PDF & Files Search Console
Are Core Web Vitals really a universal ranking factor for every site?
John Mueller Oct 23, 2021 ★★★
Google does not adjust the weight of the Core Web Vitals factor based on the type of website. Whether it’s an online gaming site or a text-based site, the weight remains the same. What can vary is the perception related to the strength of competition...
Content Web Performance
Why doesn't the visual quality of images impact traditional SEO?
John Mueller Oct 23, 2021 ★★★
Google does not assess the visual quality of images (beautiful image vs. gray square) for ranking in traditional web search. Images are analyzed solely for Google Images. In web search, their visual content does not affect page positioning.
Domain Age & History Content Images & Videos
Does using data-src really enhance your lazy loading images?
John Mueller Oct 23, 2021 ★★★
Google recognizes lazy loading images even when they use data-src instead of src, as long as the final render properly displays the image element. To ensure indexing, it's recommended to use structured image data or an image sitemap.
Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing Images & Videos Web Performance Local Search Search Console
Do App Store reviews really impact your web SEO?
John Mueller Oct 23, 2021 ★★
Reviews published on Google Play Store or the App Store are not taken into account for the SEO of websites. Google does not have a concept of an overall quality score for sites. These reviews can only be indexed if they are published on the open web.
Crawl & Indexing Local Search
How does Google determine your daily crawl rate and what does it mean for your SEO?
John Mueller Oct 23, 2021 ★★★
The crawl rate is re-evaluated daily by Google. It depends on two factors: crawl demand (which remains stable over time) and server capacity (assessed each day). 5XX errors, server speed, and access issues can quickly reduce crawl capacity.
Crawl & Indexing JavaScript & Technical SEO Pagination & Structure Web Performance
Are 5XX errors really more damaging than 404 errors for SEO?
John Mueller Oct 23, 2021 ★★★
5XX server errors reduce the crawl rate because they indicate a potential problem. In contrast, 404 errors do not hinder crawling: they simply signal that the content does not exist, which is a normal state.
Content Crawl & Indexing
Why doesn’t the crawl rate bounce back instantly after a technical fix?
John Mueller Oct 23, 2021 ★★
When a technical issue (5XX errors, response times) is fixed, the crawl rate gradually recovers over a few days. Adjustments are made daily, so improvements can be seen step by step in the Search Console.
Content Crawl & Indexing Pagination & Structure Search Console
How does Google actually identify soft 404s?
John Mueller Oct 23, 2021 ★★
Soft 404s are identified based on the content detected on pages: mentions of errors, noindex tags, or empty pages. The reports are used to improve the algorithm in future updates, not for immediate manual corrections.
Algorithms Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO
How does Google leverage URL parameters to determine the canonical version?
John Mueller Oct 23, 2021 ★★★
The URL parameters tool in Search Console helps Google choose the correct canonical URL and avoid indexing parameter variations. It slows down the crawling of the affected URLs without completely blocking them, unlike robots.txt, which prevents the r...
Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Domain Name Search Console
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