What does Google say about SEO?

Can the agility of small sites really outshine web giants in SEO?

Vivek Sekhar Oct 21, 2021 ★★

Small websites are not at a disadvantage against large companies. They often have less legacy code, offer more streamlined and targeted web experiences, and can be more agile in adopting best practices. Core Web Vitals provide a common language acces...

Domain Age & History Web Performance International SEO

How do platforms impact SEO on a large scale?

Vivek Sekhar Oct 21, 2021 ★★

Platforms like WordPress, Shopify, or Blogger present a significant opportunity: a few changes by the central team can improve hundreds or thousands of sites. Small sites automatically benefit from the investments made by their platform.

AI & SEO

Why should you start with Search Console to enhance your SEO?

Annie Sullivan Oct 21, 2021 ★★★

To kick off optimization, first consult actual data in Search Console to identify problematic pages and metrics. Then use Lighthouse and laboratory tools for detailed diagnostics. Prioritize the lowest score first.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Search Console

Could JavaScript Actually Harm Your SEO?

Annie Sullivan Oct 21, 2021 ★★

JavaScript is not inherently negative. For some sites, more JavaScript slows down loading times. For others, modern frameworks can help avoid any negative impact. The key is to measure the actual effect on the user experience of your specific site.

AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO

Is it really necessary to use a CDN for your SEO site?

Vivek Sekhar Oct 21, 2021 ★★

A CDN is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It is beneficial for a global audience by bringing content closer to users. For a local audience, optimizing images and minimizing JavaScript may have a greater impact. The decision depends on the specific c...

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Images & Videos JavaScript & Technical SEO Local Search

How can you foresee the evolution of Core Web Vitals for SEO?

Vivek Sekhar Oct 21, 2021 ★★

Core Web Vitals will evolve slowly over the years, allowing developers to invest in tools and understanding. The measured aspects remain stable as they are centered on consistent user preferences. Changes will be communicated proactively through blog...

AI & SEO Pagination & Structure Web Performance

Should you turn to Stack Overflow for optimizing your Web Vitals?

Annie Sullivan Oct 21, 2021 ★★

For technical questions, use Stack Overflow with the Web Vitals tag. To provide feedback on the metrics or report problematic cases, contact WebVitalsFeedback@GoogleGroups.com. Google is committed to reviewing all feedback to improve the metrics.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO

Does Google really use Custom Search data to affect SEO rankings?

Google Oct 21, 2021 ★★★

Data from the Custom Search tool (custom search integrated on websites) is not used to influence the ranking in traditional Google search results.

Why doesn't Google talk about ranking during Office Hours?

Google Oct 21, 2021 ★★

Questions related to ranking and ranking factors are not addressed during Office Hours. Google cannot publicly comment on specific details regarding the ranking algorithm.

Algorithms AI & SEO

Why do Search Console and PSI show different results?

Google Oct 21, 2021 ★★★

Search Console displays real field data while PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse show lab data. This is why scores can differ between these tools.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Web Performance Local Search Search Console

Why does the indexing time for structured data vary so much?

Google Oct 21, 2021 ★★★

There is a delay between the update of structured data (like promotional prices) and its acknowledgment by Google. This delay follows the typical crawling rate of the site, usually around a week for regularly crawled sites.

Crawl & Indexing E-commerce AI & SEO Pagination & Structure

Why should you prioritize Search Console data for Core Web Vitals?

Google Oct 21, 2021 ★★★

To evaluate Core Web Vitals, it is better to refer to Search Console data because it reflects the real user experience (field data) rather than lab data.

Web Performance Search Console

Do 4xx errors really sabotage your crawl budget?

Google Oct 21, 2021 ★★

Client-side 4xx errors in crawl statistics usually have a negligible or very minimal impact on the crawl budget. There's no need to worry excessively about them.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

How can you effectively use the robots.txt file to manage Googlebot's crawling?

Google Oct 21, 2021 ★★★

To prevent Google from crawling certain URLs (for example, URLs with spammy parameters), you can use the robots.txt file to block Googlebot's access to these specific URLs.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name PDF & Files Penalties & Spam

How does the change in CLS calculation affect your SEO strategy?

Google Oct 21, 2021 ★★★

In July 2021, the calculation method for Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) was modified. This change has had a positive impact for many websites. It is essential to consult the Web.dev documentation for the details.

AI & SEO PDF & Files Web Performance

Should you really disavow all spam backlinks?

Google Oct 21, 2021 ★★★

Spam links from external sites (such as spammy Blogspot sites) usually do not have a significant negative impact on site evaluation. It's not necessary to use the link disavow tool in these cases.

AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Penalties & Spam

Why does Google keep its manual indexing quotas a secret?

Google Oct 21, 2021 ★★

Google no longer publicly communicates the exact limits of manual indexing quotas via Search Console. One must accept that a limit exists without knowing the precise details.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Search Console

Does the Page Experience Update really have no impact on Core Web Vitals metrics?

Google Oct 21, 2021 ★★

Changes in the Core Web Vitals reports from Search Console are not caused by the Page Experience Update. The update pertains to how data is used, not how metrics are collected or reported.

Domain Age & History Web Performance Search Console

Is it really necessary to manually submit your pages to Google for indexing?

Google Oct 21, 2021 ★★★

It is not necessary to manually submit pages for indexing via Search Console. Google crawls and indexes sites automatically. Using an XML sitemap is the recommended method to inform Google about updates.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO PDF & Files Search Console

Why are Google’s indexing delays getting longer for certain websites?

Google Oct 21, 2021 ★★★

Certain websites are experiencing longer indexing delays than before, not due to a bug, but as a result of changes in how Google operates. This is the new normal behavior for these sites.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO