What does Google say about SEO?

What makes your site truly stand out in search results?

Google Sep 30, 2021 ★★★

When it comes to indexing and ranking, don't just aim to match competitors in quality. Ask yourself: why would a user choose YOUR site over others? Without clear differentiation and a unique purpose, it can be challenging to rank well in a saturated ...

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Should you focus on local keywords to enhance your SEO?

Google Sep 30, 2021 ★★

For local queries (e.g., existing restaurant names in multiple cities), don’t focus on ranking for the keyword alone without geographic context. Search Console does not distinguish precise regions. Instead, follow 'keyword + city' to measure your act...

Content Web Performance Local Search Search Console

What should you do if mass scraping is hurting your website?

Martin Splitt Sep 29, 2021 ★★

If over 300 sites copy your content including images by simply changing the domain, it affects your site. Google recommends using the DMCA mechanism to legally address this type of mass scraping issue.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Images & Videos JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name

Is it necessary to have an identical design for dynamic rendering to please Googlebot?

Martin Splitt Sep 29, 2021 ★★★

For dynamic rendering or SSR intended for Googlebot, the content does not need to be exactly the same as the front-end. JavaScript elements for interactions may vary, but it is easier to maintain a single codebase.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO

Are Invisible Noindex Tags Affecting Your A/B Testing Results?

Martin Splitt Sep 29, 2021 ★★★

When Google detects a noindex tag that developers can't find in the code, it's often due to A/B testing frameworks that inject the noindex tag into certain variations or a percentage of requests. CDNs can also lead to this issue.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Why does Google ignore certain resources during a crawl?

Martin Splitt Sep 29, 2021 ★★

If Search Console indicates that certain JavaScript, CSS, or image resources are not loading during the crawl, this is generally not an issue. Google caches these resources and may skip downloading them if they are already in cache.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Images & Videos JavaScript & Technical SEO Web Performance Search Console

Are 404 Pages Really No Concern for SEO?

Martin Splitt Sep 29, 2021 ★★

A page that returns a 404 code will not appear in search engines, and that's not a problem. Content gets permanently deleted on the web, and that's normal. No special handling is required unless the content has been migrated.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Local Search

How can you streamline third-party scripts for better SEO performance?

Martin Splitt Sep 29, 2021 ★★

To reduce the weight of third-party scripts like Google Analytics or Facebook, it's possible to use their APIs directly instead of their full JavaScript libraries. This reduces size but requires more careful maintenance in case of API changes.

AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Social Media

Is it true that not all your pages are indexed by Google?

Martin Splitt Sep 29, 2021 ★★

If Google does not index 100% of a site's pages, it is not necessarily related to the server's response time. It could be due to a lack of interest from Google in certain pages, quality issues, or content that is not easily visible.

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

Why is targeting a TTFB under one second critical for SEO?

Martin Splitt Sep 29, 2021 ★★

Google does not set a strict recommendation for TTFB, but aiming for less than one second, or around one second maximum, is a good general goal for user experience. This is not specific to Google's crawl.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Web Performance

Is A/B testing really safe from cloaking as long as the topic stays consistent?

Martin Splitt Sep 29, 2021 ★★★

Performing A/B testing with significant changes in content and design is not considered cloaking as long as the subject of the page remains the same. A page about toasters that stays focused on toasters poses no problem.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Penalties & Spam

How does Google handle dynamic content associated with hash URLs for indexing?

Martin Splitt Sep 29, 2021 ★★★

Google does not index content that loads solely through hash changes in the URL. However, if all the content is already present in the HTML and the hash merely shows/hides sections like tabs or accordions, it works properly.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Domain Name Pagination & Structure Local Search

Does a layout error during prerendering really affect your site's SEO indexing?

Martin Splitt Sep 29, 2021 ★★

If you are using Prerender and Google's cache has an incorrect layout due to an error, it does not impact indexing as long as it is only the layout that is affected. Google's cache does not always work perfectly with JavaScript sites.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Web Performance

How do blocked API requests impact your SEO?

Martin Splitt Sep 29, 2021 ★★★

When content does not appear in Googlebot's rendering but works on the client side, it's essential to check if the API calls required for loading the content are blocked in robots.txt, too slow, or blocked by a CDN or DDoS protection.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks

Why is First Input Delay so challenging to measure in a lab setting?

Martin Splitt Sep 29, 2021 ★★★

FID is hard to replicate in a testing environment because it heavily depends on actual user metrics. An FID under 100 milliseconds should be seen as successful. Low-end mobile devices are particularly sensitive to FID issues.

AI & SEO Mobile SEO Web Performance

How can you effectively diagnose JavaScript rendering issues in SEO?

Martin Splitt Sep 29, 2021 ★★

To diagnose a JavaScript rendering problem, start by checking the rendered HTML in Search Console, then review console messages and errors, and finally analyze network requests to identify resources that fail to load.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Search Console

How can you improve FID by analyzing the main thread?

Martin Splitt Sep 29, 2021 ★★★

To enhance the First Input Delay, use the performance profiler to identify what is blocking the main thread. Massive DOM manipulations, layout recalculations, and heavy JavaScript are often culprits. Utilizing Web Workers can aid in moving processing...

AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Web Performance Search Console

Why are URLs case-sensitive, and why does it matter for SEO?

John Mueller Sep 28, 2021 ★★★

By definition, URLs are case-sensitive (uppercase and lowercase letters). Elements like final slashes also matter. Technically, these differences make URLs distinct from one another.

Content Domain Name

Should you worry about URL variations when it comes to crawling?

John Mueller Sep 28, 2021 ★★★

When a website displays the same content across different URL variations, search engines will attempt to crawl all the variations they find. This can slow down the discovery of other useful content on the site.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Domain Name Local Search

How does duplicate URL canonicalization affect your SEO?

John Mueller Sep 28, 2021 ★★★

When search engines encounter multiple distinct URLs showing the same content, they must decide which one to keep. This process is called canonicalization. It doesn't change rankings, but systems may choose a different URL than the one preferred by t...

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Domain Name