What does Google say about SEO?

Search through official Google statements about search engine optimization

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9260 statement(s) found
Do PDF Files Really Impact Your Core Web Vitals?
John Mueller Jul 19, 2021 ★★★
John Mueller indicated on Twitter that Google does not take PDF files into account when calculating Core Web Vitals scores...
Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO PDF & Files Web Performance Social Media
Can the noscript tag truly replace JavaScript for Google?
John Mueller Jul 19, 2021 ★★★
Adding noscript tags containing links to content similar to what is present in JavaScript is not considered cloaking by Google. It is an acceptable solution to make links crawlable.
Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Pagination & Structure Penalties & Spam
Why does Google tend to overlook NoScript tags in SEO?
John Mueller Jul 19, 2021 ★★
Google generally attempts to ignore the content placed within NoScript tags. Therefore, it's essential to verify that this approach actually functions as intended for indexing.
Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO
Can Geotargeting Really Boost Your Local SEO?
John Mueller Jul 19, 2021 ★★★
Geotargeting (through ccTLD or Search Console settings) slightly alters rankings when Google detects that a user is searching for something local, but it has no impact on global searches.
AI & SEO Domain Name Local Search Search Console International SEO
Why Doesn’t Hreflang Affect Your SEO Rankings?
John Mueller Jul 19, 2021 ★★★
Hreflang does not influence page rankings in search results. Its role is solely to select the appropriate version of a page to display based on the user's location, relying on the ranking that is already established.
Domain Age & History Pagination & Structure Local Search International SEO
Why is it essential to promote your international pages individually for SEO?
John Mueller Jul 19, 2021 ★★★
For a specific version of an international site to rank well, it must be properly linked internally and promoted externally. Relying solely on hreflang is insufficient to guarantee good rankings.
Domain Age & History International SEO
How should you handle canonicals for international versions?
John Mueller Jul 19, 2021 ★★★
Different country versions of a site should not use a canonical pointing to a single country version. Each version should be able to rank separately with its own canonical.
Crawl & Indexing
Why does Google recommend using a JavaScript banner instead of geographic redirections?
John Mueller Jul 19, 2021 ★★
To let users know that a local version exists, Google recommends using a JavaScript banner instead of a redirection, as redirections complicate crawling from a single location.
Crawl & Indexing JavaScript & Technical SEO Local Search Redirects International SEO
Why does Google simplify the canonicalization of queries in Search Console?
John Mueller Jul 19, 2021 ★★
Queries in Google Search Console are slightly canonicalized (converted to lowercase, punctuation removed) but Google does not interpret or simplify the search intent.
Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Local Search Search Console
Does Google rewrite your meta descriptions to better match search queries?
John Mueller Jul 19, 2021 ★★
Google does not guarantee that it will use the provided meta description, even if it is well-crafted. Google may adjust the displayed description based on the user's search query.
Could empty content pages actually be hurting your SEO rankings?
John Mueller Jul 19, 2021 ★★★
Pages that contain text like 'no results found' may be classified as soft 404s by Google, especially if this text appears before JavaScript loads the real content.
Domain Age & History Content JavaScript & Technical SEO
Why is meaningful content essential for preventing soft 404s?
John Mueller Jul 19, 2021 ★★
To prevent soft 404s, make sure that pages contain substantial content and use a clear URL structure that does not suggest error pages or empty search results.
Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Domain Name Pagination & Structure
Could your crawl budget be restricted by server speed and quality issues?
John Mueller Jul 19, 2021 ★★★
The two main reasons for a limited crawl budget are slow server response time (aim for less than 300-400ms) and a lack of trust in the overall quality of the site.
Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Web Performance
Could cutting down the number of pages actually boost your SEO?
John Mueller Jul 19, 2021 ★★★
Presenting a limited set of high-quality pages (e.g., 20,000 instead of 100,000) allows Google to better crawl and assess quality, then gradually expand across the entire site.
Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing
Why does Google take several months to reevaluate your site?
John Mueller Jul 19, 2021 ★★★
After improving a site's quality, Google typically requires several months, even up to six months, to reevaluate the overall quality of the site and adjust its ranking accordingly.
AI & SEO
Could using nofollow on internal links actually enhance your SEO strategy?
John Mueller Jul 19, 2021 ★★
Using nofollow on internal links to pages with high link density or noindex pages can be tested to optimize the crawl budget. Google will not penalize this practice.
Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Pagination & Structure
Why should you avoid marking third-party reviews in structured data?
John Mueller Jul 19, 2021 ★★★
Reviews collected by third-party platforms should not be marked with structured data on your site. Only the platform that actually collects the reviews can mark them; otherwise, there is a risk of complete removal of the reviews.
Structured Data Pagination & Structure Local Search
Is it worth using structured data without Rich Results for SEO?
John Mueller Jul 19, 2021 ★★
Structured data that doesn't generate Rich Results has a minimal positive effect on the understanding of entities, but this effect is generally not measurable. Prioritize visible structured data in the results.
Structured Data Featured Snippets & SERP AI & SEO Pagination & Structure
Why are breadcrumb structured data essential for SEO?
John Mueller Jul 19, 2021 ★★★
Breadcrumb structured data is very useful because Google is displaying fewer raw URLs and favoring navigation links. Specifying these links via structured data ensures a better display.
Domain Age & History Structured Data AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Domain Name Pagination & Structure Local Search
Does the age of a website really influence its SEO ranking?
John Mueller Jul 19, 2021 ★★★
Google has no preference between new or old sites. Assessment is based on what is most relevant to users, not on the age of the domain or the number of links.
Domain Age & History AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Domain Name
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