What does Google say about SEO?

Why Aren't 301 Redirects Always Enough for SEO?

John Mueller Jul 09, 2021 ★★★

With a 301 redirect, Google transfers a significant portion of signals from the old URL to the new one. However, the performance also depends on the relevance of the content and other on-page factors of the new URL.

Domain Age & History Content Domain Name Web Performance Redirects Search Console

How can you get a featured snippet without any guidelines?

John Mueller Jul 09, 2021 ★★

Google has no specific guidelines or best practices for appearing in a featured snippet. It's an algorithmic process without particular recommendations to follow.

Algorithms Content Featured Snippets & SERP

Why is multilingual FAQ schema essential for your SEO strategy?

John Mueller Jul 09, 2021 ★★

Having the same FAQ questions on different language versions of a site (with hreflang) is permissible. Google will not display them simultaneously in the same results but will show the appropriate version based on the country.

Structured Data AI & SEO Pagination & Structure Local Search International SEO

Are Identical FAQs on Every Page Hurting Your SEO?

John Mueller Jul 09, 2021 ★★

The issue arises when the same FAQs appear on all pages of a site, for example, on each hotel listing with the same generic FAQs. This becomes problematic in search results.

Domain Age & History Structured Data AI & SEO Local Search

Why does Google treat soft 404s differently on mobile and desktop?

John Mueller Jul 09, 2021 ★★★

Google has a system that detects soft 404s separately for mobile and desktop. A page can be considered soft 404 on desktop but normal on mobile, creating different indexing based on the device.

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

Why are soft 404s on desktop hiding in Search Console?

John Mueller Jul 09, 2021 ★★★

Search Console displays soft 404s detected on mobile. If a page is considered a soft 404 only on desktop, it does not appear in Search Console, even if the page is not indexed for desktop searches.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing Mobile SEO Local Search Search Console

Does changing your CDN really affect Google's crawling?

John Mueller Jul 09, 2021 ★★

Changing the site's infrastructure (like the CDN) results in a decrease in the crawl rate. Google becomes conservative after an infrastructure change to avoid causing problems and then gradually increases the crawl if everything is working well.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Pagination & Structure

Should you be worried about migrating to JavaScript frameworks for SEO?

John Mueller Jul 09, 2021 ★★

Migrating to React from HTML/PHP completely changes the front end of the site, which is a significant SEO change. The effects can be positive or negative; it's not automatically a loss of ranking.

JavaScript & Technical SEO Redirects

Is Hreflang really essential for international SEO?

John Mueller Jul 09, 2021 ★★

Hreflang is not required for anything on a website. It simply helps Google recognize localized content. Translating content does not automatically increase visibility; significant work is still needed.

Content AI & SEO Local Search International SEO

What are the best ways to bounce back quickly from temporary server errors in SEO?

John Mueller Jul 09, 2021 ★★

After temporary server errors, Google promptly re-crawls the most important URLs, and the situation generally normalizes in about a week. There are no lasting penalties following this type of incident.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name

Is it true that Google de-indexes after prolonged 5xx errors?

John Mueller Jul 09, 2021 ★★★

Google recommends a 503 code for a maximum of one day, sometimes two. After two days of server errors, Google begins to de-index URLs, starting with the most visible as these are the ones crawled most often.

Crawl & Indexing Domain Name

Why doesn't server-side rendering boost your SEO the way you think it does?

John Mueller Jul 09, 2021 ★★

Server-side rendering only changes the way existing content is delivered. It's not a magical technique for improving keyword rankings, but it can enhance speed if properly implemented.

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

Are JavaScript redirections slower to process but still valid for SEO?

John Mueller Jul 09, 2021 ★★

JavaScript redirections are accepted by Google. They may take a bit longer to be processed than server-side redirections, but they work correctly (location in JavaScript or meta refresh).

AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Pagination & Structure Redirects

Why does Google prioritize real-world data for Core Web Vitals?

John Mueller Jul 09, 2021 ★★★

For page experience, Google uses real user data (field data), not laboratory tests. What truly matters are the experiences actually faced by visitors.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Web Performance Search Console

How do mixed URLs impact your Core Web Vitals?

John Mueller Jul 09, 2021 ★★

If the same URLs serve both public and private content (connected SaaS), Google will mix the Core Web Vitals data from both experiences. Separate URLs would allow for distinct grouping by Google.

Content AI & SEO Domain Name Web Performance International SEO

Why can't you redirect and not redirect a URL at the same time?

John Mueller Jul 09, 2021 ★★

You can't redirect a URL and not redirect it at the same time. With redirection, Google transfers the signals. Without redirection, the pages remain separate. Changing the site's structure requires time for Google to understand.

Domain Age & History Domain Name Pagination & Structure Redirects

Do top summaries really affect SEO?

John Mueller Jul 09, 2021 ★★

Adding a summary or key points at the top of content does not change anything for Google. The main possible effect is that Google might use this summary to generate the description in the results.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO

Does the URL removal tool really delete all versions of your site?

John Mueller Jul 09, 2021 ★★★

The URL removal tool removes all versions of a site (www and non-www). Removing one version automatically deletes all others, which can cause a site to completely vanish from the results.

AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name

How can you handle SEO reconsideration requests without active manual action?

John Mueller Jul 09, 2021 ★★★

A reexamination can only be requested if there is an active manual action. Without a visible manual action in Search Console, no reconsideration request is possible.

Penalties & Spam Search Console

Should you use canonicals for URLs with similar parameters?

John Mueller Jul 09, 2021 ★★★

For URLs with parameters that display similar content, it is recommended to use rel=canonical pointing to the clean URL. This helps Google understand which version to index and prevents the dilution of SEO value across multiple URLs.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Domain Name