What does Google say about SEO?

How can you optimize a site merger using canonical tags?

John Mueller Jul 02, 2021 ★★★

For a site merger with a transition period, it is recommended to use canonical tags pointing to the main site. This indicates to Google that the content is equivalent with preference for the main version. Migration to the preferred version will start...

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Redirects

Why do SEO site mergers take so long?

John Mueller Jul 02, 2021 ★★★

Merging or splitting sites generally takes longer than just a simple domain redirect. One should expect several months before search results fully stabilize after a site merger or split.

AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name Pagination & Structure Redirects

How can you ensure hidden content is indexed by Google?

John Mueller Jul 02, 2021 ★★

If the content is present in the initial HTML (even within a toggle/accordion), Google can use it for indexing. If the content needs to be loaded after a click, Google won't know it needs to be clicked. Check the source code to confirm that the conte...

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Should you be concerned about low-quality backlinks in SEO?

John Mueller Jul 02, 2021 ★★★

Backlinks from low-quality sites generally have no negative impact on SEO. Google simply ignores them. The problem arises only if you are actively buying a large quantity of links or directly violating the guidelines.

AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

Do User Comments Hurt Your SEO?

John Mueller Jul 02, 2021 ★★★

User comments can add value to content and serve for ranking if someone is looking for something that is only visible in a comment. However, if comments are of very low quality, they can degrade the overall perceived quality of the site. Google doesn...

Content AI & SEO

How can choosing the right type of structured data transform your SEO?

John Mueller Jul 02, 2021 ★★★

The structured data you add should correspond to the main element of your page. If multiple schema.org types apply (FAQ, How-to, Article), select the one that best represents the main content, as Google cannot combine certain types into rich results.

Domain Age & History Content Discover & News Structured Data Featured Snippets & SERP AI & SEO Pagination & Structure

Is it true that having too many internal links harms your SEO structure?

John Mueller Jul 02, 2021 ★★★

If all pages of a website are linked to each other, Google cannot distinguish any clear structure or determine which pages are important or thematically related. A clear internal linking structure helps Google understand the context and relative impo...

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Pagination & Structure

How can you optimize images for both quality and speed in SEO?

John Mueller Jul 02, 2021 ★★

To balance image quality and performance, use HTML responsive images that allow you to specify different files according to the resolution. Mobile devices get optimized fast images, while large screens receive high-resolution versions. Modern formats...

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Images & Videos JavaScript & Technical SEO Mobile SEO PDF & Files Web Performance Search Console

Should you choose rel nofollow over the PRG pattern for managing PageRank?

John Mueller Jul 02, 2021 ★★★

To prevent a link from passing PageRank, simply use rel nofollow. Do not use complex constructs like the PRG (Post-Redirect-Get) pattern that add unnecessary complexity, are hard to maintain, and prevent the use of standard crawling tools.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Redirects

Could Internal PageRank Sculpting Be Harming Your SEO?

John Mueller Jul 02, 2021 ★★★

It's important to avoid PageRank sculpting within a site (such as blocking PageRank to privacy policy pages). This can severely disrupt site crawling. Pages like privacy policies are normal and expected; Google won’t be surprised to find them.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Web Performance

How can you enhance your site's geolocation with a JavaScript solution?

John Mueller Jul 02, 2021 ★★

Google doesn't always succeed perfectly in geolocating with hreflang. It's wise to implement a fallback mechanism such as a JavaScript banner that detects the user's country and provides a link to the appropriate version of the site if necessary.

AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Local Search International SEO

Why are internal links essential for getting user profiles indexed by Google?

John Mueller Jul 02, 2021 ★★★

In order for Google to index user profile pages, there must be regular links within the site content pointing to them (not just in a sitemap). Sitemap links alone do not provide context, and Google will be hesitant to index these pages.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing Links & Backlinks Search Console

Why are profile pages becoming prime targets for SEO spam?

John Mueller Jul 02, 2021 ★★

User profile pages are highly popular targets for spam. If spammers discover they can create indexable profiles on your site, they will do so massively with bots, creating millions of spam pages. Increased vigilance is required at launch.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Penalties & Spam

Should you use JavaScript to control indexing for single page apps?

John Mueller Jul 02, 2021 ★★★

For single-page applications, use JavaScript to dynamically add a noindex robots meta tag to the DOM for pages that should not be indexed. Avoid using robots.txt as Google would then index the URL without knowing its content.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name

Do keywords in the domain really have an impact after indexing?

John Mueller Jul 02, 2021 ★★★

Keywords in the URL are helpful when Google discovers a site for the first time, but as soon as content is indexed, Google concentrates on the actual content rather than the keywords in the domain name. It's the content that matters, not the domain.

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

Why are server-side 301 redirects essential for migrating a SPA?

John Mueller Jul 02, 2021 ★★

To migrate a single-page app website to a new domain in Search Console, 301 redirects must be generated server-side for each page, not via JavaScript, as Search Console checks for the existence of actual server-side 301 redirects.

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

Why doesn't Google index all your web pages?

John Mueller Jun 30, 2021 ★★★

Google does not guarantee the indexing of all web pages. Most search engines do not index a significant portion of web content, especially duplicate content or content that is unlikely to be viewed by users.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing

Why does your indexed content disappear from Google?

John Mueller Jun 30, 2021 ★★

Even when a page is indexed, it isn't necessarily displayed to users and may drop out of the index over time.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO

How long does it really take for new pages to get indexed?

John Mueller Jun 30, 2021 ★★★

Indexing a new page can take from a few hours to several weeks. In practice, most quality content is detected and indexed in about a week.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Should you link your new products directly from the homepage in e-commerce?

John Mueller Jun 30, 2021 ★★

For e-commerce sites, it's beneficial for Google's systems to find links to new products directly on the homepage so that they do not have to navigate through multiple levels of categories.

Domain Age & History E-commerce Links & Backlinks