What does Google say about SEO?

Is it necessary to redirect your AMP URLs during a change?

John Mueller Mar 12, 2021 ★★

When changing AMP URLs, redirections are less critical than for standard URLs because Google refreshes the AMP cache quickly. The delay between discovery and update is a few days, but it is still recommended to redirect.

AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Mobile SEO Domain Name Web Performance Redirects

Why do your featured snippets disappear seemingly without a technical reason?

John Mueller Mar 12, 2021 ★★

Featured snippets can fluctuate because teams are constantly refining the triggers to enhance relevance. It is not about a missing technical requirement, but rather about improving targeting and relevance, which can sometimes lead to an overall reduc...

Domain Age & History Content Featured Snippets & SERP AI & SEO

Is it true that mobile hidden content is really indexed by Google?

John Mueller Mar 12, 2021 ★★★

If an element is in the DOM but hidden in mobile responsiveness, Google can still retrieve it for indexing. Google tries to determine which parts are visible for ranking but understands mobile interactivity where different content is displayed.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Mobile SEO Local Search

Can structured data really force the display of a knowledge panel?

John Mueller Mar 12, 2021 ★★★

There is no specific structured data that forces the appearance of a knowledge panel for a brand. You can provide general information such as the logo, address, and hours, but this does not guarantee the display of a knowledge panel.

Domain Age & History Structured Data AI & SEO Pagination & Structure

Why do most websites never get sitelinks in Google?

John Mueller Mar 12, 2021 ★★

Sitelinks are generated automatically. They mainly rely on the site's internal navigation. Improving the understanding of navigation increases the chances of display, but without guarantee. Most sites do not have sitelinks.

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

Do 301 redirects really transfer 100% of SEO juice without any loss?

John Mueller Mar 12, 2021 ★★★

When redirecting one URL to another, Google transfers all signals and links to the new URL. This also works if the old URL contains parameters.

Domain Age & History Links & Backlinks Domain Name Redirects

Are keywords in the URL a ranking factor or just a temporary crutch?

John Mueller Mar 12, 2021 ★★

Words in the URL are used as a very light factor. Google takes them into account mainly when it hasn't yet accessed the content for the first time. Once the content is crawled and indexed, the language of the URL hardly matters for ranking.

Content Crawl & Indexing Domain Name International SEO

Should you really add structured data to embedded YouTube videos?

John Mueller Mar 12, 2021 ★★★

Google can understand certain information from a YouTube iframe and associate it with the page. However, it is highly recommended to use standard video structured data so that Google can properly display pages as optimal video landing pages.

Domain Age & History Structured Data AI & SEO Images & Videos Pagination & Structure Local Search

Does Page Experience really only matter for mobile SEO?

John Mueller Mar 12, 2021 ★★★

The ranking factor related to page experience and Core Web Vitals applies to mobile and not to desktop, at least initially. It is on mobile where the obstacles are greatest, with limited processors and slow connections.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Mobile SEO Web Performance

Can hreflang really be used across multiple distinct domains?

John Mueller Mar 12, 2021 ★★★

Hreflang should not be used solely within the same domain. It is possible to use hreflang across different domains to indicate language versions of content.

Content AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name International SEO

Should you really avoid creating multiple sites for the same content?

John Mueller Mar 12, 2021 ★★★

If you create a separate site for the same content, you will be competing against your existing site. Both versions will have shared signals and value in Google's eyes, making it harder for both to rank.

Content

Should you block internal search pages to prevent indexing of infinite space?

John Mueller Mar 12, 2021 ★★★

The issue with internal search pages is that they often create an infinite space: any word can generate a page. While some may resemble useful category pages, the others should be blocked to prevent the creation of random pages.

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

Can reducing page size really enhance your crawl budget?

John Mueller Mar 12, 2021 ★★

If you improve Core Web Vitals by reducing page size, it can enhance your crawl budget. If Google can access HTML pages faster and render them more quickly, it can crawl more of them. However, it also depends on demand.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Web Performance

Why does the Search Console's internal links report show only a sample?

John Mueller Mar 12, 2021 ★★

The internal links report in Search Console is based on a sample of pages, not all indexed pages. It does not match the scope of the index coverage report and serves to give an idea of the links that are found most frequently.

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

How many redirects does Google really follow before it splits the crawl?

John Mueller Mar 12, 2021 ★★★

Google follows about five consecutive redirects immediately and treats them as a single request. If a URL has more than five redirects, they are treated as separate requests.

AI & SEO Domain Name Redirects

How does Google actually segment your Core Web Vitals by page groups?

John Mueller Mar 12, 2021 ★★★

Google uses data from the Chrome User Experience Report and segments the site into groups. For specific URLs, Google finds the most appropriate group. If AMP pages are in a separate group, their metrics will be used for that group, not for the entire...

Domain Age & History Mobile SEO Domain Name Web Performance

Is it true that AMP or canonical really captures the SEO signals?

John Mueller Mar 12, 2021 ★★

Google transfers information and signals from AMP to the canonical URL. For Core Web Vitals, Google tracks the canonical and uses the metrics based on it.

Crawl & Indexing Mobile SEO Domain Name Web Performance

Does the Chrome UX Report really count your cached AMP pages?

John Mueller Mar 12, 2021 ★★

The Chrome User Experience Report takes into account what users actually see. If it's a valid AMP page served from the cache, Google uses this data. If it’s not a valid AMP and cannot be served from the cache, this data is not used.

Domain Age & History Mobile SEO Web Performance

Should you really redirect your old AMP URLs to the new ones?

John Mueller Mar 12, 2021 ★★

Redirecting old AMP URLs to the new ones is ideally recommended, but it's less critical than for normal pages. Google refreshes the AMP cache quickly and notices URL changes within a few days.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Mobile SEO Domain Name Web Performance Redirects

Is AMP really a Google ranking factor or just a ticket to access certain features?

John Mueller Mar 12, 2021 ★★★

AMP is not a direct ranking factor. However, for certain search features like Top Stories on mobile, AMP is currently required. With the Page Experience update in May, regular pages with good Core Web Vitals will also be able to appear in Top Stories...

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Mobile SEO Web Performance