What does Google say about SEO?

Can speed really hurt your SEO with Core Web Vitals?

John Mueller Jan 29, 2021 ★★★

Speed is currently used as a ranking signal for mobile. In May 2021, with the rollout of Core Web Vitals, this signal is likely to be reinforced. However, content relevance remains paramount: a highly relevant page can rank well even if it is slower.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Mobile SEO Web Performance

Subdomains vs Subdirectories: Is there really an SEO advantage to favoring one over the other?

John Mueller Jan 29, 2021 ★★★

Google's systems are designed to treat subdomains and subdirectories essentially equivalently. There is no automatic bonus for choosing one over the other. The choice should be based on considerations of infrastructure and tracking, not on a presumed...

Domain Age & History AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name Pagination & Structure

Does the meta description really influence your ranking on Google?

John Mueller Jan 29, 2021 ★★★

The meta description tag is used as a guide to generate the snippet displayed in search results, but it is not a ranking factor. It can influence the click-through rate if it accurately describes the content, but it does not directly modify the posit...

Content AI & SEO

Does Google really underplay the true importance of Page Experience in rankings?

Google Jan 28, 2021 ★★★

Content remains the most important element. Page Experience acts as a tiebreaker when two pages have content of equal value. Don't overestimate the impact of Page Experience.

Domain Age & History Content Social Media

Is AMP still necessary to rank in Top Stories on mobile?

Google Jan 28, 2021 ★★★

Starting with the launch of Page Experience (May 2021), AMP pages are no longer mandatory for appearing in mobile Top Stories. Non-AMP pages become eligible, and Page Experience becomes a ranking factor for Top Stories.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Mobile SEO

Are your franchise pages considered doorway pages by Google?

Google Jan 28, 2021 ★★★

Creating numerous nearly identical pages with only the locality name changing can be seen as doorway pages (satellite pages). Prioritize substantial unique content for each page (testimonials, local info, blog).

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Penalties & Spam Local Search

Is duplicate content really harmless to your SEO?

Google Jan 28, 2021 ★★★

There is no penalty for duplicate content itself. Duplicate content simply has less value for ranking but does not lead to an overall decline of the site. The important thing is to create unique value.

Content AI & SEO

Is Page Experience really just a secondary ranking signal?

Google Jan 28, 2021 ★★★

Content remains the most important factor. Page Experience acts as a distinguishing ranking signal only when two pages have comparably valuable content. Its impact should not be overestimated.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO

Does LCP truly measure the speed perceived by the user?

Google Jan 28, 2021 ★★

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) measures how quickly the user can see the most useful content on a page. It represents the moment when the main content is loaded in the page loading timeline.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Web Performance

How can you effectively report copied content spam to Google?

Google Jan 28, 2021 ★★

If content (name, text) is copied without permission on pirate or spam sites, it is recommended to use Google’s spam report to report these sites as hacked sites. This is not a compromised account issue.

Content AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Penalties & Spam Search Console

Is it true that duplicate content won't penalize your SEO?

Google Jan 28, 2021 ★★★

There is no penalty for duplicate content. Having duplicate content does not directly affect the site. However, duplicate content has low value and may therefore indirectly affect rankings due to a lack of originality.

Content AI & SEO

Does using HTTPS for your XML sitemap namespace hurt your SEO ranking?

Google Jan 28, 2021 ★★

In XML sitemaps, the namespace can be declared in HTTP or HTTPS without functional impact. Google treats both the same way. However, for consistency and maintenance reasons, it is recommended to follow the standard convention (HTTP).

Crawl & Indexing HTTPS & Security AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO PDF & Files Search Console

Should you give up on AMP if you’re using GA4 to measure your performance?

Google Jan 28, 2021 ★★

AMP does not yet support Google Analytics 4 (GA4). The team is aware of the demand, but no support date is publicly announced. We must wait for official announcements.

AI & SEO Mobile SEO

Do Core Web Vitals really affect your entire site or just your slow pages?

Google Jan 28, 2021 ★★★

Core Web Vitals are assessed at the level of each individual page. However, pages with poor scores can negatively impact the overall evaluation of the site.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Web Performance

Can you really block the collection of Core Web Vitals using robots.txt or noindex?

Google Jan 28, 2021 ★★★

Core Web Vitals data comes from the Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX) based on real users. Blocking Google via robots.txt or noindex does not prevent the collection of this data, as it is measured from the user's side.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Web Performance

Do Core Web Vitals really measure continuously throughout the user session?

Google Jan 28, 2021 ★★★

LCP, FID, and CLS metrics are updated in real-time as users navigate and interact with the page, not just at the initial load. CLS updates occur with user actions.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Pagination & Structure Web Performance

How does Google estimate your Core Web Vitals when CrUX data is lacking?

Google Jan 28, 2021 ★★★

When CrUX data is insufficient for a page, Google may use scores from similar pages on the same site to estimate the score. If the site structure is complex, the overall site score may be applied.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Pagination & Structure Web Performance

How does Google now assign AMP cache's CrUX data to the origin?

Google Jan 28, 2021 ★★★

CrUX data from the AMP cache is now attributed to the origin. If canonicalization is correctly set up between AMP and non-AMP, data from both versions is taken into account.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Mobile SEO Web Performance

How can you leverage server logs to uncover 4xx errors in Search Console?

Google Jan 28, 2021 ★★

To identify client 4xx errors in Search Console, check your web server logs. These errors are typically logged server-side and help pinpoint specific issues.

Links & Backlinks Search Console

Why do new sites experience extreme volatility in indexing and ranking?

Google Jan 28, 2021 ★★

Newly created or indexed sites may experience instability in initial indexing and ranking. This volatility is normal and does not necessarily indicate a problem with the site.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Pagination & Structure