What does Google say about SEO?

How can you manage URL parameters to prevent indexing issues?

Martin Splitt Jan 27, 2021 ★★★

To avoid indexing URLs with tracking parameters, there are two solutions: use the URL parameters tool in Search Console, or set a canonical tag to the URL without parameters. If the canonical URL is consistent with the sitemap and Google detects iden...

Content Crawl & Indexing Domain Name Search Console

Could removing JavaScript links make your pages invisible to Google?

Martin Splitt Jan 27, 2021 ★★

Removing navigation links in JavaScript impacts the link graph. If the pages become orphaned without other access methods, Google may have difficulty reintegrating them into the site structure. Sitemaps do not provide sufficient hierarchical informat...

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Pagination & Structure Search Console

Why does Google discover your pages but refuse to index them?

Martin Splitt Jan 27, 2021 ★★★

The status 'discovered but not indexed' means that Google is aware of the existence of the URLs but has not yet crawled them, or that after crawling, the content was deemed insufficiently relevant for indexing. This is generally not a JavaScript prob...

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

Can a XML sitemap really trigger a targeted recrawl of your pages?

Martin Splitt Jan 27, 2021 ★★

To increase a site’s crawl rate, one can update the XML sitemap file to indicate that pages have changed, which may encourage Google to recrawl them. You can also request indexing for priority pages, although this method is not scalable for millions ...

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name PDF & Files Search Console

Why can't Googlebot see links revealed after a user clicks?

Martin Splitt Jan 27, 2021 ★★★

Links that only appear after a user action (click) will not be seen by Googlebot, as it does not interact with pages. However, if the links are present in the source code but simply hidden (then revealed), Google will see them because they are extrac...

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing Featured Snippets & SERP AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

Why should large websites rethink their crawling strategy?

John Mueller Jan 27, 2021 ★★

Google has released a new guide specifically for large websites regarding crawling. As a site grows, crawling becomes more challenging. This guide compiles best practices to keep in mind and is useful even for smaller sites.

Crawl & Indexing

Should you be concerned about Google crawling with HTTP/2?

John Mueller Jan 27, 2021 ★★

Google has started crawling with HTTP/2, an updated version of the protocol used to access web pages. This enhancement has been used to optimize the normal crawl and will be gradually extended to more sites.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing HTTPS & Security AI & SEO

Should you really give up on buying links for your SEO?

John Mueller Jan 27, 2021 ★★★

Google's guidelines mention various things to avoid regarding links, such as buying links. Sites often receive questions about what they can do to attract links legitimately.

AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

Why do live tests in Search Console produce conflicting results?

Martin Splitt Jan 27, 2021 ★★

Live tests in the URL Inspection tool or the mobile test can show different results from test to test because they do not utilize the cache like the actual indexing pipeline. Timeouts can occur, leading to missing resources. These variations do not n...

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Mobile SEO Domain Name Web Performance Search Console

Why does Google emphasize the distinction between crawling and indexing?

John Mueller Jan 27, 2021 ★★

Crawling is the process by which Googlebot explores web pages by following links to discover other pages. Indexing is the process by which Google's systems process and understand the content of these pages. These two processes need to work together.

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

Is the new crawl report in Search Console really making server logs obsolete?

John Mueller Jan 27, 2021 ★★★

Google has launched an updated crawl statistics report in Search Console. It provides insights into the number of queries by response code, crawl goals, host-level information on accessibility, and more, making this data more accessible than server l...

Crawl & Indexing Search Console

Should you really use the manual indexing request in Search Console?

John Mueller Jan 27, 2021 ★★★

The indexing request feature in the URL inspection tool is back in Search Console. It allows individual pages to be manually submitted for indexing in specific situations where it is useful.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing Domain Name Search Console

Is it really time to stop manually submitting your pages to Google?

John Mueller Jan 27, 2021 ★★★

For most sites, there shouldn't be a need to use manual submission systems. They should instead focus on good internal linking and proper sitemap files. If a site does these things well, Google's systems can crawl and index the content quickly and au...

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Pagination & Structure PDF & Files Search Console

How will the new Index Coverage Report in Search Console transform your indexing diagnostics?

John Mueller Jan 27, 2021 ★★★

Google has significantly updated the Index Coverage Report in Search Console to better inform website owners about issues affecting indexing. For instance, the previous generic error type 'crawl anomaly' has been replaced with more specific error typ...

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Search Console

Are links really the cornerstone of Google's SEO?

John Mueller Jan 27, 2021 ★★

Google uses links to find new pages and to better understand their context on the web. While Google employs many different factors in its search, links are an integral part of the web.

Domain Age & History Content Links & Backlinks

Is creative content really the secret to earning backlinks naturally?

John Mueller Jan 27, 2021 ★★

Creating remarkable content isn't always easy, but it can help reach a wider audience and potentially earn backlinks naturally. Sites should think about creative things they could do in their niche.

Content AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

Should you switch to the new structured data testing tool after the old Google tool's retirement?

John Mueller Jan 27, 2021 ★★

Google has decided to deprecate the old structured data testing tool to focus on rich results testing in Search Console. The structured data testing tool does not disappear but finds a new home in the schema.org community.

Domain Age & History Structured Data AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Search Console

Should You Change Your Dedicated Mobile Site's Technical Configuration When Moving to Mobile-First Indexing?

John Mueller Jan 25, 2021 ★★★

John Mueller reminded us on Twitter that when a website is not responsive and has a dedicated mobile version (two different URLs for the desktop site and the mobile site), nothing special needs to be changed when the site enters Mobile-First Indexing...

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Images & Videos Mobile SEO Domain Name Social Media

Should You Really Avoid Google Tag Manager for Implementing Structured Data?

John Mueller Jan 25, 2021 ★★★

John Mueller advised on Twitter to integrate structured data tags directly into your pages and not to use Tag Manager for this purpose. Simply because direct integration is "generally easier to monitor and maintain"...

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Social Media

Can HTML Button Links Really Sculpt PageRank Without Google Detecting Them?

John Mueller Jan 25, 2021 ★★★

John Mueller explained in a webmaster hangout that links implemented through HTML Button code (sometimes referred to as "PRG Pattern" for "Post/Redirect/Get Pattern") are not seen and therefore not taken into account by Google.

Domain Age & History Content Links & Backlinks Redirects