What does Google say about SEO?

Are Core Web Vitals really applicable everywhere in the world?

John Mueller Jan 15, 2021 ★★★

The rollout of Page Experience signals (LCP, FID, CLS) planned for May 2021 will be global, not limited to certain countries. Tests on the badge may take place beforehand in certain regions.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Web Performance

Does Google truly treat all synonyms and keyword variations the same way?

John Mueller Jan 15, 2021 ★★

Google doesn't always see words as 100% synonyms. If the results differ between 'campervan rental' and 'camper van rental', it's because Google doesn't treat them as complete synonyms. This improves over time as Google gathers enough data.

AI & SEO Mobile SEO

Should you really redirect ALL URLs during a migration?

John Mueller Jan 15, 2021 ★★★

When migrating that changes URL parameters, redirect old URLs to new ones to preserve value. At a minimum, redirect the most important URLs identified through Search Console traffic. Redirects help transfer all the value.

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

Does using noindex during migration mean you're losing all your SEO value in Google's eyes?

John Mueller Jan 15, 2021 ★★★

If you use noindex on old URLs during a migration instead of redirecting, all the value collected by those old URLs will be lost.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Domain Name Redirects

Do complex migrations really lead to ranking fluctuations?

John Mueller Jan 15, 2021 ★★★

During major migrations (domain change, CMS change, structure change, hosting), ranking fluctuations are inevitable. It's impossible to guarantee that the final setup will have equivalent SEO to the initial one. It could be better or worse depending ...

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

Do Web Stories really count as regular pages for Google?

John Mueller Jan 15, 2021 ★★

Web Stories are regular pages that Google crawls and indexes as such. They can be implemented before the specific visual features are activated in your country.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing Images & Videos

Does Infinite Scroll Really Hinder Your Content's Indexing on Google?

John Mueller Jan 15, 2021 ★★★

For Infinite Scroll, having paginated links is very important for crawling and indexing. The History API alone is not enough as Googlebot does not trigger user actions like scrolling. Without paginated links, Google cannot index the paginated version...

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Pagination & Structure

Should you really implement all Schema.org types to boost your SEO?

John Mueller Jan 15, 2021 ★★★

Google supports a subset of the Schema.org types. Focus on the rich result types listed in the Google Search documentation for visible effects. Other Schema.org types likely won't have any visible impact in search.

Structured Data Pagination & Structure PDF & Files

What does Google really consider to be crossing the line with paid links?

John Mueller Jan 15, 2021 ★★★

Paying bloggers to write articles with links or paying for PR articles with links constitutes paying for links, which goes against the guidelines. These links must have nofollow or rel=sponsored to be compliant.

Discover & News AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

Are Your HTML Buttons Sabotaging Your Crawl Budget?

John Mueller Jan 15, 2021 ★★★

HTML button elements are not considered links by Googlebot. For a link that looks like a button, use a normal HTML link styled in CSS instead of a button with JavaScript.

Crawl & Indexing JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks

Can hreflang really substitute for internal links on your international pages?

John Mueller Jan 15, 2021 ★★★

Hreflang helps with page swapping by country but is not equivalent to a regular HTML link. For new country pages, internal HTML links are necessary for Google to understand how they fit into the site. Hreflang alone does not transfer backlink value.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Links & Backlinks International SEO

Should you really be concerned about Google’s HTTP/2 crawling?

John Mueller Jan 15, 2021 ★★★

Google has begun rolling out HTTP/2 crawling. The rollout is being done gradually across samples of compatible sites, with notifications sent via Search Console. The goal is to ensure everything works smoothly without causing server issues.

Crawl & Indexing HTTPS & Security AI & SEO Search Console

Do noindex pages really block the transmission of value through their links?

John Mueller Jan 15, 2021 ★★

If an entire page is set to noindex, Google understands that there is no need to transmit value to the links present on that page. Adding the 'sponsored' attribute to the links helps Google's machine learning systems, but is not mandatory if nofollow...

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

Do homepage links really boost crawl frequency?

John Mueller Jan 15, 2021 ★★

Google crawls pages that receive links from the homepage more frequently. These internal links help Google recognize that these are important pages for the site that deserve to be crawled more often.

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

Should you really worry about Google's transition to HTTP/2 crawling?

John Mueller Jan 15, 2021 ★★★

Google has started to deploy HTTP/2 crawling. The rollout is gradual with a sample of sites, and notifications are sent via Search Console. The goal is to proceed slowly to ensure that everything functions correctly without causing problems.

Crawl & Indexing HTTPS & Security AI & SEO Search Console

Does HTTP/2 really enhance your site's Core Web Vitals?

John Mueller Jan 15, 2021 ★★

The switch to HTTP/2 crawling by Google does not influence speed metrics visible to users in the Search Console reports. The speed advantage pertains only to Google's crawling side, not the measured user performance.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing HTTPS & Security Web Performance Search Console

Should you really delete your old content or improve it for SEO?

John Mueller Jan 15, 2021 ★★★

For old low-quality content, Google recommends either improving or completely removing it. Removal is done by returning a 404/410 or noindex. Just let Google recrawl naturally, without using the manual removal tool which doesn’t really take pages out...

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Should you worry about a SEO penalty for being featured in Google News?

John Mueller Jan 15, 2021 ★★

There is no disadvantage to being visible in Google News in addition to traditional search results. Google algorithmically checks whether the content meets News criteria. It is recommended to submit your site and see what happens, with no negative ri...

Algorithms Domain Age & History Content Discover & News

Why does Google refuse to index images without a parent HTML page?

John Mueller Jan 15, 2021 ★★★

Images can only be indexed by Google if they are part of an HTML page. An image sitemap works with the image extension that indicates which images are found on which HTML landing pages. Submitting only image files in a separate sitemap is useless bec...

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing Images & Videos Domain Name PDF & Files Search Console

Why do your Core Web Vitals differ so much between lab and field?

John Mueller Jan 15, 2021 ★★★

Lab data involves theoretical tests with standardized connectivity and browser. Field data comes from real Chrome users. Differences can stem from users facing poor connectivity or using devices different from those tested.

AI & SEO Web Performance