What does Google say about SEO?

Can image optimization really cut your page weight by 90%?

Martin Splitt Mar 30, 2026 ★★

It is recommended to optimize images for the web. An appropriately compressed image is visually identical to the original on screen, but can reduce file size from several megabytes to less than one megabyte, with no perceptible loss for the user.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Images & Videos

Does Googlebot really stop at 15 MB per URL?

Martin Splitt Mar 30, 2026 ★★★

By default, Googlebot retrieves 15 megabytes of raw content per URL, then stops. This limit applies per URL: if your HTML references other resources, each of them has its own 15 MB limit.

Content Crawl & Indexing Domain Name

Is your page weight really slowing down your SEO performance?

Martin Splitt Mar 30, 2026 ★★

Studies show that fast websites have better retention and conversion rates. Speed depends partly on page size: the more data to transfer, the longer the transfer and processing time.

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

Does structured data really slow down your crawl budget?

Martin Splitt Mar 30, 2026 ★★

Structured data is designed for machines, not users. Depending on the volume of structured data added (Google supports many types), a page's HTML weight can increase considerably.

Domain Age & History Structured Data Pagination & Structure

Does Google really block 40 billion spam URLs every single day?

Martin Splitt Mar 30, 2026 ★★

Google intercepts tens of billions of spam URLs every day, a figure that illustrates the scope of spam that search engines must face.

AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Mobile SEO Domain Name Penalties & Spam

Should you really cap your images at 1 MB to satisfy Google?

Gary Illyes Mar 30, 2026 ★

Internally at Google, a linter prevents the submission of images larger than 1 megabyte on documentation sites intended for Search developers. This limit helps maintain lightweight pages.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Images & Videos PDF & Files

Does Googlebot really stop crawling after 15 MB per URL?

Martin Splitt Mar 30, 2026 ★★★

By default, Googlebot fetches 15 megabytes of raw content per URL, then stops. This limit applies individually to each URL: if an HTML page references external resources, each of those resources also has its own 15 MB limit.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing Domain Name

Does site speed really impact your conversion rates?

Martin Splitt Mar 30, 2026 ★★

Google acknowledges that studies show faster websites have better retention and conversion rates. Speed depends partly on page size: the more data to transfer, the longer the loading time.

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

Is mobile-desktop mismatch really destroying your SEO rankings right now?

Martin Splitt Mar 30, 2026 ★★★

During the shift to mobile-first indexing, Google observed that a large number of pages showed differences between mobile and desktop versions (distinct URLs). Content was often missing on mobile, along with links, navigation, and metadata, which imp...

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Mobile SEO Domain Name Pagination & Structure

Do structured data markups really bloat your HTML pages?

Martin Splitt Mar 30, 2026 ★★

Adding structured data can significantly increase the weight of an HTML page. Google documents many types of structured data it supports, and their accumulation can easily bloat a page with invisible content from the user's perspective.

Domain Age & History Content Structured Data Pagination & Structure PDF & Files

Is network compression really enough to optimize your site's crawlability?

Martin Splitt Mar 30, 2026 ★★

Network-level compression helps reduce data transfer time, but does not solve the problem of storage space on the user's device or crawler. Data must be decompressed and stored locally.

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

Can lazy loading really boost your performance without hurting crawlability?

Martin Splitt Mar 30, 2026 ★★

Lazy loading allows you to load only heavy resources (like images) that the user actually sees while scrolling, rather than loading everything upfront. It's a method to make heavy pages less painful to load.

Domain Age & History Images & Videos Web Performance

Does your website's overall size really hurt your SEO performance?

Gary Illyes Mar 30, 2026 ★★

In the context of weight and size, it's more relevant to talk about webpages rather than websites. The notion of a 'heavy site' doesn't really make sense in SEO — it's the weight of individual pages that counts.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Images & Videos

Why does Google enforce a strict 1MB image size limit across its developer documentation?

Martin Splitt Mar 30, 2026 ★

Internally, Google uses a linter that prevents submission to developer documentation sites if an image exceeds one megabyte. This limit is designed to maintain optimal performance on official documentation.

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

Does network compression really optimize user device storage space, or is it just a temporary fix?

Gary Illyes Mar 30, 2026 ★★

Network-level compression helps reduce data transfer time, but it does not solve the storage space problem on the user's device. Once decompressed, data occupies its full size on disk.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO

Is content disparity between mobile and desktop killing your rankings in mobile-first indexing?

Martin Splitt Mar 30, 2026 ★★★

During mobile-first indexing, Google has found that a large number of pages present significant differences between their mobile and desktop versions: missing content, absent links, different navigation, or missing metadata. This disparity harms SEO ...

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Mobile SEO Pagination & Structure

Why is mobile-desktop parity sabotaging your rankings in Mobile-First Indexing?

Martin Splitt Mar 30, 2026 ★★★

When transitioning to Mobile-First Indexing, Google observed that a large number of pages lacked parity between mobile and desktop versions. Content was missing, links were absent, navigation and metadata differed, which impacted rankings.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Mobile SEO Pagination & Structure

Does page size really matter for SEO when internet connections keep getting faster?

Martin Splitt Mar 30, 2026 ★★★

Although internet connections are getting faster, the increase in webpage size is outpacing the increase in median transfer speeds for mobile connections. Size therefore remains an important factor for user experience.

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

Should You Worry if Google Keeps Crawling Your 404 Pages?

John Mueller Mar 24, 2026 ★★★

A user was concerned about seeing Googlebot continue to crawl non-existent pages (returning a 404), thinking it was wasting their crawl budget. John Mueller reassured the user by clarifying that these repeated crawls of 404 pages pose no problem, and...

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

Why Is It Perfectly Normal to Temporarily Lose Rankings After an HTTPS Migration?

John Mueller Mar 24, 2026 ★★★

The owner of a 15-year-old financial website panicked after losing his top 3 Google rankings following an HTTPS migration. He had also changed his WordPress theme and updated his content, and was wondering if he should revert to HTTP. John Mueller ex...

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing HTTPS & Security AI & SEO Domain Name Redirects