What does Google say about SEO?

Why Does Google Really Want You to Monitor Server Errors in Your Crawl Stats Report?

Martin Splitt Dec 13, 2024 ★★★

Use the Crawl Stats report, especially the response section, to see how your server responds to crawl requests. Pay special attention to 500 responses, fetch errors, timeouts, DNS problems, and other errors that can indicate crawl issues.

Crawl & Indexing Search Console

Should you really panic about every single crawl error Google reports in Search Console?

Martin Splitt Dec 13, 2024 ★★★

Crawl errors sometimes occur transiently and disappear without intervention. However, if they are frequent or increase suddenly, further investigation is necessary. For very large sites with millions of pages, 500 errors can slow down the crawl.

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

Should you really take action on every 500 error Google detects in your crawl report?

Martin Splitt Dec 13, 2024 ★★

When you spot errors like 500 errors or fetch errors in your crawl report, verify sample URLs using the URL inspection tool's live test feature. If Googlebot can now access these URLs, no action is needed. If the problem persists, use the tool to dig...

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Domain Name Search Console

How can analyzing your server logs unlock hidden crawling insights and optimize Google's site exploration?

Martin Splitt Dec 13, 2024 ★★

Analyzing web server logs is an advanced yet powerful technique to understand what's happening on your server. Logs allow you to see patterns, request volume, and timing, as well as server responses. You may need help from your hosting provider or de...

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Why can your website be completely invisible to Googlebot even though it displays perfectly in your browser?

Martin Splitt Dec 13, 2024 ★★★

The fact that a page is accessible in your browser doesn't mean Googlebot can reach it. robots.txt, a firewall, anti-bot protection, or network issues can block Googlebot. Use Google Search Console's URL inspection tool or the rich results test to ve...

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Domain Name Search Console

How can you spot the real Googlebot among the imposters in your server logs?

Martin Splitt Dec 13, 2024 ★★★

Not all robots claiming to be Googlebot are actually Googlebot. Don't worry about unusual requests as they may come from third-party scrapers impersonating Googlebot. You must verify the authenticity of bots in your server logs.

Crawl & Indexing

Why aren't your pages showing up in Google Search despite all your SEO efforts?

Martin Splitt Dec 13, 2024 ★★

If you've followed the How Search Works series or read the documentation, you know that the first step to get your pages into Google Search is crawling. If pages aren't entering search, you need to start troubleshooting with the crawl step.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO PDF & Files

Why Won't Google Rank You for Your New Brand Name After a Domain Change?

John Mueller Dec 10, 2024 ★★★

Google's John Mueller responded to a company concerned about not appearing in the top search results after changing their domain name to match their new brand name. The company had indeed switched from "betterhalf.ai" to "theweddingcompany.com" a few...

Content AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name

Should You Really Stop Relying on Lighthouse and PageSpeed Insights for Core Web Vitals?

Google Dec 10, 2024 ★★★

Barry Pollard, web performance expert at Google, has emphasized the importance of using field data rather than lab data to evaluate a website's Core Web Vitals. This recommendation comes as Google prepares an update to throttling parameters in PageSp...

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Web Performance Search Console

Does Google really treat clustering and canonicalization as two separate processes, or is it all just one mechanism?

Allan Scott Dec 05, 2024 ★★★

Clustering consists of grouping pages that Google considers identical, while canonicalization consists of choosing the best URL among that cluster. These are two distinct and sequential processes.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing Domain Name

What happens when your canonicalization signals contradict each other?

Allan Scott Dec 05, 2024 ★★★

When strong signals like a 301 redirect and a rel canonical point to different URLs, the system ignores these signals and falls back on weaker signals like sitemaps or PageRank.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Domain Name Redirects Search Console

Does Google really juggle 40 different signals to pick the right canonical URL?

Allan Scott Dec 05, 2024 ★★★

Google uses approximately 40 different signals to determine which canonical URL to choose in a cluster of duplicate pages. This number varies over time because certain signals are added or removed.

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

Does hreflang really work independently from duplicate content clustering?

Allan Scott Dec 05, 2024 ★★★

Hreflang is a separate system from clustering that allows URLs to be substituted based on user location, even if pages are in the same duplication cluster.

Domain Age & History Domain Name Local Search International SEO

Is Google really about to give trusted sites an hreflang fast-track to indexing?

Allan Scott Dec 05, 2024 ★★

Google is working on a project to increase hreflang adoption by verifying site reliability. If a site implements hreflang correctly, Google will serve appropriate variants more often without systematic verification.

AI & SEO International SEO

Does rel canonical really play a dual role in Google's algorithm?

Allan Scott Dec 05, 2024 ★★★

Rel canonical first serves to put two pages into the same cluster, then if they are clustered together, it also becomes a canonical selection signal to determine which one to display.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing Local Search

Is x-default really functioning as a canonical signal like the others?

Allan Scott Dec 05, 2024 ★★

X-default functions as a canonicalization signal indicating which page to display when localization is unknown. This is different from rel canonical because it does not force clustering, only selection.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing Local Search International SEO

Do 200 Error Pages Really Create Clustering Black Holes?

Allan Scott Dec 05, 2024 ★★★

Error pages served with HTTP 200 status become clustered together by checksum. Pages falling into these clusters escape with difficulty because crawling avoids duplicates, creating a 'black hole' of lost pages.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing HTTPS & Security

Is your redirect chain preventing Google from choosing the HTTPS version as canonical?

Allan Scott Dec 05, 2024 ★★

Complex redirect chains, particularly those alternating between HTTP and HTTPS, can prevent Google from selecting the HTTPS version as canonical if the signals are contradictory.

Crawl & Indexing HTTPS & Security Images & Videos Redirects

Does Google actually prioritize HTTPS in search results, or does it depend on other factors?

Allan Scott Dec 05, 2024 ★★

Google uses several specific criteria to manage the selection between HTTP and HTTPS versions of a page. The principle is to display an HTTPS page only if it is truly secure for the end user.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing HTTPS & Security

Does Google really treat boilerplate translations and full content translations in completely different ways?

Allan Scott Dec 05, 2024 ★★★

Google distinguishes between boilerplate translations (menus, interface) and complete content translations. The former are clustered together, the latter remain in separate clusters because they capture different queries.

Content AI & SEO Pagination & Structure International SEO