What does Google say about SEO?

Should you really stop using the URL inspection tool to index your pages?

John Mueller Nov 27, 2020 ★★★

Websites should be able to be crawled and indexed normally within a reasonable timeframe without using manual tools like the URL inspection tool. If you're depending on this tool for normal indexing, it’s a sign that something is wrong with your site...

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Domain Name Search Console

Should you really stop using the URL Inspection Tool to get your pages indexed?

John Mueller Nov 27, 2020 ★★★

The URL Inspection Tool is fantastic for urgent situations where an error needs to be quickly resolved, but it shouldn't be used for regular updates or adding new content. Using this tool for routine maintenance masks the actual problems of the site.

Content AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name Pagination & Structure Search Console

Does the overall quality of a site truly influence its crawl frequency?

John Mueller Nov 27, 2020 ★★

To ensure Google crawls your site more frequently and retrieves the latest information, focus on enhancing the overall quality of your site so that Google's systems are motivated to seek out the latest information.

Crawl & Indexing

Does Google really combine hreflang signals from HTML, sitemaps, and HTTP headers?

John Mueller Nov 27, 2020 ★★★

Google combines hreflang annotations from HTML, sitemaps, and HTTP headers. If you have hreflangs in the HTML and others in the sitemap, Google will try to combine and add them together.

Crawl & Indexing HTTPS & Security AI & SEO Search Console International SEO

Can you really target multiple countries with a single hreflang page?

John Mueller Nov 27, 2020 ★★★

Hreflang allows a single page to target multiple country/language versions. You can have one page for English in Singapore, the United States, and the United Kingdom, and a different page for English in Australia. Google combines these signals.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO International SEO

What happens when your hreflang tags contradict each other between HTML and sitemap?

John Mueller Nov 27, 2020 ★★★

A hreflang conflict occurs when the same country-language combination points to a different URL in HTML and in the sitemap. In this case, Google does not prioritize either one: it likely ignores this pair because it doesn’t function.

Crawl & Indexing E-commerce AI & SEO Domain Name Search Console International SEO

Should you use rel=canonical between multiple sites in the same network to prevent signal dilution?

John Mueller Nov 27, 2020 ★★★

If a publisher has multiple sites and publishes the same content across their network, they should use rel=canonical to indicate the preferred version. This allows value to concentrate on one version rather than diluting the signal across 20 differen...

Content Crawl & Indexing

Are links between sites of the same network really treated as normal links by Google?

John Mueller Nov 27, 2020 ★★

Google can generally identify that a network of sites belongs to the same company and treats the links between them as normal links. This is only problematic if it is a very large network used solely for SEO rather than to inform users.

AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

Do Google’s manual actions really focus on global patterns, or can they also sanction isolated cases?

John Mueller Nov 27, 2020 ★★

Manual actions generally involve a much broader pattern than just one bad example. It may happen that some individual examples provided are debatable, but they fit into a larger problematic pattern.

AI & SEO Pagination & Structure

Does the length of your anchor text really impact your SEO?

John Mueller Nov 27, 2020 ★★

Google does not treat long or short anchor texts differently. Whether the anchor contains two words or seven words, Google simply uses it to provide additional context about the pages. A longer text may provide more information, but it is neither bet...

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

Do keyword-rich anchor texts serve as a negative signal for Google?

John Mueller Nov 27, 2020 ★★★

Regarding footer links, Google examines the specific anchor text. If the anchor is heavily stuffed with keywords to promote the site, it's more problematic. If it's just the URL or the company name, it's generally less concerning.

Content Links & Backlinks Domain Name

Can Google really ignore your links without giving you any warning?

John Mueller Nov 27, 2020 ★★

It is very likely that Google is already automatically ignoring certain specific types of links, as these are links that are very easy for Google's systems to identify and neutralize.

AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

Does the search volume for your brand really boost your SEO?

John Mueller Nov 27, 2020 ★★

A brand's search volume is not useful as a ranking factor because when someone searches for that brand, Google would already try to show the brand's pages since they are likely very relevant to those queries.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO

Does Google really keep your content in its original language instead of translating it?

John Mueller Nov 27, 2020 ★★★

Google mainly indexes the content of pages as it finds them, without normalizing everything to English. If you have a site in a language where Google Translate is not very effective, Google will still index that content in that language.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO International SEO

Does Google translate your queries to display foreign content?

John Mueller Nov 27, 2020 ★★

In certain areas where content is scarce in the local language, Google can translate the query into another language, search for results in that language, and present them via Google Translate clearly indicating that the results are translated.

Content AI & SEO Local Search International SEO

Do old customer reviews harm the ranking of your product listings?

John Mueller Nov 27, 2020 ★★

On product pages of e-commerce sites, having old user or professional reviews is perfectly acceptable. Google does not penalize pages for having old reviews, as they can be very helpful for users.

Domain Age & History E-commerce AI & SEO Pagination & Structure

Are iFrames really crawled by Google, or should you avoid them for SEO?

John Mueller Nov 27, 2020 ★★

When it comes to content loaded via iFrame, Google can sometimes read it and sometimes not. If you want the content to be associated with your site, implement it directly on the page or via JavaScript so that Google can render it. If you don't want i...

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

How can you verify if your cookie banners are blocking Google’s indexing?

John Mueller Nov 27, 2020 ★★★

To check if Google can crawl and index your content behind cookie banners, use the URL Inspection Tool for a live test. Look at the HTML version that Google uses for rendering and indexing, and check if your content and links are present.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Domain Name Search Console

Does the cached page truly reflect what Google indexes?

John Mueller Nov 27, 2020 ★★★

The cached page is a technical copy of the fetched HTML, not a representation of what is actually indexed. To check indexing, use the URL Inspection Tool. JavaScript may not execute on cached pages as they are hosted on a Google domain.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name Web Performance Search Console

How can you effectively manage multiple versions of technical documentation without jeopardizing your SEO?

John Mueller Nov 27, 2020 ★★

For programming language documentation with multiple versions, keep a stable URL for the current version and move older versions to specific archive URLs. This allows Google to understand which is the primary version while keeping the older ones acce...

Domain Age & History Domain Name Pagination & Structure PDF & Files International SEO