What does Google say about SEO?

Has dynamic prerendering become a trap for indexing?

Martin Splitt Nov 25, 2020 ★★

Dynamic prerendering solutions like prerender.io add latency, can crash, and require caching. If hashed JavaScript or CSS resources in the name become inaccessible due to outdated cache, the content may be missing and not indexed.

Content Crawl & Indexing JavaScript & Technical SEO Web Performance

Could your deleted resources be harming your pre-render indexing?

Martin Splitt Nov 25, 2020 ★★

When using cached pre-render solutions, it is essential to keep old versions of assets (JavaScript, CSS) available long enough to prevent the cached HTML from referencing resources that no longer exist, which would lead to indexing issues.

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

Is it true that Google really analyzes everything in the initial HTML before rendering?

Martin Splitt Nov 25, 2020 ★★★

Google analyzes the initial HTML to extract links (to add to the crawl queue), detect HTTP errors, and read meta tags (canonical, description, robots). Canonicalization begins in the initial HTML but continues after rendering.

Crawl & Indexing HTTPS & Security AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

Could a 404 page with JavaScript lead to the complete deindexing of your site?

Martin Splitt Nov 25, 2020 ★★★

If a page returns an HTTP 404 status code, Google treats it as an error even if JavaScript would subsequently load content. Using a 404 page to load content via JavaScript leads to the complete deindexing of the site.

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

Does Google really render 100% of JavaScript pages before indexing?

Martin Splitt Nov 25, 2020 ★★★

Contrary to common belief, practically all pages (almost 100%) are rendered in JavaScript before being indexed. There aren't really two distinct indexing paths. Google processes the initial HTML and then decides to render before the final indexing.

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

Does Google really ignore POST requests during JavaScript rendering?

Martin Splitt Nov 25, 2020 ★★

Google caches resources loaded via GET requests during JavaScript rendering but does not cache POST request responses. This can affect rendering performance and indexing consistency.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Web Performance Search Console

Can Web Stories really boost your visibility in Google Search and Discover?

John Mueller Nov 25, 2020 ★★

Web Stories are now prominently featured in Google Search and also in Google Discover. An updated WordPress plugin significantly simplifies the creation of Web Stories.

Discover & News AI & SEO

Does Google really render ALL JavaScript, even without initial server-side content?

Martin Splitt Nov 25, 2020 ★★★

Google renders practically all JavaScript pages. The presence of initial server-side content does not influence the decision to render or not render a page's JavaScript. A heuristic exists for certain legacy domains, but it is rarely used.

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

How can you ensure that Googlebot is genuinely Googlebot and not an imposter?

Martin Splitt Nov 25, 2020 ★★

Many fake bots claim to be Googlebot. You must always verify that requests come from authentic Google IP addresses, as anyone can declare themselves as Googlebot in server logs.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Can blocking JavaScript really stop Google from indexing all the content on your pages?

Martin Splitt Nov 25, 2020 ★★★

If JavaScript code blocks the rendering of part of the page and never completes its execution, Google will stop rendering. The content that this JavaScript was supposed to load and any following HTML content will not be indexed.

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

Why does Google refuse to render JavaScript if the initial HTML contains a meta noindex?

Martin Splitt Nov 25, 2020 ★★★

If a noindex robots meta tag is present in the initial HTML, Google will not render the JavaScript page because the instruction already indicates that the page does not want to be indexed. Be careful not to include noindex in the initial HTML if Java...

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

Does Google really catch duplicate content after JavaScript rendering?

Martin Splitt Nov 25, 2020 ★★★

Google computes content hashes on the initial HTML for deduplication, but subsequently compares these hashes with those obtained after JavaScript rendering. The final decision regarding duplication and canonicalization takes into account the rendered...

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO

Why is Google shifting from Webmasters to Search Central?

John Mueller Nov 25, 2020 ★★

Google has changed the name from Google Webmasters to Google Search Central to reflect the diversity of roles involved in the success of websites. All content for site owners is being migrated to a central location, including articles from the Search...

Content Discover & News AI & SEO Redirects Search Console International SEO

Is it true that Google has disabled the indexing request feature in Search Console?

John Mueller Nov 25, 2020 ★★★

The URL indexing request feature in the URL inspection tool of Search Console has been temporarily disabled. Google is working on the infrastructure to make it more robust and plans to restore it soon.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Domain Name Pagination & Structure Search Console

Is Google Indexing Really Under Control with a Sitemap and Internal Links?

John Mueller Nov 25, 2020 ★★★

Google strongly recommends using the usual methods to help search engines find and index content: ensuring the site is properly accessible, that it contains prominent links to new pages, and using sitemaps to automatically notify updates.

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

Should you stop manually requesting Google to index your pages?

John Mueller Nov 25, 2020 ★★★

Even when the indexing request feature is restored, Google highly encourages the use of automatic methods (accessibility, links, sitemaps) for regular website updates since they are scalable and automated.

Crawl & Indexing Links & Backlinks Pagination & Structure Search Console

Do Web Stories really follow the same SEO rules as your regular pages?

John Mueller Nov 25, 2020 ★★★

Web Stories are normal HTML pages. As a result, everything learned about SEO also applies to Web Stories. The Web Creators team has released a specific video on SEO for Web Stories.

Domain Age & History Content

Does Page Experience really change how websites rank on Google?

John Mueller Nov 25, 2020 ★★★

The Page Experience ranking factor, including Core Web Vitals, will be active in Google Search starting May 2021. Although there is still time, it is recommended to act quickly as improving site speed benefits users.

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

Is it true that Google's Web Rendering Service really indexes what users see?

John Mueller Nov 19, 2020 ★★★

The Web Rendering Service (WRS) is used by Googlebot to display pages like a browser, allowing it to index all the content in the same way that users see it.

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

Is the crawl budget really just to protect your servers or is there more to it?

John Mueller Nov 19, 2020 ★★★

Crawl budget is a system used by Google to limit the number of requests made to a server in order to avoid causing issues during crawling.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO