What does Google say about SEO?

Should You Really Stop Disavowing Toxic Links in 2024?

John Mueller Dec 31, 2024 ★★★

On Bluesky, Google's John Mueller strongly advises SEO professionals against wasting time disavowing so-called "toxic" links. He even goes as far as calling this practice a "waste of money."

Domain Age & History Content Links & Backlinks

Should You Block Legal Pages from Indexing to Optimize Your SEO?

John Mueller Dec 31, 2024 ★★★

John Mueller states that it is unnecessary to block the indexing of legal pages (legal notices, privacy policy). These pages do not create duplicate content issues and are not likely to affect AdSense approval. While this is not a major concern, Muel...

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Web Performance

Can You Really Trust Google's URL Inspection Tool Screenshots?

John Mueller Dec 31, 2024 ★★★

On Reddit, John Mueller clarified a point regarding the reliability of Googlebot screenshots, which represent how the search engine "sees" a web page. Through the Search Console's URL Inspection tool, it is indeed possible to visualize a page's rende...

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

Which HTTP encodings does Googlebot actually accept to crawl your pages effectively?

Gary Illyes Dec 30, 2024 ★★

Google Bot and Google crawlers support three specific types of HTTP encoding for compressing server responses. This information was officially documented in 2024 after being found only in scattered old blog articles.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing Discover & News HTTPS & Security PDF & Files

Do AI Overviews really index your content, or do they just read it?

Martin Splitt Dec 30, 2024 ★★★

Google's AI Overviews work partly through retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), which means they rely on content that is crawlable and indexable by search engines, rather than solely on a standalone language model.

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

Is JavaScript Really the Right Choice for Hybrid Websites According to Google?

Martin Splitt Dec 30, 2024 ★★

Google acknowledges that many modern websites fall somewhere between simple informational sites and complex web applications. JavaScript remains appropriate for these hybrid sites, but still requires particular attention for search engine optimizatio...

AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO

How can Google's AI white papers transform your SEO strategy?

Gary Illyes Dec 30, 2024 ★★

Google makes technical white papers available explaining how LLMs function, common problems like hallucinations, and AI principles. These resources are recommended for understanding AI interfaces in a clear and technical manner.

Content AI & SEO

Is Google finally turning those old blog posts into official documentation—and should you care?

Gary Illyes Dec 30, 2024 ★★

Google is updating its documentation in 2024 to close gaps by converting historical information from blog articles (dating back to 2005-2006) into official documentation and documenting technical details never formally published.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing Discover & News AI & SEO PDF & Files

Is duplicate content really a search engine problem or a legal one?

Martin Splitt Dec 30, 2024 ★★

During events in Turkey, Google found that many experienced webmasters complain about copies of their content. Google clarifies that these situations are generally legal issues to be resolved through the local legal system, not through Google technic...

Content AI & SEO Local Search

Why is Google launching SEO events in underserved regions like Turkey and Malaysia?

Martin Splitt Dec 30, 2024 ★

The Search Central Live series primarily targets underserved regions where Google has not been particularly active before, such as Turkey and Malaysia, to provide SEO education and improve the overall quality of websites worldwide.

AI & SEO

Is Google really saying that most Turkish website visibility issues stem from poor content creation practices?

Martin Splitt Dec 30, 2024 ★★

During the Search Central Live event in Turkey, Google identified that many search results problems stem from how content is created on Turkish-language websites, requiring more education and documentation.

Content PDF & Files International SEO

Is Googlebot really crawling your JavaScript content? Here's how to verify it

Martin Splitt Dec 13, 2024 ★★★

Use the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console or the Rich Results test to see if Googlebot can access a page. The tool shows the rendered HTML of the page. If you find the content in the rendered HTML by searching for it, that means it's not a...

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing Domain Name Search Console

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