What does Google say about SEO?

How can you leverage the new news filter in Search Console to boost your performance?

John Mueller Sep 29, 2020 ★★

A new filter for news has been added to the Search Console performance report. This filter allows users to gain insights into the performance of news content in the Google Search News tab.

Content Pagination & Structure Web Performance Search Console

Should you really migrate to domain properties in Search Console?

John Mueller Sep 29, 2020 ★★★

Google recommends using domain properties in Search Console whenever possible. A domain property provides insights for all variations of a domain, making it easier to get a comprehensive view of a website in search. They can be combined with traditio...

AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name Search Console

How can you enable large image previews in Google Discover without using AMP?

John Mueller Sep 29, 2020 ★★

For pages displayed in Google Discover, it is possible to enable large image previews to make them stand out. This can be done either through AMP pages or by using the max-image-preview attribute in the robots meta tag.

Domain Age & History Discover & News AI & SEO Images & Videos Mobile SEO

Why did Google delay the final switch to mobile-first indexing, and what are the real risks for you?

John Mueller Sep 29, 2020 ★★★

The final date for mobile-first indexing has been postponed to late March 2021, given the circumstances. This gives the remaining sites more time to make the necessary changes.

Crawl & Indexing Mobile SEO

Does Optimizing the Text Around Your Links Really Boost Your SEO?

John Mueller Sep 28, 2020 ★★★

John Mueller explained during a Hangout that while Google takes into account the anchor of a link (the clickable text), it can also take into account the text before and after the link to refine its analysis, but rather in a secondary way, with the l...

Content AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

Does Google Cloud Hosting Really Boost Your SEO Performance?

John Mueller Sep 28, 2020 ★★★

John Mueller reminded us that hosting your site on Google Cloud servers offers no SEO advantage whatsoever. Additionally, he explained, in response to a study that seemed to suggest otherwise, that shared hosting poses no SEO problem either compared ...

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Search Console

Why Do Google's SEO Spokespeople Systematically Decline Private Help Requests?

John Mueller Sep 28, 2020 ★★★

Martin Splitt explained during a podcast that SEO spokespeople like himself, Gary Illyes or John Mueller, never respond to private requests for help on a particular site in terms of SEO, as this is prohibited by the company's internal guidelines. But...

Domain Age & History Content Discover & News AI & SEO Social Media

Is guest posting for backlink acquisition truly risky?

John Mueller Sep 25, 2020 ★★★

Google does not recommend guest posting for the purpose of creating links. If done on a large scale, the webspam team may take algorithmic or manual actions as these are not natural links.

Algorithms AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Penalties & Spam

Can a simple layout change really affect your SEO rankings?

John Mueller Sep 25, 2020 ★★★

Changing the layout and appearance of a website can affect search results, even if the main content and URLs remain the same. Elements such as titles, internal linking, and the context provided can influence SEO.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Domain Name Pagination & Structure

Should you really ditch AMP if your site is already fast?

John Mueller Sep 25, 2020 ★★★

If your original site is faster than the AMP version, and speed is your only reason for using AMP, then AMP is not necessary. In the future, fast non-AMP pages with good Core Web Vitals will also be eligible for features like Top Stories.

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

Does Google really wipe the history of an expired domain when it's taken over?

John Mueller Sep 25, 2020 ★★★

When a new site is built on an expired domain, Google attempts to recognize this change and ignore the domain's past as much as possible. However, problems from the old site (like spam links) can persist.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Domain Name Penalties & Spam

How long does it really take to recover from an SEO hack?

John Mueller Sep 25, 2020 ★★★

After a hack has been completely cleaned and the sitemap resubmitted, it typically takes a few weeks for rankings to stabilize again. Google does not hold grudges against hacked sites if the issue is resolved.

AI & SEO Pagination & Structure

Is server-side rendering truly free from any cloaking penalty risks?

John Mueller Sep 25, 2020 ★★★

Serving pre-rendered HTML to Googlebot and dynamic JavaScript content to users is not considered cloaking as long as the final content is identical. This is an acceptable method known as server-side rendering or dynamic serving.

Content Crawl & Indexing JavaScript & Technical SEO Pagination & Structure Penalties & Spam

Why do your new content pieces suddenly lose their positions after an initial spike?

John Mueller Sep 25, 2020 ★★★

It is normal for content to appear very prominently in search results at first, and then stabilize at a lower position. The opposite can also occur. Both situations are normal from Google's perspective and do not indicate a technical issue.

Content AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Pagination & Structure

Can a featured snippet truly appear without being the top result in organic search?

John Mueller Sep 25, 2020 ★★

Google can display a page as a featured snippet even if it is not ranked first in organic search results.

Domain Age & History Content Featured Snippets & SERP Local Search

Should you really update your content to preserve your Google rankings?

John Mueller Sep 25, 2020 ★★★

To maintain the visibility of an article, you should not merely leave it as is, hoping something will change. You must continue to work on it and improve it so that Google recognizes there is new useful information.

Content Discover & News AI & SEO

Does mobile-first indexing really ignore the desktop version of your site?

John Mueller Sep 25, 2020 ★★★

When a site is switched to mobile-first indexing, the main version indexed by Google is the mobile version. Google counts impressions for the primary version and exchanges language URLs, but not desktop/mobile URLs.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Mobile SEO Domain Name International SEO

Should you really implement bidirectional redirection between desktop and mobile versions?

John Mueller Sep 25, 2020 ★★★

If you have separate desktop and mobile versions, it is recommended to redirect in both directions: mobile to desktop for desktop users, and desktop to mobile for mobile users.

Mobile SEO Redirects

Should we really serve low-resolution images for slow connections?

John Mueller Sep 25, 2020 ★★

Instead of not displaying images to users with slow connections, it is recommended to use attributes like 'source set' to offer low-resolution versions of images rather than showing nothing at all.

Domain Age & History Images & Videos Local Search

Should decorative images really be optimized for SEO?

John Mueller Sep 25, 2020 ★★

If images are critical to your pages, find a way to display them in all cases. If they are purely decorative, their absence is not problematic for SEO.

Domain Age & History Images & Videos Local Search