What does Google say about SEO?

How can you measure Core Web Vitals when your site isn't in CrUX?

John Mueller Aug 04, 2020 ★★

When a site does not appear in the Chrome User Experience Report, it is possible to use the Core Web Vitals JavaScript library to collect this data directly in Analytics. This approach allows you to obtain speed metrics even if the data is not visibl...

AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Web Performance Search Console

Can negative reviews really hurt your Google ranking?

John Mueller Aug 04, 2020 ★★★

Negative reviews or a poor online reputation generally do not affect search rankings, unless all signals point massively in that direction. A handful of negative reviews among many positive ones will have no impact. The algorithms require a truly str...

Algorithms AI & SEO Local Search

Does splitting your sitemaps truly impact crawling and indexing?

John Mueller Aug 04, 2020 ★★

The splitting of sitemaps (separate URLs, separate images, or everything in a single file) generally has no impact on crawling and indexing, provided that size and URL count limits are respected. Reasonably dividing the sitemaps of a typical site doe...

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Images & Videos Domain Name PDF & Files Web Performance Search Console

Is the 304 Not Modified code really a trap for your indexing?

John Mueller Aug 04, 2020 ★★★

The HTTP 304 code should only be returned in response to a conditional request (If-Modified-Since). Returning a 304 on a normal request is like not returning any content, thus preventing indexing. For sitemaps, returning 304, 404, or an empty file wh...

Content Crawl & Indexing HTTPS & Security Pagination & Structure PDF & Files Search Console

Are translated pages really treated as unique content by Google?

John Mueller Aug 04, 2020 ★★★

Pages translated into different languages (even translated content) are considered entirely distinct and indexed independently. Google does not treat them as duplicate content since they consist of different words. Hreflang can be used to link langua...

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

Why does Google overlook your canonical on multi-country sites?

John Mueller Aug 04, 2020 ★★★

Google may select a different canonical than the declared one when multiple country versions contain exactly the same content in the same language. The algorithms group these URLs and choose a canonical version to save on crawl, even if hreflang is p...

Algorithms Content Crawl & Indexing Domain Name International SEO

How does Google really differentiate between two sites in the same language but targeting different countries?

John Mueller Aug 04, 2020 ★★★

For Google to treat pages separately by country (same language), clear local signals are needed: different currencies, local phone numbers, local physical addresses. These elements allow algorithms to recognize that these are country-specific version...

Algorithms Domain Age & History AI & SEO Local Search International SEO

Are Hreflang and Canonical really reliable for geographic targeting?

John Mueller Aug 04, 2020 ★★★

Hreflang and geotargeting are not guaranteed directives but signals. Google may choose to display a targeted page for one country in another country if the algorithms determine it's the best answer. To manage these cases, it is recommended to display...

Algorithms Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Local Search International SEO

Why does Search Console display a different canonical than what appears in the SERP for your hreflang pages?

John Mueller Aug 04, 2020 ★★★

When Google groups hreflang pages with similar content, it chooses a unique canonical but displays the appropriate local version in search results. Search Console will show all data on the canonical (e.g., Germany version), but in the SERPs, users wi...

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing Featured Snippets & SERP AI & SEO Local Search Search Console International SEO

Should you really keep each hreflang page self-canonical?

John Mueller Aug 04, 2020 ★★★

Pages linked by hreflang must be self-canonical (each version points to itself as canonical). If all versions canonicalize to a single page, Google will follow this directive, index only this unique page, and will not be able to validate the hreflang...

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing Links & Backlinks International SEO

Why is your Search Console crawl budget skyrocketing for no apparent reason?

John Mueller Aug 04, 2020 ★★★

The number of URLs crawled per day in Search Console includes all Googlebot requests: HTML, images, CSS, JavaScript, server responses, and also checks for landing pages for Google Ads and Shopping. These Ads checks can represent a significant volume ...

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing E-commerce AI & SEO Images & Videos JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name Search Console

Should you really limit the crawl rate in Search Console?

John Mueller Aug 04, 2020 ★★

Limiting the crawl rate in Search Console reduces the total number of requests but does not proportionally impact crawling for web search. Google can continue to crawl all necessary pages for search and mainly reduces requests for secondary checks (4...

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

Should you focus on optimizing your site speed for Googlebot or your actual users?

John Mueller Aug 04, 2020 ★★★

Optimizing speed solely for Googlebot (by removing trackers/pixels) does not add value for ranking because Google uses Chrome User Experience Report data based on what real users see. Speed should be improved for users, not for bots.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Web Performance

Should you serve a streamlined version of your pages to Googlebot to improve crawl efficiency?

John Mueller Aug 04, 2020 ★★

Serving a faster page to Googlebot (without trackers or pixels) is not considered cloaking and is similar to server-side prerendering. However, this practice is discouraged because it introduces unnecessary maintenance complexity and does not improve...

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

How can you tell a legitimate city page from a penalizable doorway page?

John Mueller Aug 04, 2020 ★★★

Creating pages targeting cities can be acceptable if they provide real unique value (special offers, local reviews, popular models by city). In contrast, massively generating pages with only auto-generated generic information (population, schools) co...

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Pagination & Structure Penalties & Spam Local Search

Are doorway pages still subject to manual penalties from Google?

John Mueller Aug 04, 2020 ★★

Google once had a manual action for doorway pages, but this practice has likely shifted to automatic algorithmic processing. Many historical manual actions have transitioned to algorithmic detection over time. The current exact status of manual actio...

Algorithms Domain Age & History AI & SEO Penalties & Spam

Should You Use Images Instead of HTML/JavaScript Charts for SEO?

John Mueller Aug 03, 2020 ★★★

John Mueller explained during a webmaster hangout that using images (PNG, JPG or other formats) was preferable (with a properly filled ALT attribute) when displaying charts on screen compared to other solutions such as using HTML or even JavaScript.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Images & Videos JavaScript & Technical SEO Pagination & Structure Local Search Search Console

Can Differentiating Interstitials by Traffic Source (Direct vs. SEO) Be Considered Cloaking?

John Mueller Aug 03, 2020 ★★★★

John Mueller explained during a webmaster hangout that it was possible to display different interstitials for direct traffic on one hand and for SEO traffic and Googlebot on the other: rather intrusive interstitials for people who arrive on the mobil...

Algorithms Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing Featured Snippets & SERP AI & SEO Mobile SEO Penalties & Spam Local Search Search Console

Is the Concept of "Link Juice" Really Obsolete for Modern SEO?

John Mueller Aug 03, 2020 ★★

John Mueller went all out on Twitter, responding to a user who asked a question about internal linking, criticizing articles that talked about "link juice": "If I were you, I'd forget everything you've read about 'link juice'. It's very likely that a...

Domain Age & History Content Discover & News AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Pagination & Structure Social Media

Do Negative Online Reviews Actually Hurt Your Google Rankings?

John Mueller Aug 03, 2020 ★★★★

During a hangout with webmasters, a user asked whether the fact that certain web pages contain negative reviews about a site could have a negative impact on that site's ranking in Google search results. John Mueller explained that no, it shouldn't...

Domain Age & History Content Featured Snippets & SERP AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Local Search