What does Google say about SEO?

Search through official Google statements about search engine optimization

Recent searches requetes de marque crise economique signaux conflictuels url bloquees ctr serps cache rendu url multilingues signal pertinence
9617 statement(s) found
Why does your site still receive 40% of desktop crawls after transitioning to mobile-first indexing?
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020 ★★
Even after moving to mobile-first indexing, a site can receive 40% desktop crawls and 60% mobile. This depends on the type of content (e.g., Google Shopping, AdWords Landing Page Check may use the desktop bot). It's not a sign of a problem.
Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing E-commerce AI & SEO Mobile SEO
Should you use alt text for infographics instead of converting them to HTML?
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020 ★★
For graphs and infographics, it is recommended to integrate them as images with a descriptive alt attribute containing critical information, rather than converting these elements to HTML. Google primarily treats these contents as images, and the alt ...
Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Images & Videos
Do you really need to duplicate your infographics' content in text for Google?
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020 ★★
For infographics, it is recommended to also provide the text or the essential content in textual format (in an article or other format), as Google primarily treats infographics as images and not as text.
Domain Age & History Content Discover & News AI & SEO Images & Videos
Why isn't optimizing a single SEO factor ever enough to outpace a competitor?
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020 ★★★
Google employs a multitude of factors for ranking. A site can perform well despite certain weaknesses if other aspects are excellent. To improve ranking against a competitor, you need to optimize the entire site, not just the content or one isolated ...
Content AI & SEO
Is it really necessary to wait before reacting to ranking fluctuations?
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020 ★★
When faced with ranking fluctuations, Google recommends allowing the situation to stabilize, engaging with other webmasters, and then working on improving the overall quality of the site to make it more stable and less dependent on a single ranking f...
AI & SEO Pagination & Structure
Do outgoing links to authoritative sites really boost your Google ranking?
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020 ★★★
Adding outgoing links to authoritative sites (Wikipedia, CNN, etc.) does not improve a page's ranking. Google does not consider that a site becomes better simply because it links to quality content. The value of outgoing links depends on the context,...
Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Links & Backlinks
Site Restructuring: Why does Google recommend redirects over reverse proxy?
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020 ★★
For a site structure change (subdomain to subfolder), Google recommends using standard redirects instead of a reverse proxy. Redirects are better managed and cause fewer complications. Temporary fluctuations are normal but stabilize quickly.
Domain Age & History AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name Pagination & Structure Redirects
Is it true that the highest number in Search Console is usually the right one?
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020 ★★
In cases of discrepancies between statistics with and without country filters in Search Console, the highest displayed number is typically the most accurate, due to the way data sampling operates in the background.
Domain Age & History AI & SEO Search Console
Should you really put empty user profile pages on no-index?
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020 ★★★
It is generally unnecessary to put no-index on underfilled user profile pages. Google automatically focuses on the important parts of the site. No-index is only useful if these pages are used for spam or if they represent an enormous volume (80%+ of ...
Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Penalties & Spam
Do domain migrations and mergers really cause SEO penalties?
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020 ★★★
Merging or redirecting domains does not trigger a webspam penalty. Simple one-to-one migrations stabilize quickly (a few days/weeks), but content mergers take much longer. It is recommended to separate the steps (redirects, structural changes, design...
Content AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name Pagination & Structure Penalties & Spam Redirects
Should you overlook historical Mobile Usability errors in Search Console?
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020 ★★
If the live test in Search Console shows no mobile usability errors, but warnings persist for certain pages, trust the live test. Historical errors may be due to temporary CSS rendering issues that occurred during previous crawls.
Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Mobile SEO Search Console
Is it true that using nofollow on internal menu links can control PageRank?
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020 ★★
To prevent signal transfer to certain internal menu links, using the nofollow attribute is appropriate. However, in most cases, it is not necessary to hide these links; a no-index on the destination page is generally sufficient.
Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Pagination & Structure Web Performance
Do Google Ads scripts really slow down your site in the eyes of PageSpeed Insights?
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020 ★★★
Google's speed testing tools (PageSpeed Insights) are agnostic to the origin of scripts. If a Google Ads script slows down a page, it will be flagged even if it comes from Google. Users don't care about the source of the slowdown, only about the slow...
Domain Age & History Web Performance
Should you really aim for a perfect 100 on PageSpeed Insights to rank well?
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020 ★★★
The PageSpeed Insights score is not a magic number that you must absolutely reach 100. It is a combination of speed factors designed to identify weaknesses. In the future, Google will rely on Core Web Vitals rather than the overall PageSpeed score.
Domain Age & History AI & SEO Web Performance
Do image metadata really influence rankings in Google Images?
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020 ★★
Google indexes certain image metadata, primarily to display licensing and copyright information in Google Images. This metadata does not constitute a ranking factor but is useful for providing legal information.
Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Images & Videos Local Search
How many internal links per page should you have to optimize your structure without hindering crawl efficiency?
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020 ★★★
There is no magic number of internal links per page. The key is to have a clear site structure that enables Google to understand the hierarchy and relationships between pages. A flat structure, where everything is linked to everything else, is not us...
Domain Age & History AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Pagination & Structure
Should you still use disavow or has Google truly automated the ignoring of spam links?
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020 ★★
Spam links from low-quality sites are likely already ignored by Google's algorithms. The disavow is an option if you are truly worried, but in most cases, it is not necessary.
Algorithms AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Penalties & Spam
Is it really necessary to have a dedicated page for each video to rank on Google?
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020 ★★★
When Google detects a video on a page, it displays a thumbnail for that page. If multiple videos are on the same page, it becomes challenging for Google to determine which video is the most important. It is recommended to place each video on its own ...
Domain Age & History AI & SEO Local Search
Does Google really control sitelinks through site structure?
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020 ★★
Google automatically generates sitelinks based on its understanding of the site structure and user searches. A clear structure with hierarchy (categories, subcategories, detail pages) helps Google identify related pages and generate relevant sitelink...
Domain Age & History AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Pagination & Structure
Should you always use the Video Object schema for YouTube embeds subject to GDPR?
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020 ★★★
For YouTube embeds requiring user consent (placeholder then click), Google Bot cannot click. It is recommended to use the structured data Video Object schema rather than relying on automatic detection of the embed, so that Google can identify the vid...
Domain Age & History Structured Data AI & SEO Images & Videos Pagination & Structure
🔔

Get real-time analysis of the latest Google SEO declarations

Be the first to know every time a new official Google statement drops — with full expert analysis.

No spam. Unsubscribe in one click.