What does Google say about SEO?

How Can You Manage Multi-Version URLs to Maximize Your SEO Visibility?

John Mueller Nov 12, 2024 ★★★

On LinkedIn, John Mueller advised site owners with multiple versions (APIs, specifications, annual editions, etc.) to use a stable URL for their site's current version. For example, it can be beneficial to add versioned directories to make the curren...

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Domain Name Pagination & Structure Social Media

Is duplicate content really slowing down your site's crawl rate?

Martin Splitt Nov 12, 2024 ★★

When duplicate content exists at large scale on a site, it can cause a slowdown in page crawling. This is not something that should keep you awake at night, but it is worth considering for optimization purposes.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Should you prioritize the HTML tag or HTTP header to declare a canonical URL?

Martin Splitt Nov 12, 2024 ★★★

To tell Google which URL to index among multiple versions of the same content, you can specify the canonical URL either in an HTML tag or in an HTTP header. This helps Google make its decision.

Content Crawl & Indexing HTTPS & Security AI & SEO Domain Name

Should you really redirect all non-canonical URLs with 301s for SEO?

Martin Splitt Nov 12, 2024 ★★★

For external links pointing to non-canonical URLs, configuring a 301 redirect to the canonical URL is recommended. This type of redirect avoids performance impacts because browsers memorize the redirect and prevent unnecessary network round-trips.

Crawl & Indexing Links & Backlinks Domain Name Web Performance Redirects Search Console

Should you really merge your pages to boost your SEO performance?

Martin Splitt Nov 12, 2024 ★★

It is advisable to regularly revisit your site's pages to identify opportunities for simplifying and combining similar content. This strategic approach helps maintain an optimized site over time.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO

Does duplicate content really penalize your site on Google?

Martin Splitt Nov 12, 2024 ★★★

Duplicate content does not affect the perceived quality of a site by Google. It is not a negative factor for rankings, but it can cause practical challenges such as difficulty tracking performance and competition between similar pages.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Web Performance Search Console

Should you really worry about duplicate content alerts in Google Search Console?

Martin Splitt Nov 12, 2024 ★★★

The statuses 'duplicate without user-selected canonical', 'alternate page with proper canonical tag' or 'duplicate Google chose different canonical than user' in Search Console are not really problems. They simply indicate that Google has indexed the...

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Images & Videos Domain Name Search Console

Does Google really ignore your canonical tags? Here's why it happens more often than you think

Martin Splitt Nov 12, 2024 ★★★

The canonical tag is treated as a hint by Google Search and not as an absolute directive. Google can choose a different URL than the one specified because this tag is often used incorrectly by site owners.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Domain Name

Is Google ignoring your canonical tag? Here's why your internal links might be to blame

Martin Splitt Nov 12, 2024 ★★★

When Google selects a canonical URL different from the one you've declared, it's often because internal links point to a different URL than the one defined as canonical. You need to correct these internal links to point toward your desired canonical ...

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Domain Name

Why does merging similar pages boost your SEO even without duplicate content issues?

Martin Splitt Nov 12, 2024 ★★

Rather than maintaining multiple very similar pages, even if Google doesn't flag them as duplicates, it's advisable to combine them. This makes it easier for users to find information, simplifies reporting in Search Console, and reduces site clutter.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Search Console

Is your SEO expertise blinding you to what your users actually need?

Iva Barisic Hafner Oct 31, 2024 ★★★

A fundamental principle of UX research is that you are not your users. Once you develop your site or product, you become an expert in it and it becomes very difficult to adopt the perspective of a novice. This is the curse of knowledge.

E-commerce AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO

Is your site losing traffic because of poor UX? Here's how to know when research is critical for SEO.

Iva Barisic Hafner Oct 31, 2024 ★★★

You should consider UX research if you notice high bounce rates, low conversions, negative feedback, unexplained traffic drops, or if you don't know who your users are or what they need. Nearly all websites can benefit from some form of user research...

Domain Age & History AI & SEO

Does user experience really impact SEO rankings, or just conversions?

Iva Barisic Hafner Oct 31, 2024 ★★

If your website frustrates users or fails to satisfy them, they won't come back. For most products, getting visitors who quickly achieve their objective, who return, and who recommend your product are all tied to the quality of their experience with ...

E-commerce AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO

Is a high bounce rate really a red flag for your SEO performance?

Iva Barisic Hafner Oct 31, 2024 ★★

A high bounce rate can be a sign that you need to conduct user experience research to understand why visitors are leaving your site quickly. Talking directly to your users is often the best way to understand this issue.

JavaScript & Technical SEO

Are your pages' negative ratings a hidden SEO signal worth investigating?

Lizzi Sassman Oct 31, 2024 ★★

If many people click the negative vote button to indicate they don't like a page, but you don't know why, that's a clear signal to start applying UX research methods to investigate the causes of the problem.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO

Should you really start with heuristic evaluation before testing with real users?

Iva Barisic Hafner Oct 31, 2024 ★★

Before talking to users, use heuristic evaluation: take a list of standards (contrast, error prevention, etc.) and verify that each screen of your site respects these principles. This allows you to identify obvious problems without investing time wit...

AI & SEO

Can cognitive walkthrough really boost your SEO through better user experience?

Iva Barisic Hafner Oct 31, 2024 ★★

Cognitive walkthrough involves defining your typical users, listing their main tasks, then following the ideal path screen by screen by asking yourself at each step whether the user will do what's expected. This generates a list of hypotheses and pot...

AI & SEO Pagination & Structure

Why do five users truly unlock 85% of UX problems for SEO professionals?

Iva Barisic Hafner Oct 31, 2024 ★★

For qualitative research, five participants are generally sufficient. This number is optimal because the added value of insights decreases sharply after the fifth user: you learn a lot from the first, almost as much from the second, but progressively...

AI & SEO

How can qualitative-quantitative triangulation transform your UX research into a powerful SEO lever?

Iva Barisic Hafner Oct 31, 2024 ★★★

It is recommended to triangulate your data by using multiple methods. The classic approach consists of first conducting qualitative research with five users to identify problems, then using a quantitative survey to validate the frequency and magnitud...

AI & SEO Mobile SEO

Why will 100 users never be enough to validate your SEO user experience strategy?

Iva Barisic Hafner Oct 31, 2024 ★★

For a survey, with only 100 total users, you cannot get enough responses to conduct reliable statistical analysis. If you have few users, it's better to contact them directly for individual 15-minute interviews rather than sending out a survey.

AI & SEO