What does Google say about SEO?

Does Google really see the content loaded dynamically after a user clicks?

John Mueller Jun 12, 2020 ★★★

If the content (like answers in clickable cards) is already present in the rendered HTML, Google will see it. If the content needs to be loaded from the server after a user interaction (click), Google probably won’t see it. Check the rendered DOM in ...

Content JavaScript & Technical SEO Search Console

Why does a new website experience roller coaster rides in the SERPs for 12 months?

John Mueller Jun 12, 2020 ★★

For a website that is a few months old (8 months to 1 year), it is normal to see significant fluctuations in rankings while Google's algorithms learn where to position the site. This adjustment period is typical, and rankings generally stabilize with...

Algorithms Pagination & Structure

Is it true that automatic geographic redirections sabotage your Google crawling?

John Mueller Jun 12, 2020 ★★★

Googlebot crawls mainly from a single location per website, typically the United States. If a site automatically redirects US users to a specific version, Google will think that these pages should be grouped together. Therefore, you should not redire...

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing Local Search Redirects International SEO

Is mobile-first indexing really a ranking factor?

John Mueller Jun 12, 2020 ★★★

Mobile-first indexing mainly concerns the indexing of mobile content, not mobile compatibility as a ranking factor. Google needs to see the content on mobile. Desktop-only sites with table-based designs work well because the content is identical on b...

Content Crawl & Indexing Mobile SEO Pagination & Structure

Why do your desktop images and videos become invisible to Google in mobile-first?

John Mueller Jun 12, 2020 ★★★

With mobile-first indexing, if images or videos are very visible on desktop but tiny or at the bottom of the page on mobile, they are less likely to appear in image and video search results. Visual content must be prominently visible on the mobile ve...

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Images & Videos Mobile SEO

Does geotargeting really depend solely on ccTLD and Search Console?

John Mueller Jun 12, 2020 ★★★

For geotargeting, Google mainly uses the geographic top-level domain (ccTLD) or the geotargeting setting in Search Console. Links and the server's IP address are only used when Google lacks clear information on the site's geographic targeting.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Domain Name Search Console International SEO

Should you really abandon geolocated redirections for a regional selection banner?

John Mueller Jun 12, 2020 ★★

For sites personalizing content by state or city, Google recommends displaying a banner that allows users to change their version rather than automatically redirecting. This allows Googlebot to index all regional versions while guiding users to the a...

Content Crawl & Indexing Local Search Redirects

Does the rel canonical really consolidate ALL link signals to the chosen URL?

John Mueller Jun 12, 2020 ★★★

When Google recognizes a group of duplicate pages and selects a canonical URL (through the rel canonical and other signals), all external and internal signals, including external links pointing to any page in the group, are consolidated and directed ...

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing Links & Backlinks Domain Name

Should you really keep the canonical from desktop to mobile in mobile-first indexing?

John Mueller Jun 12, 2020 ★★★

For sites with separate mobile URLs (m.example.com), even after the switch to mobile-first indexing, you must continue to set the rel canonical from the mobile version to the desktop version and the rel alternate from desktop to mobile. Even though G...

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Images & Videos Mobile SEO Domain Name

Do external links to m. or www. affect ranking differently?

John Mueller Jun 12, 2020 ★★

With separate mobile URLs, external links pointing to either the mobile (m.) or desktop version are irrelevant. Google combines all signals from both versions, whether or not mobile-first indexing is in place. There's no need to promote one version o...

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Mobile SEO Domain Name

Is JavaScript navigation without URLs ruining your site’s mobile-first indexing?

John Mueller Jun 12, 2020 ★★★

If a site's mobile version uses only JavaScript for navigation, without normal URLs (everything stays on the same URL with changing layers), Google will not be able to crawl and index the content. With mobile-first indexing, this content will be remo...

Content Crawl & Indexing JavaScript & Technical SEO Mobile SEO Domain Name Pagination & Structure

Is Google really testing the AMP version for Core Web Vitals even if the mobile version is indexed?

John Mueller Jun 12, 2020 ★★★

For evaluating Core Web Vitals and the page experience score, Google tests the version that users actually see. If a site has an AMP version, it is the AMP version that will be tested for speed and usability, even though the mobile version is indexed...

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing JavaScript & Technical SEO Mobile SEO Web Performance

Does Google really estimate the Core Web Vitals of low-traffic sites?

John Mueller Jun 12, 2020 ★★

For sites lacking sufficient traffic in the Chrome User Experience Report, Google cannot display Core Web Vitals data in Search Console. However, the site will not be excluded from search results: Google will make estimates for this ranking factor, j...

AI & SEO Web Performance Local Search Search Console

Do pop-ups after a 301 redirect really harm your SEO?

John Mueller Jun 12, 2020 ★★

Displaying an informative pop-up after a 301 redirect to inform users that they have been redirected does not affect SEO. Google follows the redirect without sending a referrer and likely will never execute this pop-up, allowing for direct indexing o...

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Local Search Redirects

Why hasn't your site been migrated to mobile-first indexing yet?

John Mueller Jun 12, 2020 ★★

Google has been notifying sites about significant problems detected ahead of the mobile-first indexing migration for quite some time. The remaining unmigrated sites are mainly either sites with no maintenance or very large sites with complex configur...

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Mobile SEO Redirects

Core Web Vitals: Why do your laboratory tests fail to impact your ranking?

John Mueller Jun 12, 2020 ★★★

Google uses field data from the Chrome User Experience Report for ranking, not laboratory data. Testing tools (extension, PageSpeed Insights in lab mode) are useful for testing and seeing the immediate effect of changes, but Search Console reflects w...

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

Does user-generated content really expose your site's SEO liability?

John Mueller Jun 12, 2020 ★★

If you publish user-generated content (UGC) on your site, Google considers it to be content you have chosen to publish. It is not necessary to use rel=UGC, but if the content is of low quality, it's up to you to decide whether you want to publish it ...

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO

Does image quality really affect rankings in Google’s web search?

John Mueller Jun 12, 2020 ★★★

The quality of images (resolution, sharpness) does not affect rankings in standard web search, but influences how these images appear in Google Images. If you are targeting visual search traffic, improving image quality is important.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Images & Videos

How does Google really assess the importance of your pages through internal linking?

John Mueller Jun 12, 2020 ★★★

Google determines the importance of a page by its position in the site architecture and internal links. A page linked from the homepage with significant anchor text will be judged more critical than a deeply buried page. The absolute number of pages ...

Domain Age & History Links & Backlinks Pagination & Structure

Is it true that a well-ranked website can lose its relevance without making any mistakes?

John Mueller Jun 12, 2020 ★★

Don't stop once the site is well-ranked. The web evolves quickly, and a stagnant site can become less relevant even without errors. You need to continue optimizing, anticipating trends, and maintaining momentum to stay relevant over time.

AI & SEO