What does Google say about SEO?

Are Core Web Vitals truly a ranking factor or just smoke and mirrors?

John Mueller Jun 12, 2020 ★★★

In June 2020, Core Web Vitals are not yet a ranking factor. Google announced that it would give approximately six months' notice before using them. The position changes observed at the announcement date are therefore not linked to Core Web Vitals.

AI & SEO Web Performance Local Search

Should you really use unavailable_after to manage temporary content?

John Mueller Jun 12, 2020 ★★

To control which pages remain indexed, use the noindex meta tag on pages that you no longer want to index. For temporary content like events, use the unavailable_after tag to tell Google when a page will no longer be relevant (e.g., one month after t...

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Why does Google sometimes index your AMP pages before their canonical HTML version?

John Mueller Jun 12, 2020 ★

Google may sometimes discover and index an AMP page before its canonical HTML version, especially if links point directly to the AMP. Once the HTML page is crawled, Google connects the two versions and focuses on the HTML. These situations resolve au...

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Mobile SEO

Are Core Web Vitals truly crucial for Google ranking?

John Mueller Jun 12, 2020 ★★★

The importance of signals like speed (Core Web Vitals) varies depending on the query. For a clear navigational search (e.g., 'SEO Roundtable'), Google will not favor a faster but less relevant site. In a generic query with several equivalent results,...

Content AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Pagination & Structure Web Performance

Is a low crawl rate really a problem for your SEO?

Martin Splitt Jun 11, 2020 ★★★

A low crawl rate is neither a negative signal nor a cause of traffic loss. Google adjusts the crawl frequency based on detected changes and server availability. If content changes little, the crawl naturally slows down, which is not problematic.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Should you really limit the number of HTTP resources per page for SEO?

Martin Splitt Jun 11, 2020 ★★★

Google does not impose a strict limit on the number of HTTP resources per page. Fewer resources are generally better to reduce the risks of loading failures, but you must be reasonable: putting everything into one file prevents effective caching. Goo...

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing HTTPS & Security AI & SEO PDF & Files Web Performance

Should you really hide user comments from Google?

Martin Splitt Jun 11, 2020 ★★★

User comments visible in the rendered HTML do not need to be hidden from Google. Google is capable of identifying user-generated content, and it neither benefits nor harms SEO. Trying to hide them may create more serious issues (accidentally blocking...

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Web Performance

How can you unlock a blank page in Google using the bissection method?

Martin Splitt Jun 11, 2020 ★★

To identify the cause of an empty page in the HTML render, use the bissection method: compare versions of the code between a working version and a broken version, gradually narrowing down the interval to isolate the responsible change. Modern Google ...

Domain Age & History AI & SEO

Does a noindex header on an API really stop Googlebot from rendering the page?

Martin Splitt Jun 11, 2020 ★★

A robots noindex header on an API endpoint should not prevent Googlebot from calling it to obtain the data necessary for rendering. The noindex header differs from robots.txt blocking and only pertains to indexing, not resource retrieval for renderin...

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO

Should You Ditch Search Console's URL Parameters Tool in Favor of Robots.txt?

John Mueller Jun 08, 2020 ★★

John Mueller explained on Twitter that the URL parameters handling tool in Search Console does not replace a "clean" use of robots.txt to block crawling on complex URLs with parameters, and that robots.txt is preferable in this case."...

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Domain Name PDF & Files Social Media Search Console

Does Domain Age Really Impact Your Google Rankings?

John Mueller Jun 08, 2020 ★★★

Responding to a question on this topic, John Mueller explained on Twitter that Google does not rank "old sites" - those on domain names created long ago - any better these days. No changes to the treatment of domain name age have been applied in the ...

Algorithms Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name Social Media Search Console

Does the HTTP header rel=canonical really work to manage duplicate content?

Anonyme (金谷武明) Jun 04, 2020 ★★

The rel=canonical attribute specified via the HTTP header is still recognized and effective. Google recommends using it if pages (like PDFs) are duplicated across multiple domains (separate PC and mobile versions).

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing HTTPS & Security AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Mobile SEO Domain Name PDF & Files

Should You Really Wait Before Optimizing Core Web Vitals?

金谷武明 Jun 04, 2020 ★★★

Google has announced new ranking signals (Web Vitals) but they will not be launched until the end of 2020. Webmasters can prioritize other urgent tasks such as adapting to the health situation.

Content AI & SEO

How are FAQ clicks really counted in Search Console?

金谷武明 Jun 04, 2020 ★★★

In Search Console, an FAQ click is counted only when the user clicks on the main URL of the page. If the user clicks on an internal link in the FAQ answer, it’s the destination URL that receives the click and impression.

Domain Age & History Structured Data Links & Backlinks Domain Name Pagination & Structure Search Console

Does the rel=canonical via HTTP header really still work?

金谷武明 Jun 04, 2020 ★★

The rel=canonical attribute via HTTP header continues to work and remains effective for PDFs or other content with separate desktop/mobile versions on different domains.

Content Crawl & Indexing HTTPS & Security AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Mobile SEO Domain Name PDF & Files

What should you do if your site lost traffic after a Core Update without making any mistakes?

Anonyme (金谷武明) Jun 04, 2020 ★★★

The May 2020 Core Algorithm Update is complete and deployed. If a site has lost traffic, it doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a problem: the decline may be due to the emergence of higher quality content elsewhere. Google advises against panicking and ...

Algorithms Content AI & SEO

Are Core Web Vitals Really Going to Transform Your SEO Strategy?

Anonyme (金谷武明) Jun 04, 2020 ★★★

Google has announced new ranking signals related to user experience (Core Web Vitals), but they won't launch until the end of 2020. Webmasters must first focus on their current priorities, particularly those related to the COVID context, before addre...

Content AI & SEO Web Performance

Can Google really delay Mobile-First Indexing indefinitely?

Anonyme (金谷武明) Jun 04, 2020 ★★★

The forced migration of all sites to Mobile-First Indexing, initially planned for September 1, 2020, may be postponed. Google is re-evaluating this date due to the COVID context and will communicate a definitive decision later.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Mobile SEO Redirects

Why do your Google metrics never align between Search Console, Analytics, and Business Profile?

Anonyme (金谷武明) Jun 04, 2020 ★★

Different Google tools (Search Console, Google Analytics, Google My Business) use different collection methods and definitions for similar metrics. It is normal for the numbers not to match across these services. Consult the help pages of each tool t...

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Local Search Search Console

Why doesn't Google canonicalize URLs with fragments in sitelinks and rich results?

Anonyme (金谷武明) Jun 04, 2020 ★★★

Google normally canonicalizes URLs with fragments (#) in standard search results, but not in sitelinks or rich results (like FAQs). In these cases, the URL with the fragment is recorded as it is in the Search Console performance report.

Crawl & Indexing Structured Data Featured Snippets & SERP AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Domain Name Web Performance Search Console