What does Google say about SEO?

Is it true that page speed is as crucial a ranking factor as claimed?

Martin Splitt May 12, 2020 ★★★

Page speed is already a ranking factor and this will not change. Google tries to provide the best results for users, and ranking attempts to model what constitutes a good answer to a query. Improving user experience naturally reflects in rankings.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Pagination & Structure Web Performance

Do Google's Web Vitals really model user experience?

Martin Splitt May 12, 2020 ★★★

Google has announced Web Vitals, consisting of three existing metrics considered the best way to approximate user experience in terms of speed: Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), and First Input Delay (FID). These metrics ...

Content AI & SEO Web Performance

Can you really inject the canonical tag via JavaScript without risking your SEO?

Martin Splitt May 12, 2020 ★★★

It is acceptable to inject the canonical tag via JavaScript, even if the script is in the footer. The important thing is that in the rendered HTML, the canonical tag appears in the head and is the expected one. Use testing tools (Mobile Friendly Test...

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing Structured Data Featured Snippets & SERP AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Mobile SEO Pagination & Structure Search Console

Is it really cloaking when Googlebot sees a 404 while users see a 200?

Martin Splitt May 12, 2020 ★★★

In a React single-page application that always returns 200 OK, using a pre-rendering service to serve a true 404 to Googlebot (while the user sees a 200 error page) is generally not considered cloaking, unless there is suspicious behavior. If the 200...

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

Are JavaScript redirects truly equivalent to 301 redirects for Google?

Martin Splitt May 12, 2020 ★★★

There is no 301 redirect on the client side: the 301 code is a server HTTP status. However, you can create a client-side JavaScript redirect. Googlebot follows these redirects and treats them similarly to real redirects (301, 302). For Google, it doe...

Crawl & Indexing HTTPS & Security AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Redirects

Should you really invest in server-side rendering for SEO?

Martin Splitt May 12, 2020 ★★★

Server-side rendering (SSR) is not necessary for Googlebot since it executes JavaScript and sees client-side rendered content. However, SSR is recommended as an investment because it is generally faster for users and works for bots that don't underst...

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks

Does the JSON application state in the DOM create duplicate content?

Martin Splitt May 12, 2020 ★★

During server-side rendering, if the application state is serialized as JSON in the page (for hydration) in addition to the rendered HTML, it does not pose a duplicate content issue. Google only looks at the DOM, not the in-memory state or embedded J...

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

Should you test Cloudflare Rocket Loader and third-party tools before activating them for SEO?

Martin Splitt May 12, 2020 ★★

To determine if a service like Cloudflare Rocket Loader is compatible with SEO, test your URLs with Google's tools (Mobile Friendly Test, Rich Results Test, Search Console). If the content is displayed correctly in the rendered HTML, you shouldn't ha...

Content Structured Data Featured Snippets & SERP Mobile SEO Domain Name Local Search Search Console

Should you worry about 'Other Error' messages in Search Console and Mobile Friendly Test?

Martin Splitt May 12, 2020 ★★★

When Search Console or Mobile Friendly Test shows 'Other Error' for resources (JS, CSS), it's typically a limitation of the testing tool: limited quota, no cache, quick timeout. THIS IS NOT a real problem. Googlebot during indexing is very patient an...

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing JavaScript & Technical SEO Mobile SEO Web Performance Local Search Search Console

Is it really time to move on from dynamic rendering for SEO?

Martin Splitt May 12, 2020 ★★★

Google is no longer actively recommending dynamic rendering (like Rendertron). It's a workaround, not a long-term solution. If JavaScript causes issues for Googlebot, it's likely causing issues for users as well. It's better to fix the code or consid...

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

Does asynchronous JavaScript post-load really hinder Google indexing?

Martin Splitt May 12, 2020 ★★

If part of the content (e.g., e-commerce product listings) is loaded asynchronously via JavaScript after the initial load, it’s not a problem as long as it loads quickly and shows correctly in the URL Inspection tool. No need for server-side renderin...

Content Crawl & Indexing E-commerce AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Domain Name Search Console

Shared or Dedicated Server: Does Google really make a difference?

Martin Splitt May 12, 2020 ★★

The choice between a shared server and a dedicated server is of no importance to Google. Googlebot makes as many requests as necessary regardless of the hosting. A slow server-side (time to first byte) can be a minor ranking factor, but it is not the...

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Web Performance

Is SSR + client hydration really safe for Google SEO?

Martin Splitt May 12, 2020 ★★

Frameworks with hydration (server-side rendering followed by client hydration, like Next.js/Nuxt) are acceptable. Even if some components only function on the client side, it’s not an issue as long as testing tools show that the necessary content is ...

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Pagination & Structure

Should you stop monitoring the overall Lighthouse score to focus on the Core Web Vitals metrics that matter for your site?

Martin Splitt May 12, 2020 ★★

The significance of different performance metrics (FID, LCP, CLS) varies based on the type of site. For an interactive application (chat), First Input Delay is crucial. For a content site (Wikipedia), Largest Contentful Paint matters more. The overal...

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

Is it true that Googlebot overlooks your WebP images served by Service Worker?

Martin Splitt May 12, 2020 ★★★

If you are using a Service Worker to serve WebP images instead of JPEG/PNG (by detecting browser support), Googlebot will not see the WebP because it does not execute Service Workers. Even if third-party testing tools show the WebP, Googlebot will se...

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

Does a Backlink's Age Really Influence Its SEO Weight Over Time?

John Mueller May 11, 2020 ★★★

John Mueller discussed link age during a recent hangout. In other words, does the "SEO strength" of a link increase or decrease over time? John explained that there are no "rules" establishing a correlation between a link's age and the weight it prov...

Algorithms Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

Do You Really Need to Configure International Targeting in Search Console to Rank Locally?

Gary Illyes May 11, 2020 ★★★

Gary Illyes on Reddit explained that indicating in Search Console the target country of a site ("International Targeting" option) was "an important indication that can help in the country in question, but will not affect your site in other regions of...

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Domain Name Search Console International SEO

How does Google really alert owners of hacked sites?

Google May 07, 2020 ★★★

When Google detects a security issue on a website, verified owners in Search Console receive an email alerting them to the problem with a link to more information on how to resolve it. It's important to check these alerts as soon as possible.

AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Search Console

How can you spot and prevent the three types of code injections that could jeopardize your SEO?

Aurora Morales May 07, 2020 ★★★

Hackers use three main forms of injection: URL injection (creating new pages with spammy links), content injection (adding spammy keywords or irrelevant text), and code injection (modifying the site's behavior). These injections typically result from...

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Domain Name Penalties & Spam Search Console

What are the three vulnerabilities hackers exploit to compromise your site?

Aurora Morales May 07, 2020 ★★★

Hackers typically exploit one of these three vulnerabilities: access to an unsecured directory on the server (open permissions), exploitation of vulnerabilities in the site's software such as an outdated CMS, or hacking into third-party applications ...

Domain Age & History