What does Google say about SEO?

Do Google Doodles really affect your website's search rankings?

Jessica Yu Oct 17, 2024 ★★

Google maintains a strictly non-commercial policy for the Doodles displayed on its homepage. Unlike Google's advertising spaces, Doodles are designed as gifts to users and celebrate the best aspects of humanity, without any commercial intention.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO

Why does Google optimize the file size of its Doodles to such an extreme degree?

Jessica Yu Oct 17, 2024 ★★★

Google places great importance on the file size of Doodles because they are displayed on every search performed in a given country. The objective is to avoid slowing down the search engine, confirming that loading speed remains a technical priority f...

Content AI & SEO PDF & Files Web Performance Local Search

Can Google's Easter eggs actually degrade your search experience?

Jessica Yu Oct 17, 2024 ★★★

Before deploying Easter eggs or animations on search result pages, Google performs thorough testing to ensure it doesn't break the main search experience. Decorative features are implemented only if they do not interfere with the search function.

Domain Age & History

Does Google really use clicks on its Doodles as a ranking signal?

Jessica Yu Oct 17, 2024 ★★

Google does not monitor the search volume generated by clicks on Doodles as a performance metric. Since Doodles are highly visible buttons occupying significant space, this data is not considered a meaningful indicator for evaluating the success of i...

AI & SEO Web Performance Search Console

Does Google's 'push' vs 'pull' distinction really shape your SEO content strategy?

Jessica Yu Oct 17, 2024 ★★

Google distinguishes between Doodles ('push' approach visible to everyone) and Easter eggs ('pull' approach activated by specific searches). This distinction allows more creative freedom for Easter eggs because the user demonstrates specific interest...

Algorithms Content

Is Your robots.txt File Still Compliant Now That Google Only Recognizes 4 Directives?

Google Oct 15, 2024 ★★★

Google has updated its policy regarding the robots.txt file, clarifying that it only supports four fields: "user-agent", "allow", "disallow", and "sitemap". In other words, unsupported directives are simply ignored by Google's crawlers. This clarific...

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Mobile SEO PDF & Files Search Console

Are you losing international traffic? Here's how to properly implement hreflang

Martin Splitt Oct 15, 2024 ★★★

Hreflang helps Google and other search engines link different versions of a page for different countries and display the correct version to users. It can be implemented via HTML tags, HTTP headers, or XML sitemap.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing HTTPS & Security AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO PDF & Files Local Search Search Console International SEO

Can poorly formatted hreflang codes really damage your international indexation?

Martin Splitt Oct 15, 2024 ★★★

Hreflang attributes must be valid. You need to use language-country code variations that comply with standards so Google can correctly identify language versions.

AI & SEO International SEO

Should you really include a self-referential hreflang link on every page?

Martin Splitt Oct 15, 2024 ★★★

Each page should include a hreflang link to itself (self-referential) in addition to links to other language versions. For example, a German page should reference itself along with its English and Japanese versions.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Links & Backlinks International SEO

Local domains, subdomains, or subdirectories: which structure should you choose for an international website?

Martin Splitt Oct 15, 2024 ★★★

For international websites, Google recommends using either local country-code top-level domains (such as .de or .it), subdomains, or subdirectories. Each approach has its own advantages and disadvantages, and you must choose based on your specific si...

Domain Age & History AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name International SEO

Does Google really require all your hreflang versions to link to each other bidirectionally?

Martin Splitt Oct 15, 2024 ★★★

Each language version of a page must include hreflang links to all other versions. Bidirectional linking between all variations is essential for hreflang to work correctly.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Links & Backlinks International SEO

Should you really create visible links between language versions for SEO?

Martin Splitt Oct 15, 2024 ★★★

You need to create visible links to different language versions to allow users to choose and help Googlebot discover these versions. Links benefit both users and crawling.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

Should you block automatic language-based redirects on your multilingual website?

Martin Splitt Oct 15, 2024 ★★★

Google recommends not automatically redirecting or forcing users toward a specific language version. Users must be given the choice of their preferred version.

AI & SEO International SEO

Does limiting the number of language versions on your website really help you rank better?

Martin Splitt Oct 15, 2024 ★★

Don't overdo internationalization. It's better to choose the locales and countries that truly matter and that you're prepared to support properly, rather than creating poorly translated pages.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Local Search International SEO

Should you really create different content for each local market or is translation enough?

Martin Splitt Oct 15, 2024 ★★

Instead of poor translations, you must ensure you have genuinely useful content for different audiences in targeted countries, with excellent user experience for each language variation.

Content AI & SEO Local Search International SEO

Can Google Trends really replace your dedicated SEO keyword research tools?

Omri Weisman Oct 10, 2024 ★★★

Keyword research is the practice of identifying the words and phrases your audience uses to search for information you offer on your website. Google Trends can be used for this keyword research as part of your SEO efforts.

How can you leverage search trends to anticipate demand and maximize your SEO traffic?

Daniel Waisberg Oct 10, 2024 ★★★

Google Trends data can help you plan your content for SEO. For example, by identifying seasonal peaks in search interest for certain topics, you can prepare blog articles before these periods to drive more traffic to your site from Google Search.

Content Discover & News AI & SEO

Why Should You Use Topics Instead of Exact Search Terms in Google Trends?

Daniel Waisberg Oct 10, 2024 ★★

When using Google Trends, it is recommended to select topics rather than simple search terms. Topics aggregate data across languages and include misspellings, variations, and associated acronyms.

AI & SEO International SEO

Should you monitor what your competitors' audiences are searching for to unlock hidden content opportunities?

Daniel Waisberg Oct 10, 2024 ★★

Google Trends allows you to analyze what people are searching for in connection with your competitors. This can give you ideas to expand your content by identifying topics or search terms you hadn't previously considered.

Content AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

Should you really be monitoring emerging topics in Google Trends to stay ahead of SEO opportunities?

Omri Weisman Oct 10, 2024 ★★

In Google Trends, check both the most searched topics (top topics) to see what has already generated significant interest, and emerging topics (rising topics) to understand what is gaining traction. Don't forget to browse through the pagination to se...

Pagination & Structure