What does Google say about SEO?

Does incorrect structured data markup really hurt your SEO rankings?

John Mueller Apr 03, 2020 ★★★

Incorrect structured data markup does not lower the overall quality of a website in search results. Google uses the correct structured data while ignoring the erroneous ones.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO

Is it true that content hidden behind tabs is actually indexed by Google?

John Mueller Apr 03, 2020 ★★★

With mobile-first indexing, content hidden behind tabs or user interface elements is taken into account for SEO. However, for usability, it's preferable for important content to be immediately visible.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Mobile SEO Pagination & Structure

Why does Google consider links from image sites, classifieds, and free platforms to be spam?

John Mueller Apr 03, 2020 ★★★

Link building on image sharing sites, classifieds, and often low-quality free platforms provides no SEO value. Google sees this as spam.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Images & Videos JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Penalties & Spam Social Media

Why does Google ignore your poorly formatted JavaScript links?

Martin Splitt Apr 03, 2020 ★★★

Google can follow JavaScript-injected links when they are in the tag format with an href attribute. However, elements like buttons or spans with onClick event handlers are not followed.

AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks

Should you ditch the desktop version to solely optimize the mobile version?

John Mueller Apr 03, 2020 ★★★

With mobile-first indexing, only the mobile version of the site is used for indexing. Consistency between desktop and mobile versions is preferable, but emphasis can be placed on the mobile version for SEO.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Mobile SEO

Should you really centralize your content to rank on Google?

John Mueller Apr 03, 2020 ★★★

It is advisable to focus on developing centralized content and to avoid significant overlaps between pages in order to establish a clear hierarchy that enhances the relevance and strength of the pages.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Pagination & Structure

Should you ditch Data Highlighter for JSON-LD?

John Mueller Apr 03, 2020 ★★

Google advises implementing JSON-LD or schema.org markup directly on the site for the long term to enable better understanding and usage by various search engines, rather than relying on Data Highlighter.

Domain Age & History Structured Data JavaScript & Technical SEO

Does the disavow file really work link by link as Google crawls?

John Mueller Apr 03, 2020 ★★★

The disavow file works incrementally on an individual link basis, and links will be ignored as they are crawled.

Links & Backlinks PDF & Files

Do duplicate mobile/desktop menus really hurt your SEO?

John Mueller Apr 03, 2020 ★★★

Duplicate menus for mobile and desktop in HTML code do not have a negative impact on SEO. Google understands mobile and desktop menus as long as the links point to the same places.

AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Mobile SEO Pagination & Structure

Should you really nofollow links between your branch pages?

John Mueller Apr 03, 2020 ★★★

There is no need to mark links between branches as nofollow. These links are considered natural and will not harm your rankings.

AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

Should you really feature your best-selling products in the main navigation?

John Mueller Apr 03, 2020 ★★★

Linking popular product pages directly from navigation is beneficial to indicate their importance. However, it's essential to maintain a clear hierarchy to avoid diluting the value of all links.

Domain Age & History E-commerce AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Pagination & Structure

Does Google really ignore poorly marked structured data without penalizing the page?

John Mueller Apr 03, 2020 ★★★

Structured data markup errors are handled on a per-page and per-element basis. Google uses valid data and ignores invalid ones.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO

Is it true that content behind tabs is indexed in mobile-first?

John Mueller Apr 03, 2020 ★★★

With mobile-first indexing, content hidden behind tabs is still taken into account for SEO, but it should be as easily accessible as possible for users.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Mobile SEO Pagination & Structure

Do blocked third-party cookies really affect your mobile traffic in Analytics?

John Mueller Apr 03, 2020 ★★

We do not know how third-party cookies blocked by Safari influence mobile traffic in Google Analytics. Contact the Google Analytics team for more information.

Mobile SEO

Are JavaScript links without href really invisible to Google?

Martin Splitt Apr 03, 2020 ★★★

Google can track JavaScript links injected as anchor tags with URLs. However, if a link is designed as a button without an href attribute, it cannot be followed.

JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Domain Name

Does Google really treat nofollow links to discover new sites?

John Mueller Apr 03, 2020 ★★★

Google uses nofollow links as a signal rather than an absolute directive, allowing the discovery of new sites through these links.

AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

Is high-quality content really enough to generate natural backlinks?

John Mueller Apr 03, 2020 ★★★

Google prioritizes the creation of high-quality content that attracts natural backlinks, rather than SEO tactics like inserting artificial links into low-readership platforms.

Content Links & Backlinks

Does Google really understand all video embedding formats for SEO?

John Mueller Apr 03, 2020 ★★★

Google can understand different methods of embedding videos on a page, as long as it recognizes that video content is present, including native video tags and iframes.

Domain Age & History Content

Does Google really declare its user-agent while crawling?

John Mueller Apr 03, 2020 ★★★

Google clearly states its user-agent when indexing for search. However, Google employees can access websites without a specific user-agent associated with Google.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Is it true that Domain Authority is totally irrelevant for ranking on Google?

John Mueller Apr 03, 2020 ★★★

Moz's Domain Authority is not an indicator used by Google for ranking sites. However, it can help site owners track certain performances on a personal level.

Content AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name Web Performance Search Console