What does Google say about SEO?

Does Google really filter medical sites manually to ensure the quality of results?

John Mueller Apr 03, 2020 ★★★

Google does not manually filter health sites but strives to provide very high-quality search results by using improved algorithms to ensure the relevance and reliability of information.

Algorithms AI & SEO Local Search

How does Googlebot really handle crawling and detecting duplicate content?

Jin Liang Apr 02, 2020 ★★★

Before Google can index and serve a page to users, Googlebot needs to crawl and render it. Googlebot follows links to discover new content and predicts duplicate content behind different URLs to save crawl bandwidth.

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

Is it true that Googlebot really favors HTTPS for crawling your site?

Jin Liang Apr 02, 2020 ★★★

Today, about 75% of Googlebot's crawl traffic is in HTTPS, while HTTP accounts for only 25% of this traffic. This shows a trend towards a more secure web, although there is still room for HTTPS usage to continue growing.

Crawl & Indexing HTTPS & Security

Does claiming a Knowledge Panel really double your brand's perceived reputation?

Google Apr 02, 2020 ★★★

Google encourages organizations and individuals referenced in Knowledge Panels to claim and update information in order to make a good first impression. Complete information on these panels helps double the perceived reputation of businesses among co...

Domain Age & History AI & SEO

How can you effectively claim and optimize your Knowledge Panel to dominate your SERP presence?

Google Apr 02, 2020 ★★★

Google has a verification-based claiming process for Knowledge Panels. Once a panel is claimed, organizations can suggest changes or additions that Google evaluates for relevance, thus enhancing the accuracy of the information displayed.

AI & SEO

Why does Google emphasize the need to keep local information updated in Knowledge Panels?

Google Apr 02, 2020 ★★★

Local businesses can update crucial elements such as hours and contact information in their Knowledge Panel, thereby enhancing visibility on Google Maps and other local Google search formats. This allows users to easily identify and contact the busin...

AI & SEO Local Search

What really happens when Googlebot can't access your robots.txt?

Jin Liang Apr 02, 2020 ★★★

The robots.txt file allows webmasters to specify access to their site. Before crawling any URL, Googlebot always checks the robots.txt file. If the robots.txt file is not accessible or returns a persistent 5xx error, Googlebot will not crawl any URLs...

Crawl & Indexing Domain Name PDF & Files

Should you really adjust Googlebot's crawl rate in Search Console?

Jin Liang Apr 02, 2020 ★★★

Googlebot maintains a crawl rate for each site to avoid overloading servers. If your site is overloaded, you can adjust the crawl rate through a tool in Google Search Console. However, increasing this rate does not trigger more frequent crawls and mi...

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Search Console

Are structured data for Google Images really crucial for your visibility?

Francois Spies Apr 01, 2020 ★★★

Google Images recommends the use of structured data for products, recipes, and videos. This provides clear context to users about the content behind the image and improves the visibility of the pages linked to that image.

Domain Age & History Content Structured Data E-commerce AI & SEO Images & Videos Links & Backlinks Pagination & Structure

Do descriptive titles and file names really impact image SEO?

Francois Spies Apr 01, 2020 ★★★

Google encourages the use of descriptive titles and captions as well as explicit file names for images, as this information is used to provide context for images and help answer user queries by indicating the exact nature of the image.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Images & Videos PDF & Files

Do high-quality images and mobile-first really boost Google Images?

Francois Spies Apr 01, 2020 ★★★

Using high-quality images and ensuring that pages are mobile-friendly are standard practices that can improve results in Google Images searches. These practices help provide inspiring and relevant content to users.

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

Why does Google need to constantly evolve its search engine to thrive?

Danny Sullivan Mar 31, 2020 ★★★

Google must continually evolve to remain relevant. If search does not evolve, users might stop using Google for their queries.

AI & SEO

Does BERT actually reduce traffic to websites or simply enhance targeting?

Danny Sullivan Mar 31, 2020 ★★★

Thanks to BERT, Google’s search results are better aligned with user intent. This can lead to a decrease in traffic for certain pages, but the redirected traffic is more relevant to the user.

Algorithms Domain Age & History AI & SEO

Can Google really thrive without an open web?

Danny Sullivan Mar 31, 2020 ★★★

Google recognizes the significance of supporting the open web ecosystem. If this ecosystem does not thrive, Google cannot thrive either.

Is Google really improving its communication with SEOs, or is it just marketing?

Danny Sullivan Mar 31, 2020 ★★

Google aims to enhance two-way communication with users, particularly through various feedback channels like Office Hangouts.

AI & SEO

Does Google really send 24 billion visits to news sites every month?

Danny Sullivan Mar 31, 2020 ★★

Google sends approximately 24 billion visits per month to news sites, illustrating Google's commitment to supporting these sites.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO

Why are redirects essential during a website redesign?

Allan Scott Mar 31, 2020 ★★★

When redesigning your site, use redirects to indicate the new locations of your pages. This makes it easier for Google to identify changes and maintain the appropriate signals.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Redirects

Should you really return a 500 code instead of a 200 for an error page?

Allan Scott Mar 31, 2020 ★★★

Serve an appropriate HTTP code for error pages. For example, prefer a 500 code over a 200 with a sophisticated error message, in order to ensure proper error management rather than incorrect deduplication.

Domain Age & History HTTPS & Security

Is rel=canonical truly essential for avoiding indexing mistakes?

Allan Scott Mar 31, 2020 ★★★

Rel=canonical annotations are necessary to clarify which version of a page should be chosen as canonical. Ensure that they contain no errors to avoid unexpected behaviors.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Can hreflang really stop Google from de-duplicating your localized pages?

Allan Scott Mar 31, 2020 ★★★

Use hreflang to inform Google how to treat localized pages to prevent them from being mistakenly grouped as duplicates.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Local Search International SEO