What does Google say about SEO?

How Does Google's Page Layout Filter Really Penalize Above-the-Fold Advertising?

John Mueller Mar 23, 2020 ★★★

John Mueller explained on Twitter how the Page Layout filter, launched in 2012, works: it primarily aims to penalize sites where advertising invades the "above the fold" area (what is displayed in the browser before scrolling) to such an extent that ...

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Social Media

How Long Can You Really Use a 302 Redirect Without Hurting Your SEO?

Google Mar 23, 2020 ★★★

Fabrice Canel (Bing) indicated on Twitter that it's possible to use 302 redirects if the temporary nature doesn't exceed 2 days. Beyond this limit, it's better to use 301 redirects. Frédéric Dubut (Bing) provided additional information by explaining ...

AI & SEO Domain Name Redirects Social Media

Should you really add text to your e-commerce category pages?

John Mueller Mar 20, 2020 ★★★

Adding text to an e-commerce site’s category pages is beneficial, as it helps to understand the page. However, it is crucial to clearly distinguish a category page from an informational page by avoiding the overload of irrelevant informational conten...

Domain Age & History Content E-commerce AI & SEO

Is the FAQ Schema in B2B a real opportunity or just a false good idea?

John Mueller Mar 20, 2020 ★★★

Implementing FAQ schema can offer opportunities if competitors are not using it, provided that the FAQ sections are truly relevant and specific to each page.

Domain Age & History Structured Data AI & SEO

Why can manual review requests take up to a month?

John Mueller Mar 20, 2020 ★★

Processing times for manual review requests, especially for links, can sometimes take up to a month and are often longer during periods of surge in requests.

AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

Does Google really penalize websites without any warning beforehand?

John Mueller Mar 20, 2020 ★★★

Google generally does not notify before applying a manual action because it could impact user experience by displaying search results that have already been deemed poor.

AI & SEO Penalties & Spam

Can you really submit a manual review request immediately after fixing an issue?

John Mueller Mar 20, 2020 ★★

There is no minimum waiting period required between fixing an issue and submitting a review request. If the issue is resolved quickly, a request can be submitted immediately.

AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO

Can Google delay lifting a manual action if your site reoffends?

John Mueller Mar 20, 2020 ★★

If a site resolves a problem after a manual action but quickly reproduces it, Google may choose to delay a new review to ensure the stability of the fix.

E-commerce AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Pagination & Structure Penalties & Spam

Do you really need to ping Google after every sitemap update?

John Mueller Mar 20, 2020 ★★

The structure of sitemaps should be optimized to include recently modified URLs. It is beneficial to ping Google after updating a sitemap to ensure that these changes are recognized.

Crawl & Indexing Domain Name Pagination & Structure PDF & Files Search Console

Should you duplicate your content across multiple geographic domains?

John Mueller Mar 20, 2020 ★★

If the content is not specifically geographically relevant, it is generally better to keep it on a single domain, even if it is in multiple languages, to avoid unnecessary complications.

Content AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name Local Search International SEO

Could shared hosting with spam sites hurt your SEO?

John Mueller Mar 20, 2020 ★★★

Sharing hosting with spam sites should not affect a site, except in extreme cases where almost all sites on the IP are spammy. Typically, this does not lead to penalties unless a manual action is justified and notified.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Penalties & Spam Social Media

Does a lifted manual action really guarantee the recovery of lost rankings?

John Mueller Mar 20, 2020 ★★★

When a manual action is lifted, a site does not necessarily regain its former ranking if artificial supporting links have been removed or disavowed.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Penalties & Spam

Does loading speed really hinder Google crawling and ranking?

John Mueller Mar 20, 2020 ★★★

Loading speed influences the number of pages that Google can crawl. A slow speed can limit crawling, while a fast loading time is crucial for ranking based on user experience.

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

Why do new websites experience ranking fluctuations for 6 to 9 months?

John Mueller Mar 20, 2020 ★★★

New websites may experience ranking fluctuations during the first six to nine months while Google determines their relevance based on external signals.

Algorithms

Should you really delete pages to enhance your crawl budget and ranking?

John Mueller Mar 20, 2020 ★★★

Deleting low-quality pages from a large site over several months can improve the crawl and overall perceived quality of the site, with visible effects in the medium to long term.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Should you really check the index coverage report every day?

Daniel Waisberg Mar 19, 2020 ★★★

You don't need to check the index coverage report every day, but it is advisable to consult it from time to time to ensure that no issues are worsening.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Search Console

How can you effectively fix indexing errors in the Search Console?

Daniel Waisberg Mar 19, 2020 ★★★

To address indexing errors, start with the most critical issues at the top of the list. Once corrected, use the 'Validate Fix' option for Google to validate your changes.

Crawl & Indexing

Does the Search Console Index Coverage Report really help diagnose your indexing issues?

Daniel Waisberg Mar 19, 2020 ★★★

The Index Coverage Report in Google Search Console provides an overview of all the pages that Google has indexed or attempted to index on your website.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing JavaScript & Technical SEO Search Console

How can you accurately interpret the four indexing statuses in Search Console?

Daniel Waisberg Mar 19, 2020 ★★★

Errors prevent page indexing, valid pages with warnings may have potential issues, valid pages are correctly indexed, and excluded pages are not indexed as it seems intentional or appropriate.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing Search Console

Why does Google not provide any Discover data in Analytics?

John Mueller Mar 17, 2020 ★★★

Google currently does not offer a specific referral source for Google Discover in Google Analytics. However, Discover data is available in Search Console, including the total number of clicks, impressions, and click-through rate.

Discover & News Search Console