What does Google say about SEO?

Is Google really cutting Flash from its index, and what does this mean for your rich content?

John Mueller Nov 18, 2019 ★★★

Google Search will no longer support Flash for indexing. The features once provided by Flash are now available in HTML and JavaScript, rendering Flash obsolete as most browsers no longer support it.

Crawl & Indexing JavaScript & Technical SEO PDF & Files

Is Mobile-First Indexing a Game Changer for Desktop Ranking?

John Mueller Nov 15, 2019 ★★★

With mobile-first indexing, Google indexes a site's mobile version instead of the desktop version. This means that mobile content becomes the foundation for indexing and ranking, even for desktop searches.

Content Crawl & Indexing Mobile SEO

Do 302 redirects really penalize SEO less than 301?

John Mueller Nov 15, 2019 ★★★

A 302 redirect does not negatively affect rankings like a 301 redirect does, as it does not indicate a permanent URL change. This plays an important role in the context of temporary redirects.

Content AI & SEO Domain Name Redirects

Should you really ditch infinite scroll to enhance your indexing?

John Mueller Nov 15, 2019 ★★★

To ensure good indexing, it is advisable to maintain normal links for pagination rather than infinite scrolling or AJAX techniques, especially for mobile versions of websites.

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

Does Googlebot really click your buttons to index dynamic content?

John Mueller Nov 15, 2019 ★★★

Googlebot does not click on elements to load additional content. Thus, dynamic content loaded via JavaScript without a distinct URL may not be indexed.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name

Do temporary 404 errors really affect SEO rankings?

John Mueller Nov 15, 2019 ★★

Temporary errors like sporadic 404 pages do not have a lasting negative impact on SEO if they are occasional and corrected quickly.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO

Should you really keep 301 redirects for a minimum of one year?

John Mueller Nov 15, 2019 ★★★

It is helpful to keep 301 redirects for at least a year to ensure that Google has enough time to sustainably process these changes.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Redirects

Why can't your images be indexed without a landing page?

John Mueller Nov 15, 2019 ★★★

For images to appear in image search, they must be associated with an indexable landing page. You cannot have indexed images without their pages.

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

Are accented characters in URLs really treated as synonyms by Google?

John Mueller Nov 15, 2019 ★★

Special characters in URLs such as accented letters are treated as automatic synonyms in Google search, unless indicated otherwise by user-synonym context.

Content AI & SEO Domain Name

Does directory architecture really influence Google's crawl budget?

John Mueller Nov 15, 2019 ★★

Organizing URLs with distinct directories can help Google understand site structures and determine the appropriate crawling frequency for each section.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Domain Name Pagination & Structure

Should you really use the URL parameter management tool to optimize crawling?

John Mueller Nov 15, 2019 ★★★

If you have URL parameters that complicate crawling, such as those for sorting or filtering, you can use the parameter management tool. Otherwise, if crawling is functioning well, it is not necessary to use it.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Domain Name

How can you manage canonical URLs between mobile and desktop without breaking anything?

John Mueller Nov 15, 2019 ★★★

For canonical URLs, the desktop version must have a 'rel alternate' link to the mobile version, and the mobile version must indicate the desktop version as canonical.

Crawl & Indexing Images & Videos Links & Backlinks Mobile SEO Domain Name

Do rich results really depend on the overall quality of the site?

John Mueller Nov 15, 2019 ★★★

To display rich results, we need technically correct structured data, logically appropriate markup, and a high-quality website. If you see rich results using a 'site:' query, focus on improving the site's quality.

Content Structured Data Featured Snippets & SERP Local Search

Is it true that the Google Indexing API is inaccessible to 99% of websites?

John Mueller Nov 15, 2019 ★★★

The Indexing API is limited to live streaming content and job postings. For other content, it is recommended to use sitemap files.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO PDF & Files Search Console

Do big images really enhance your visibility in Google Discover?

John Mueller Nov 15, 2019 ★★★

In Google Discover, visual content, such as large images, tends to attract user attention more effectively.

Domain Age & History Content Discover & News Images & Videos

Should you really overlook performance scores for SEO?

John Mueller Nov 15, 2019 ★★★

Site speed performance is evaluated using both lab data and real-world data. Focusing on a single score is not recommended.

Web Performance Search Console

Why is Google pushing JSON-LD when Microdata and RDFa work too?

John Mueller Nov 15, 2019 ★★★

The JSON-LD format is preferred for structured data because it is easy to implement and does not require rendering processing to be understandable by search engines.

Domain Age & History Structured Data AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO

Should you still be concerned about the desktop crawler in mobile-first indexing?

John Mueller Nov 15, 2019 ★★★

When we move a site to mobile-first indexing, we primarily use the mobile crawler. However, we sometimes still use the desktop crawler for certain pages, which is not an issue you need to worry about.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Mobile SEO

Are Product structured data truly suited for complex entities with multiple variations?

John Mueller Nov 15, 2019 ★★

Structured data for products is mainly used to display specific product information in search results. It is not suitable for entities with many variations like cars.

E-commerce AI & SEO Local Search

What does the status 'valid' in Google Search Console really mean?

John Mueller Nov 13, 2019 ★★★

The term 'valid' in Google's Search Console can be misleading. It is used to indicate that a page has been indexed, not that it contains errors.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing Search Console