What does Google say about SEO?

Do you really need to translate your entire site to use hreflang effectively?

John Mueller Oct 31, 2019 ★★

It is possible to have sections of a site in different languages without translating the entire content. Use hreflang to link the versions of translated pages, helping Google understand the multilingual content.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO International SEO

Should you really be worried about spam backlinks pointing to your site?

John Mueller Oct 31, 2019 ★★★

Spam backlinks generally shouldn't pose a major problem, as Google's algorithms often ignore them. Use the disavow tool if necessary to eliminate specific links you consider harmful.

Algorithms AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Penalties & Spam

Does using noindex really decrease the crawl frequency of your pages?

John Mueller Oct 31, 2019 ★★

Using noindex on certain pages may reduce their crawl frequency. Decide whether you want to keep a page always indexed, or use noindex if you are certain it won't add value for a long time.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Is it really necessary to fill in the priority and changefreq fields in your XML sitemaps?

John Mueller Oct 31, 2019 ★★

The 'priority' and 'change frequency' fields in XML sitemap files are not critical for Google. Only the 'lastmod' attribute is important for facilitating change detection.

Crawl & Indexing JavaScript & Technical SEO Mobile SEO PDF & Files Search Console

Is it really possible to remove a competitor's URLs from Search Console without owning the site?

John Mueller Oct 31, 2019 ★★★

URL removals in Search Console can be performed without being a verified owner of the site, but they require subsequent automatic verification to ensure that the removal was justified.

AI & SEO Domain Name Search Console

Can You Safely Purchase a Penalized Domain Without Risking Your SEO?

John Mueller Oct 31, 2019 ★★

Domains with previous negative links and histories can be used without fear, as long as problematic content is removed. Google focuses on the current state of the site.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Domain Name

Should you really limit yourself to a single H1 per page?

John Mueller Oct 31, 2019 ★★★

Using multiple H1 tags on a page is not an issue for Google. The important thing is that the headings help structure the content and are used logically to describe the content of the sections on the page.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Pagination & Structure

Why is it absolutely critical to preserve your URLs during a relaunch for your SEO?

John Mueller Oct 31, 2019 ★★★

During a site relaunch, it’s best to keep old URLs as much as possible. If URL changes are necessary, use appropriate redirects and provide sitemaps to help Google understand the modifications.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Domain Name Pagination & Structure Redirects Search Console

Should you optimize your content for BERT or is it a waste of time?

John Mueller Oct 30, 2019 ★★★

BERT aims to understand natural language. There are no specific optimization measures to take for BERT, other than writing naturally.

Algorithms Domain Age & History International SEO

Does YouTube really have a SEO advantage in Google Search?

John Mueller Oct 30, 2019 ★★★

YouTube is treated like any other website. No special prioritization is given in search results simply because content mentions YouTube.

Content AI & SEO Images & Videos

Are lingering indexing problems due to a Google bug or technical issues with your site?

John Mueller Oct 30, 2019 ★★★

If indexing issues persist after the August 8th bug, they are not related to this bug, but may be due to individual technical problems of the site.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

How does Google truly count impressions in Search Console?

John Mueller Oct 30, 2019 ★★★

Search Console counts impressions when pages are shown to users in the search results, even if the page is not immediately visible in the viewport.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Mobile SEO Pagination & Structure Search Console

Should you really implement hreflang on all multilingual sites?

John Mueller Oct 30, 2019 ★★★

Hreflang tags are only necessary if you experience issues with local search results showing the wrong regional version.

AI & SEO International SEO

Can you really manipulate structured data to get rich snippets?

John Mueller Oct 30, 2019 ★★★

Using a type of tag structure that does not match the main content in order to obtain rich results is unacceptable.

Content Structured Data Pagination & Structure

Should you really stop using the site: command to count your indexed pages?

John Mueller Oct 30, 2019 ★★★

You shouldn't rely on the 'site:' command for the exact count of indexed pages; it's better to use data from Search Console.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing Search Console

Is it true that crawl budget is managed at the server level rather than the directory level?

John Mueller Oct 30, 2019 ★★★

Google assesses load capacity at the host server level, not at the folder level, to manage crawl budget.

Crawl & Indexing

Do you really need to 'fix' an algorithmic penalty to regain your traffic?

John Mueller Oct 30, 2019 ★★★

Algorithmic penalties are not "penalties" to fix but assessments of relevance. Improving the site doesn't necessarily bring it back to its previous state if that state was based on unnatural practices.

Algorithms AI & SEO

Does Google really speed up news indexing with sitemaps?

John Mueller Oct 30, 2019 ★★★

Using sitemaps and ensuring that the information is easily extractable helps to quickly bring new content to the forefront of Google searches.

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

Should you really worry about fluctuations in FID, TTI, and FCI on your site?

Martin Splitt Oct 30, 2019 ★★

Metrics such as First Input Delay (FID), Time to Interactive (TTI), and First CPU Idle (FCI) can vary slightly from one measurement to another. Even though these variations may seem significant, they are not necessarily problematic at very low values...

AI & SEO Web Performance

How do you choose the right speed metrics for your website?

Martin Splitt Oct 30, 2019 ★★★

The choice of speed metrics such as First Contentful Paint (FCP) or First Input Delay (FID) depends on the type of site. For primarily content-oriented sites, FCP is more relevant, while for interactive applications, FID is essential.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Web Performance