What does Google say about SEO?

Should you really trust the page speed score for optimizing your SEO?

John Mueller Oct 30, 2019 ★★★

Page speed scores oversimplify complex measurements and should be used for a general estimation. It's crucial to focus on specific insights from tools to understand where and how to improve a site's speed.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Web Performance

Can non-mobile-friendly pages really survive Google's mobile-first indexing?

John Mueller Oct 30, 2019 ★★★

Non-mobile pages can still be indexed through mobile-first indexing, but they will not be considered user-friendly for mobile users.

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

Should you block parameterized URLs in robots.txt or through Search Console settings?

John Mueller Oct 30, 2019 ★★

If you use robots.txt to block a URL, we cannot use its content, but the crawl preference settings with parameterized URLs do not actually block the crawl.

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

Is there really a limit to reused content on news sites before facing penalties?

John Mueller Oct 30, 2019 ★★★

Creating unique and engaging content is essential for news sites. Reproducing content from other sites may be seen as rewritten content, often identifiable by our algorithms.

Algorithms Content AI & SEO

Should you really trust lab data to gauge your site's speed?

John Mueller Oct 30, 2019 ★★★

Google uses theoretical page speed data derived from labs and real field data to evaluate user experience in terms of speed. There isn't a single threshold to achieve; the main goal is to make the site fast for users.

Domain Age & History JavaScript & Technical SEO Mobile SEO Web Performance

Should you really trust speed measurement tools to optimize your pages?

John Mueller Oct 30, 2019 ★★★

Tools like Test My Site, GTmetrix, and PageSpeed Insights measure different aspects of page speed in unique ways. Google recommends using these tools to identify easy improvements based on your audience's specific needs or to convince various stakeho...

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Web Performance

Is it really necessary to submit an XML sitemap to enhance your SEO?

Google Oct 28, 2019 ★★★

Submitting a sitemap is not mandatory, but it can help search engines discover the URLs of your site, especially for large sites or newly created sites.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Domain Name Search Console

Does submitting a sitemap guarantee your pages will be indexed?

Google Oct 28, 2019 ★★★

Submitting a sitemap does not guarantee the indexing of all URLs. However, it helps Google know which pages exist, which is generally advantageous.

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

Could a poorly configured sitemap harm your website?

Google Oct 28, 2019 ★★★

A poorly configured sitemap does not incur a penalty. If the sitemap is well-created and useful, it will be beneficial for the site.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Search Console

How can you diagnose why your WordPress URLs are missing from Google's index?

Google Oct 28, 2019 ★★

In WordPress, it's possible that a parent sitemap lists lower-level sitemaps where the URLs are actually located; using the site: operator can help identify if a site is indexed.

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

Why does the average position in Search Console never truly reflect your traffic reality?

Google Oct 28, 2019 ★★

The average position in the performance report of Search Console indicates the average position of a page in search results, made as averages can vary according to several factors.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Web Performance Search Console

Why does Google still emphasize 'online visibility' when the algorithm already prioritizes intent?

Google Oct 24, 2019 ★★★

Users often have a clear intent when conducting online searches, such as purchasing products or services. Therefore, it is crucial that businesses can be easily found online.

E-commerce AI & SEO

How can you effectively align your online presence with your SEO goals without sacrificing visibility?

Google Oct 24, 2019 ★★★

Creating an online presence must align with the company's goals, whether it's to increase sales, awareness, or brand recognition. Different types of presence, such as a website, social media, or a content management system, should be considered based...

Content AI & SEO

Should you really keep your website updated to rank on Google?

Google Oct 24, 2019 ★★★

It’s essential to keep the content and technology of your website updated. Ensure that your online presence is user-friendly for search engines to facilitate discovery by users. Check out our basic visibility checklist to improve your site's accessib...

Content AI & SEO

How can you effectively create an online presence for SEO according to Google?

Google Oct 23, 2019 ★★★

This series is aimed at those who want to learn the basics of creating an online presence and using Google search tools to help customers find their website.

Content AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

Does Google truly evaluate the visibility of your site in its search results?

Google Oct 23, 2019 ★★★

We will explore how Google search works and address common questions regarding visibility, such as: is my website listed on Google? How can I change what appears in Google Search?

Should You Really Use Google's Disavow Tool to Improve Your SEO?

Gary Illyes Oct 21, 2019 ★★★

Google has never been a big fan of people using the disavow tool, but it remains online because it can help certain sites that have been subject to a manual action. Gary Illyes from Google said at the PubCon conference that if it were up to him, he w...

AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Penalties & Spam

Do You Really Need a Backlink Audit for Your Website?

Gary Illyes Oct 21, 2019 ★

The same Gary Illyes explained on this occasion that a website should only invest in a backlink audit if the site in question had been a "victim" of questionable SEO methods in the past. In other cases, it was not necessary.

AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

Should You Really Buy an Expired Domain for Your SEO?

John Mueller Oct 21, 2019 ★★★

John Mueller had an amusing analogy about buying domain names, knowing that they can be tainted with a Google penalty: "It's like buying a used car; sometimes it's easy to get the vehicle running well, sometimes it takes a lot of time and work and yo...

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

Can changing your geographic targeting really affect your SEO rankings?

John Mueller Oct 18, 2019 ★★★

Changes in geographic targeting can affect a website’s ranking in search results. If a site has been strongly targeted to one country and wishes to change its target, it may take some time to stabilize its ranking.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Pagination & Structure International SEO