What does Google say about SEO?

Should you compartmentalize the editorial sections of a site to boost its visibility in Google?

John Mueller Oct 16, 2019 ★★★

If your site has well-defined sections, such as coupons and news, organize them in a way that keeps them separate for better algorithmic distinction and presentation in search results.

Algorithms Content

Can local canonical tags truly enhance your visibility without causing cannibalization?

John Mueller Oct 16, 2019 ★★★

Using canonical tags to indicate to Google which version of content is most relevant locally can strengthen visibility and reduce internal competition between sites.

Content Crawl & Indexing Local Search

Does Google really differentiate between 404 and 410 statuses in the long run?

John Mueller Oct 16, 2019 ★★

A long-term perspective sees little difference between 404 and 410 status codes concerning search indexing—404 is often used when content is temporarily removed.

Content Crawl & Indexing

Does user-generated content really hold as much weight as your editorial content in Google's eyes?

John Mueller Oct 16, 2019 ★★★

Our algorithms do not make a significant distinction between user-generated content and original content. We focus on the overall quality of content published on the site. If the perceived quality is low, try to enhance the content or the presentatio...

Algorithms Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO

How can you effectively use canonical tags to prevent competition among your multi-location content?

John Mueller Oct 16, 2019 ★★

Using canonical tags can be useful to indicate which version of content is the most relevant, thereby allowing appropriate ranking signals to concentrate on that version. This can help prevent your different internal pages from competing against each...

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Local Search International SEO

Why do post-Core Update rankings change at different speeds across your tools?

John Mueller Oct 16, 2019 ★★★

The speed at which rankings change after a Core Update varies. This may be due to how tools measure visibility, which differs from what is seen in Google Search Console or Analytics.

Algorithms Web Performance Search Console

Does Google really have a specific YMYL algorithm for health and finance?

John Mueller Oct 16, 2019 ★★★

Google does not have a specific algorithm for YMYL content such as health or finance, but uses quality rater guidelines.

Algorithms Content AI & SEO

How does Google News display excerpts from French press under the neighboring rights directive?

John Mueller Oct 16, 2019 ★★★

In France, due to new laws, for sites listed on a press list, no text excerpts are shown by default unless actively chosen.

Content Discover & News Featured Snippets & SERP AI & SEO

Does Google Discover really prioritize quality over click-through rates?

John Mueller Oct 16, 2019 ★★★

Google Discover is not solely based on click-through rates but on a combination of signals to encourage a diversity and quality of content that satisfies users.

Domain Age & History Content Discover & News AI & SEO

Does Having Expert Authors Sign Your Content Really Improve Your SEO Rankings?

John Mueller Oct 14, 2019 ★★

John Mueller and Danny Sullivan explained on Twitter that, within the framework of the EAT criterion (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), it was useless to buy an expert's name solely to validate the quality of content on a web page. It i...

Algorithms Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Social Media

Should You Really Disavow Toxic Links After a Google Core Update?

Gary Illyes Oct 14, 2019 ★★★

Gary Illyes explained at the PubCon event that "core updates", implemented by Google on average every 3 months, have no impact on the "netlinking" aspect and that there was no point in updating your link profile if your site lost traffic during this ...

Algorithms Content AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

Should You Really Ditch Backlink Analysis Tools in Favor of Search Console?

Google Oct 14, 2019 ★★

Still at the PubCon event, Googler Nathan Johns indicated that the backlink samples provided in Search Console were sufficient to conduct a proper link building audit of your site. According to him, the links that are not shown in this tool don't mat...

Content AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Search Console

Do structured data really guarantee enhanced results on Google?

John Mueller Oct 09, 2019 ★★★

To be eligible for enhanced results on Google, it is essential to use appropriate structured data that complies with Google's policies. Even if this data does not always lead to enhanced results, it assists Google in better understanding the pages. Y...

Domain Age & History Content Structured Data AI & SEO

Should we still use nofollow on internal links for crawl budget management?

John Mueller Oct 07, 2019 ★★

John Mueller explained on Twitter that the new approach to Nofollow attributes will also work for internal links on a website, although he indicated that these changes were primarily designed for external links (site-to-site) and that it shouldn't ch...

Content AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Pagination & Structure Social Media Search Console

Is it absolutely necessary to display your postal address on your site for SEO?

John Mueller Oct 07, 2019 ★★★

John Mueller caused a slight wave of panic by asking on Twitter why some SEOs didn't display their postal address on their website. Some believed that the search engine would penalize this practice. The Googler then clarified that it was just a perso...

Content AI & SEO Social Media Search Console

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

John Mueller Oct 07, 2019 ★★★

John Mueller indicated that changing Googlebot's crawl rate via Search Console should not be considered by very large sites. He strongly recommends letting Googlebot determine the crawl rate it will use to explore the site in question on its own.

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

Should you really abandon separate mobile URLs (m.site.com) for SEO?

John Mueller Oct 04, 2019 ★★★

Google recommends creating clear links and redirects between mobile and desktop versions when using separate mobile URLs. However, it is preferable to opt for sites with a single unique URL, either responsive or dynamic serving, to avoid unnecessary ...

AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Mobile SEO Domain Name Redirects

Do Google's Core Updates really target health websites?

John Mueller Oct 04, 2019 ★★★

Google's Core Updates do not have specific criteria for health websites, but aim to better understand search intent and provide reliable results, particularly based on the Quality Rater Guidelines.

AI & SEO

Do all affiliate links really need to be nofollow to avoid a Google penalty?

John Mueller Oct 04, 2019 ★★★

Google views affiliate links as a valid monetization method, but they must be tagged with nofollow or the rel=sponsored attribute to indicate a commercial relationship, which will not negatively impact SEO.

AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

Should you really submit all your sitemaps when managing millions of URLs?

John Mueller Oct 04, 2019 ★★★

For sites generating a large number of URLs, make sure to submit sitemaps directly and focus on the overall quality of content rather than overloading the submission process.

Content Crawl & Indexing Domain Name Search Console