What does Google say about SEO?

How does Google actually handle duplicate internal links on the same page?

John Mueller Aug 22, 2019 ★★★

Google treats duplicate internal links, such as those present in text and images, by primarily using the text link for contextualization. The alt attribute of a linked image may also be considered for the anchor text.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Images & Videos Links & Backlinks

Should you really banish nofollow on your site's internal links?

John Mueller Aug 22, 2019 ★★★

It is not recommended to use the nofollow attribute for internal links, even to pages like legal notices. A natural link structure is preferable because it does not negatively impact PageRank.

Domain Age & History Links & Backlinks Pagination & Structure

Can Google really ignore malicious redirects pointing to your site?

John Mueller Aug 22, 2019 ★★★

Google is capable of detecting malicious redirects from suspicious domains targeting a competitor and generally ignores these links to prevent any negative impact on the targeted site.

AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Domain Name Redirects

Why does Google Search Console intentionally block the indexing of JavaScript, CSS, and image files?

John Mueller Aug 22, 2019 ★★

Google Search Console intentionally blocks the indexing of non-HTML files like images, JavaScript files, and CSS through the URL Inspection tool, so that they do not appear in search results.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Images & Videos JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name PDF & Files Search Console

How does Google decide which version of duplicated content to display in search results?

John Mueller Aug 22, 2019 ★★★

When publishing articles on multiple domains, Google first indexes the different versions and then chooses one version to display in the search results. Using a canonical tag to designate a primary version allows you to focus ranking signals.

Content Crawl & Indexing Discover & News AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name Local Search

Is Google Search Console finally going to differentiate between voice queries and typed queries?

John Mueller Aug 22, 2019 ★★

At present, Google does not distinguish between voice queries and keyboard typed queries in Search Console. Google Assistant queries are not yet available in Search Console, but this could change in the future.

AI & SEO Search Console

Why aren’t your Google News impressions showing up in Search Console?

John Mueller Aug 22, 2019 ★★★

Impressions from Google News search are not counted in Search Console, unless they appear in standard search results as rich snippets.

Discover & News Featured Snippets & SERP AI & SEO Search Console

Do autoplay videos really harm SEO rankings?

John Mueller Aug 22, 2019 ★★★

Google does not have a specific guideline for autoplay videos, but it can indirectly affect SEO if the user experience is negative, which could reduce natural inbound links.

AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

Should you consolidate multiple sites from the same group into one domain for better SEO authority?

John Mueller Aug 22, 2019 ★★★

Having a single large website instead of several small ones for the same group of businesses might be preferable, as it facilitates the gathering of ranking signals into one powerful entity.

AI & SEO Pagination & Structure

Do country-specific TLDs automatically direct your site's geographic targeting?

John Mueller Aug 22, 2019 ★★★

Google automatically treats country-specific TLDs as geographically oriented. Generic TLDs, such as .com, allow for customized geographic targeting via Search Console.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Domain Name Search Console

Is it true that Google merges your international content in its results?

John Mueller Aug 22, 2019 ★★

For the same content across multiple countries, Google may merge these pages in the results. Hreflang tags help manage these duplicates. You can also choose to slightly adapt the content for each market.

Domain Age & History Content International SEO

Can loading times really limit your pages' indexing?

John Mueller Aug 22, 2019 ★★

Google is flexible with page loading times. While no strict limit is imposed, excessively long response times can reduce the number of crawled pages.

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

Is Google really rewriting your titles without your consent? The truth about A/B testing of title tags.

John Mueller Aug 22, 2019 ★★

Google automatically adjusts the length of displayed titles based on A/B tests. Manual changes can ensure better control over the display in the results.

Domain Age & History Content

Is it possible to refuse mobile-first indexing to protect your desktop site?

John Mueller Aug 21, 2019 ★★★

Google does not plan to provide an option to choose or refuse mobile-first indexing. The long-term goal is to move all sites to this type of indexing.

Crawl & Indexing Mobile SEO

Does mobile-first indexing really work without a mobile version?

John Mueller Aug 21, 2019 ★★★

Mobile-first indexing is independent of mobile compatibility. Even sites without a mobile version can be properly indexed by the mobile Googlebot.

Crawl & Indexing Mobile SEO

How does Google really assess your site's mobile compatibility before switching to mobile-first?

John Mueller Aug 21, 2019 ★★★

Google evaluates sites' readiness for mobile-first indexing by comparing mobile and desktop versions, ensuring that all content, including structured data and images, is accessible.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing Images & Videos Mobile SEO

Does Amazon's Alexa Rank Actually Influence Google Rankings?

John Mueller Aug 19, 2019 ★★★

Some questions asked to Google spokespeople are truly bizarre... For instance, a user asked John Mueller on Twitter whether Amazon's Alexa Rank played a role in Google's relevance algorithm. John's answer was crystal clear: "No". Unbelievable... :-).

Algorithms Content AI & SEO Social Media

Should You Really Add the Nofollow Attribute to All Affiliate Links?

John Mueller Aug 19, 2019 ★★★

John Mueller himself indicated on Twitter that the "nofollow" attribute should be used on all links "that were part of a financial transaction." He was referring here to affiliate links.

Content AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Social Media

Do Nofollow Links Really Show Up in Search Console and Pass PageRank?

John Mueller Aug 19, 2019 ★★★

In a new video on the #AskGoogleWebmasters YouTube channel, John Mueller explains that "nofollow" links do not transmit any signals (and particularly no PageRank) to Google, but that they do appear in Search Console since they are links that exist, t...

Algorithms Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Images & Videos Links & Backlinks Search Console

Do you really need a robots.txt file to control your site's indexing?

Google Aug 16, 2019 ★★★

The robots.txt file allows you to set rules for controlling indexing bots' access to different parts of a website. While not essential, its absence means all pages can be crawled by default.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing PDF & Files