What does Google say about SEO?

Search through official Google statements about search engine optimization

Recent searches requetes de marque crise economique signaux conflictuels url bloquees ctr serps cache rendu url multilingues signal pertinence
9795 statement(s) found
Should you really treat Googlebot like an American user?
John Mueller Aug 09, 2019 ★★★
You must treat Googlebot the same way as any other user in the same region. Googlebot mainly crawls from the United States. If your site is in Europe and blocks American users, you will also block Googlebot.
Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO
Should you change your main domain in Search Console when redirecting to a subpage?
John Mueller Aug 09, 2019 ★★★
There is no need to change your main domain in Search Console if you are redirecting to a subpage. Checking the subdomain or subdirectory is optional.
Domain Age & History AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name Redirects Search Console
Is it true that Google removed the discovery of blocked resources in Search Console?
John Mueller Aug 09, 2019 ★★
The old version of Google Search Console allowed for the discovery of blocked resources, a feature that has been removed as fewer sites face mobile issues related to resources blocked by robots.txt. However, this is a much-requested feature.
Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Mobile SEO Search Console
Should you avoid JavaScript for generating your meta tags?
John Mueller Aug 09, 2019 ★★★
Script-based automation of meta descriptions or titles, especially through JavaScript during rendering, can pose issues. However, generating HTML pages from Excel or server-side scripts generally doesn’t present a problem.
Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO
Do excluded pages in the index really consume your crawl budget?
John Mueller Aug 09, 2019 ★★★
Excluded pages count towards the crawl budget, but they are crawled much less frequently than valid pages. If a site is nearing its crawl limit, important pages take priority.
Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO
Do pre-made WordPress themes really harm your SEO?
John Mueller Aug 09, 2019 ★★
Using a pre-made or custom theme has no direct impact on SEO rankings. However, users might develop biases against sites using default themes.
AI & SEO
Should you really abandon nofollow in internal linking to avoid doorway pages?
John Mueller Aug 09, 2019 ★★★
The presence of many similar sites and pages can be perceived as doorway pages. Instead of hiding links, it's better to reduce and group content to make sites stronger.
Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Links & Backlinks
Does the mobile-friendly test really guarantee the indexing of your JavaScript?
John Mueller Aug 09, 2019 ★★★
If your content is visible in Google's mobile-friendly test, it is generally well indexed. However, the mobile-friendly test does not follow the robots.txt file. Use the URL inspection tool in Search Console for a complete check.
Content Crawl & Indexing JavaScript & Technical SEO Mobile SEO Domain Name PDF & Files Search Console
Is embedding Instagram images via iframe really undermining their SEO potential?
John Mueller Aug 09, 2019 ★★★
Embedding images via Instagram complicates their indexing, as Instagram utilizes iframes and no-image-index meta tags. This suggests a decrease in search image traffic for these.
Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Images & Videos
Do chained 301 redirects really blow your crawl budget?
John Mueller Aug 09, 2019 ★★
Multiple 301 redirects can prolong the crawl time of a page and affect the crawl budget on large sites. Fixing links to point directly to the final destination is a better use of crawl resources.
Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing Links & Backlinks Redirects
Are structured data enough to showcase a page's expertise and credibility?
John Mueller Aug 09, 2019 ★★★
Presenting information such as authors and reviewers directly on the page, and not just via structured data, is essential for establishing credibility and signaling the E-A-T of a page to Google.
Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Pagination & Structure
Can Google really modify your titles by adding your brand?
John Mueller Aug 09, 2019 ★★
Google can add brand names to result titles to better contextualize the pages for users, but this does not provide any ranking advantage.
Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO
Why doesn't your well-ranked site display sitelinks or a search box?
John Mueller Aug 09, 2019 ★★★
The absence of sitelinks and search boxes associated with a well-ranked and active site does not necessarily mean that Google considers the site to be of poor quality.
AI & SEO Links & Backlinks
Should you choose ccTLDs or geo-targeted subfolders for your international SEO?
John Mueller Aug 09, 2019 ★★★
ccTLDs and generic domains configured in Search Console are equivalent for targeting geographic areas, provided that the geo-targeted sections are clearly defined.
Domain Age & History AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name Search Console International SEO
Is the Search Console API misleading you about your indexed pages?
John Mueller Aug 09, 2019 ★★★
Since April, the Search Console API has had incorrect indexed count data. Be aware that this information should not be considered valid at this time.
Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing JavaScript & Technical SEO Search Console
Does Googlebot really render pages like Chrome does?
John Mueller Aug 08, 2019 ★★★
Googlebot uses a recent version of Chrome, called an evergreen browser, to render web pages in a way that reflects what users would see on their own browsers.
Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO
Are JavaScript redirects really equivalent to server-side 301s for Google?
John Mueller Aug 08, 2019 ★★★
Google supports JavaScript redirects and follows them similarly to server-side redirects. It is recommended to submit the exact URL you want indexed rather than the one that redirects.
Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name Redirects
Is it really better to prioritize automatic URL discovery over sitemaps?
John Mueller Aug 08, 2019 ★★★
It's better to ensure that URLs are properly linked within the website so that Googlebot can discover them automatically, and possibly use a sitemap file to accelerate indexing.
Crawl & Indexing Domain Name PDF & Files Search Console
Should You Really Nofollow All Your Outbound Links to Protect Your SEO?
John Mueller Aug 05, 2019 ★★
In a new video format (#AskGoogleWebmasters) very "MattCutts-esque", John Mueller answers the question: Linking Out: Good for SEO? He explains that "nofollow" links should be used in 3 cases: when they are reciprocal courtesy or partnership links, if...
Content AI & SEO Links & Backlinks
What's the Maximum Recommended URL Length for SEO?
John Mueller Aug 05, 2019 ★★★
The same John Mueller indicated during a hangout that it was rather good that a site's URLs should not exceed a length of 1,000 characters.
Content AI & SEO Domain Name
🔔

Get real-time analysis of the latest Google SEO declarations

Be the first to know every time a new official Google statement drops — with full expert analysis.

No spam. Unsubscribe in one click.