What does Google say about SEO?

Why does Google refuse to index URLs with hashes?

Martin Splitt Jun 27, 2019 ★★★

Google recommends using the pushState feature for URLs as it allows for proper indexing of routes. Hash-based URLs are not indexed by Google.

Crawl & Indexing Domain Name

Why should every modal have its own URL to be indexed?

Martin Splitt Jun 27, 2019 ★★★

To make content discoverable by search engines, every relevant application state, such as modals with valuable content, should be accessible via a distinct URL.

Content AI & SEO Domain Name

Does the number of HTTP requests really drain your crawl budget?

Martin Splitt Jun 27, 2019 ★★★

The number of requests needed to load a page can affect the crawl budget. Minimizing requests through server or hybrid rendering can improve crawl efficiency.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Do Duplicate Hn Tags (Desktop/Mobile) Actually Hurt Your SEO Rankings?

Google Jun 25, 2019 ★★★

We noticed, when analyzing certain websites, that some templates and CMS platforms (especially when using a "builder") create duplicate Hn tags: one version for desktop, another for mobile. We therefore asked Vincent Courson whether this could pose a...

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Mobile SEO Penalties & Spam

Should Every Page Really Have a Canonical Tag, Even When It Points to Itself?

John Mueller Jun 25, 2019 ★★★

John Mueller indicated during a webmaster hangout that while the "self canonical" technique (implementing a "canonical" tag pointing to the page's own URL to avoid DUST) wasn't entirely mandatory, it could help Google in its analysis. And that it was...

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Domain Name International SEO

Can a Page Rank Based on Image Alt Attributes Alone?

John Mueller Jun 25, 2019 ★★

John Mueller indicated on Twitter that a page can definitely rank on the search engine with a keyword that is only displayed in the Alt attribute of an image within its source code...

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Images & Videos Social Media

Can Hidden Content in Accordions Really Appear as Featured Snippets?

John Mueller Jun 25, 2019 ★★

John Mueller explained on Twitter that content present in an accordion or tab (and therefore potentially visible upon user action but hidden by default) could appear in featured snippets (whereas this is generally not the case in the page description...

Domain Age & History Content Featured Snippets & SERP AI & SEO Pagination & Structure Social Media

Should you really fix all the structured data warnings?

Google Jun 25, 2019 ★★★

A warning in structured data marked in Search Console is not a critical issue if the required fields are filled out.

Mobile SEO Search Console

Should you really avoid mixing different types of products in structured data on the same page?

Google Jun 25, 2019 ★★★

Structured data can cover multiple similar products on a page, but avoid including different product types.

Domain Age & History E-commerce AI & SEO

Why does Google favor JSON-LD for structured data?

Google Jun 25, 2019 ★★★

Google recommends JSON-LD because it is easier to parse than other structured data formats.

Structured Data JavaScript & Technical SEO

Does Googlebot really index images with native lazy-loading?

Google Jun 25, 2019 ★★★

Googlebot supports lazy-loading implemented via attr='loading=lazy' without the need for additional scripts.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Images & Videos

Are new subdomains automatically eligible for mobile-first indexing?

Google Jun 25, 2019 ★★★

For existing sites, subdomains created will not automatically transition to mobile-first indexing (MFI) after July.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Mobile SEO Domain Name

Is URL removal in Search Console really only temporary?

Google Jun 25, 2019 ★★★

Removing a URL via Search Console is intended to last 90 days and can be interrupted if Googlebot no longer finds the page.

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

Why does changing a title take weeks on a large site?

Google Jun 25, 2019 ★★

The time it takes for a page title change to propagate increases with the number of pages to be crawled, but can accelerate with an optimized crawl.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Do Quality Raters really influence your site's ranking?

Google Jun 25, 2019 ★★★

Search Quality Raters do not directly influence rankings but assist Google in improving its algorithms.

Algorithms AI & SEO

Are Automated Penalties for Duplicate Content Really Invisible to Webmasters?

Google Jun 25, 2019 ★★

Google's automated penalties for duplication are generally not directly visible to webmasters.

Content

Should you really be concerned about Googlebot's viewport height?

Google Jun 25, 2019 ★★

The height of the viewport used by Googlebot is not specified, but it can be inferred using tools like the URL inspection tool.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Mobile SEO Domain Name Search Console

Is it true that Google can index podcast audio content?

Google Jun 25, 2019 ★★

Google is starting to index podcast content and can display it directly in search results.

Content Crawl & Indexing Local Search

Is it really necessary to reduce the number of pages on your site to improve rankings?

John Mueller Jun 25, 2019 ★★★

Generally, it's better to reduce the number of pages and create higher quality pages, rather than multiplying pages with little content. This approach allows for stronger pages that could rank better in Google Search.

Domain Age & History Content

Should you set a default language on your homepage to boost your SEO ranking?

John Mueller Jun 25, 2019 ★★

Choosing a default language for your homepage does not necessarily guarantee a better ranking in that language. However, the homepage often holds more weight due to its external links, which can indirectly influence ranking.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Links & Backlinks International SEO