What does Google say about SEO?

How Will Google Images' Major Upcoming Changes Transform Your Visual SEO Strategy?

John Mueller Jan 28, 2019 ★★

John Mueller recently indicated that the Google Images search engine will soon undergo major changes, involving a new way of viewing image optimization. Without saying more. We should therefore expect to see new features on this tool in 2019.

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

Why does mobile-first indexing lead to traffic loss for sites neglecting structured data?

Google Jan 25, 2019 ★★★

During the transition to mobile-first indexing, it is crucial to ensure that the structured data and alt text for images are correctly configured on the mobile version of the site, just as they are on the desktop version. Many sites overlook this, wh...

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

How can you tell if your site has truly switched to mobile-first indexing?

Google Jan 25, 2019 ★★★

When your site moves to mobile-first indexing, you will receive a notification from Google. However, this message can sometimes be sent some time after the effective transition. To check the current status, use the URL Inspection Tool which tells you...

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

Does bounce rate really affect your organic search ranking?

Google Jan 25, 2019 ★★★

A high bounce rate caused by users arriving at a site via backlinks from unrelated domains should not be a major source of concern regarding SEO. It does not have a direct impact on your Google ranking.

AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Domain Name Search Console

Can you use structured data for paid content without risking penalties?

Google Jan 25, 2019 ★★★

It is possible to use structured data for paid content. However, it is necessary to ensure that this structured data is not used misleadingly for content hidden behind a paywall, as this could harm its display in Google’s rich results.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO

How can you tackle those elusive crawl errors that slip through your server logs?

Google Jan 25, 2019 ★★

Crawl errors can occur without leaving a trace in server logs. To try to resolve them, it is advisable to consult your hosting provider as some issues may be related to server configuration.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Are your screenshots in Search Console incomplete, and what does it mean?

Google Jan 25, 2019 ★★

Partially displayed screenshots in the URL inspection tool of Search Console can indicate that a page isn't fully rendered. This doesn’t necessarily mean there's a problem, but a deeper investigation is recommended.

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

Do non-AMP pages really penalize an entire AMP site?

Google Jan 25, 2019 ★★

If a site using AMP contains non-compatible pages, this does not make the entire site non-compliant. However, these pages will not benefit from the advantages of AMP in terms of speed and enhanced presentation in search results.

Domain Age & History Mobile SEO Web Performance

Does the exclusion of pages in the Search Console really affect your site's PageRank?

Google Jan 24, 2019 ★★★

Pages marked as excluded in Google Search Console do not influence PageRank. These pages are often ignored unless they are accidentally excluded through 'noindex' tags or directives in robots.txt. In that case, it is necessary to remove those directi...

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing Links & Backlinks Search Console

Does proper HTML really boost your SEO ranking?

Google Jan 24, 2019 ★★

Properly implemented HTML does not directly change rankings but allows search engines to better understand the content. Using appropriate HTML tags in the right context aids readability for Google and other browsers.

Content AI & SEO

Do canonicals really suffice to manage duplicates without causing SEO penalties?

Google Jan 24, 2019 ★★★

Pages identified as alternates with canonicals don't pose SEO problems. Google indexes the canonical page and ignores the duplicates. Canonical tags help Google understand which version of a page to index.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Images & Videos Links & Backlinks

Does the noindex tag really prevent the indexing of your strategic pages?

Google Jan 24, 2019 ★★★

The 'noindex' tag is an instruction for Google not to index a page. If important pages are mistakenly marked as 'noindex', this tag must be removed for them to be indexed.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing

Do social signals really influence Google rankings?

Google Jan 24, 2019 ★★★

Social media signals, such as likes or shares, are not directly used in Google's ranking algorithms. However, social engagement can indirectly improve a site's visibility and credibility.

Algorithms Domain Age & History AI & SEO Social Media

Does PageRank still really influence Google rankings in SEO?

Google Jan 24, 2019 ★★★

PageRank is still used by Google as a ranking signal. It measures the credibility of a page based on the quantity and quality of backlinks received.

Domain Age & History Links & Backlinks

Do buying links and exchanging backlinks really lead to penalties?

Google Jan 24, 2019 ★★★

Exchanging links or buying links in exchange for money or other benefits violates Google's guidelines. Sites participating in these practices risk manual actions and a loss of ranking.

Domain Age & History Links & Backlinks

Could excluded AMP pages really indicate a bad implementation?

Google Jan 24, 2019 ★★

AMP pages are typically indexed as alternate pages with a canonical link pointing to the original. A large number of pages marked as excluded may indicate a poor AMP implementation.

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

Is Quality Content Really Enough to Rank Well on Google?

Google Jan 24, 2019 ★★★

To rank well, it's crucial to produce high-quality, relevant, and useful content for the user. Artificial link-building practices can be harmful in the long run.

Content AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

How can you accurately test the SEO impact of changing title tags?

John Mueller Jan 23, 2019 ★★★

When you make changes to your website, such as modifying title tags, it’s important to test the impact of those changes. However, there is no absolute method for testing how this will affect rankings, as many external factors can influence the result...

Content

Should you really use the disavow file to clean up your link profile?

John Mueller Jan 23, 2019 ★★★

The disavow file is primarily intended for sites that have a manual action for artificial links. For most sites with a normal mix of links, it is generally not necessary to use disavow. Google is capable of ignoring the majority of low-quality links.

AI & SEO Links & Backlinks PDF & Files Penalties & Spam International SEO

Does blocking Googlebot really kill your ranking right away?

John Mueller Jan 23, 2019 ★★★

If a site blocks Googlebot, Google will slow down its crawling but will retain the content already indexed. However, if significant modifications are made to the site, it will take longer for Google to acknowledge these changes.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO