What does Google say about SEO?

What Should You Do with Empty Pages to Optimize Your SEO?

Google May 30, 2024 ★★

For empty pages awaiting content, Google recommends considering their usefulness to the user. If an author page currently lacks content or a biography, it's best to add a description or avoid creating the page right away.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO

How does Mobile-First Indexing affect your mobile SEO?

Google May 30, 2024 ★★★

After the implementation of Mobile-First Indexing, if the mobile content is significantly less developed than the desktop version, a drop in traffic can be expected because Google primarily indexes the mobile version and retrieves less information.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Mobile SEO

Does having separate URLs for mobile and desktop really hurt your images?

Google May 30, 2024 ★★

When a site uses different URLs for mobile and desktop with different image URLs, the transition to Mobile-First Indexing may cause a temporary loss of traffic to images.

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

Why do Google rankings keep changing?

Google May 30, 2024 ★★

Rankings in search results are never completely stable. Positions can fluctuate regularly, even without a bug, due to the continuous evolution of algorithms and competition.

Algorithms AI & SEO Pagination & Structure

Why is Google focused on site reputation abuse regardless of the domain?

Google May 30, 2024 ★★★

The policy against site reputation abuse concerns the publication of third-party content without real oversight, regardless of the type of domain used (including .co.jp or governmental domains).

Content AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name

Should you use noindex on hosted third-party pages to stay in Google's good graces?

Google May 30, 2024 ★★★

If a site hosting third-party content uses the noindex tag on these pages, it aligns with Google's policy on site reputation abuse and is not seen as a violation.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing

Why does Google keep its spam policies under wraps in SEO?

Google May 30, 2024 ★★

Google does not provide specific criteria beyond what is officially documented regarding spam policies, as this could aid spammers and create confusion among users.

AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO PDF & Files Penalties & Spam

Does buying an expired domain really boost your SEO?

Google May 30, 2024 ★★★

To determine if buying an expired domain is acceptable, one must ask why they are purchasing that specific domain. If the reason is that it had a good ranking in the past, it is probably a bad reason and potentially spam.

AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name Pagination & Structure Penalties & Spam

What are the risks of blocking images in robots.txt for your SEO?

Google May 30, 2024 ★★★

Blocking the indexing of images via robots.txt or HTTP headers stops Google from crawling the site and accessing structured data. This prevents the display of images in image search AND thumbnails in regular web results.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing HTTPS & Security AI & SEO Images & Videos

Can we really count on the lastmod field in sitemaps again?

Google May 30, 2024 ★★

If Google stops trusting the lastmod field of a sitemap due to inaccurate use, it can start trusting it again if the site uses it correctly afterward. The loss of trust is not permanent.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Mobile SEO Search Console

Why does Google separate web indexing and image indexing?

Google May 30, 2024 ★★

Google has separate indexes for web search and image search, which is why an image can appear in image search while being reported as unindexed in Search Console.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing Images & Videos Search Console

Does cutting content actually help you rank better?

Lizzi Sassman May 23, 2024 ★★★

Google reduced its SEO Starter Guide by 53% by removing outdated or obvious content. Despite internal concerns about a ranking drop, the page became the site's number one page, even surpassing the homepage. This demonstrates that reducing content to ...

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Web Performance Search Console

Does content length really impact your Google rankings?

Lizzi Sassman May 23, 2024 ★★★

The 53% reduction of the SEO Starter Guide does not suggest a preference for shorter content. The goal was to remove outdated and obvious information to better meet the needs of beginner users. The guide remains Google's longest document despite the ...

Content AI & SEO PDF & Files

Should the SEO Starter Guide Really Remain a Minimalist Document for Beginners?

Lizzi Sassman May 23, 2024 ★★

The SEO Starter Guide is designed as a document for beginners presenting high-level concepts. It should not include all technical details (such as complete robots.txt rules) but rather introduce concepts and direct users toward in-depth resources.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO PDF & Files

Does community engagement really boost your search rankings?

John Mueller May 23, 2024 ★★

Google's SEO Starter Guide mentions that community engagement is beneficial for SEO. Participating in communities, creating regular content, and building your brand indirectly help search rankings by strengthening brand awareness and authority.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO

Does Google Really Want You to Bloat Your Pages for the Helpful Content Update?

Lizzi Sassman May 23, 2024 ★★★

With the Helpful Content Update, website owners are sometimes torn between deleting a page or expanding it. For unhelpful blog content, it's often preferable to reduce it significantly rather than expand it, especially when the answer is simply 'no' ...

Algorithms Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO

Should you really tailor content depth to match your user's profile?

Lizzi Sassman May 23, 2024 ★★

Content must match the user's objective for that particular document. Including too much detailed information in a document intended for beginners can be an obstacle to learning rather than a help.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO PDF & Files

What Happens to Your SEO Data When Your Pages Get Deindexed by Google?

Gary Illyes May 21, 2024 ★★★

On LinkedIn, Gary Illyes stated that Google Search Console retains almost no data on non-indexed/deindexed sites, though he specified that one element remains "if the URL comes back." This statement was in response to a post by Adam Gent who pointed ...

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Domain Name Social Media Search Console

How can you tell if Google rolled out an algorithm update or just refreshed its data?

Danny Sullivan May 21, 2024 ★★★

On X, Danny Sullivan clarified the fundamental difference between algorithm updates and data refreshes. In the first case, updates introduce notable changes to one or more core systems. Data refreshes, on the other hand, concern the data that enters ...

Algorithms AI & SEO Pagination & Structure

Should You Still Be Using the Link Disavow Tool in 2024?

John Mueller May 14, 2024 ★★★

On X, John Mueller stated that Google plans to gradually phase out the link disavow tool. As he also noted: "most spam, paid, placed, exchanged links are simply ignored these days. It's rare that you need it."

Content AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Penalties & Spam