What does Google say about SEO?

Does Google Really Ignore URL Fragments with # for SEO Rankings?

John Mueller Apr 18, 2024 ★★★

URL fragments (everything after the # symbol) are ignored by Google for SEO purposes. A link to a specific text fragment functions like a normal link with no particular SEO effect.

Content Links & Backlinks Domain Name

Do short 503 errors really impact your site's crawl rate?

Gary Illyes Apr 18, 2024 ★★★

Serving a 503 code during an extended period will result in a decrease in crawl rate. However, 10 to 15 minutes of unavailability several times per week is not considered prolonged and should not cause any issues.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Does switching web hosting really hurt your search engine rankings?

Gary Illyes Apr 18, 2024 ★★★

If the hosting change is done correctly, with a site that remains accessible and minimal downtime, it should not have negative effects on page rankings in Google search results.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO

Should you really ban text embedded directly in images?

John Mueller Apr 18, 2024 ★★

There are various ways to integrate text into HTML elements and images, and most work well. The only variation to avoid is putting text directly in the image file, as this makes it difficult for search engines and some users to recognize it.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Images & Videos PDF & Files

Does having duplicate burger menus in your DOM hurt your SEO rankings?

Gary Illyes Apr 18, 2024 ★★

Having a hidden burger menu on mobile with the same links as the desktop menu, thus creating duplicate links in the DOM, results in no penalty from Google.

AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Mobile SEO Pagination & Structure

Do external 404 errors really hurt your Google rankings?

Gary Illyes Apr 18, 2024 ★★★

The false 404 errors that Googlebot could have explored cannot reasonably be attributed to a drop in rankings. It is normal to have a certain number of 404 errors on a site and you do not need to fix them.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Do you really need a sitemap.xml to rank well on Google?

Gary Illyes Apr 18, 2024 ★★

It is not mandatory to have a sitemap. If you choose to have one or more, you can give them any filename you want, not necessarily sitemap.xml.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO PDF & Files Search Console

Should you really abandon separate mobile URLs (m-dot) for better SEO results?

John Mueller Apr 18, 2024 ★★★

Using separate URLs for mobile and desktop versions is an option, but it makes things much more difficult than they should be, not only for SEO but also for analytics, maintenance, and testing. A responsive design is recommended.

AI & SEO Mobile SEO Domain Name

Why is noindex more effective than robots.txt for hiding a site from Google?

John Mueller Apr 18, 2024 ★★★

To prevent a site from appearing in search results while keeping it accessible, use the meta robots noindex tag rather than robots.txt. With robots.txt, the site could still be found if someone searches for it by its exact name.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Is the Indexing API really restricted to job postings and events only?

Gary Illyes Apr 18, 2024 ★★★

The Indexing API is limited to job postings and broadcast events. It might work for other content types, but since it's not designed for that, it could stop working overnight for unsupported verticals.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO

Can you really target multiple countries with a single page using hreflang?

John Mueller Apr 18, 2024 ★★

It is possible to use multiple hreflang tags for the same page. For example, a German-language page can target both Germany and Austria. Hreflang allows you to replace the URLs shown to users based on their language and location.

Domain Age & History Domain Name Local Search International SEO

Should You Really Worry About 404 and 410 Errors for Your Site's SEO?

John Mueller Apr 16, 2024 ★★★

In a Reddit discussion, John Mueller clarified the confusion surrounding HTTP status codes 404 and 410, and their impact on SEO. He explains that Google does not penalize sites for the presence of 404 errors, and also specifies that the difference be...

Domain Age & History Content HTTPS & Security AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO

Should You Really Worry About Crawling and Indexing During Core Updates?

Gary Illyes Apr 16, 2024 ★★★

On LinkedIn, Gary Illyes provided some clarification about the independence of indexing systems from algorithm updates, particularly Core Updates. He states that indexing, canonicalization, and the various systems used by Google are completely indepe...

Algorithms Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Social Media Search Console

Should You Really Stop Focusing on External Links for SEO?

John Mueller Apr 09, 2024 ★★

John Mueller advised against focusing excessively on external links, arguing that it could primarily prove to be a waste of time. He also explains that there is no objective method to count links on the internet, as each tool has its own data collect...

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Search Console

Are You Measuring Your Content Against the Right Standards After HCU?

John Mueller Apr 09, 2024 ★★★

On X, John Mueller emphasized that improving a site affected by the Google Helpful Content Update wasn't about measuring it against its previous version, but rather about reassessing the entire site according to current standards and user expectation...

Algorithms Content AI & SEO Search Console

Should You Disavow Internal Footer Links to Improve Your SEO?

John Mueller Apr 09, 2024 ★★★

John Mueller from Google recommended not disavowing internal links located in footers. In a Reddit discussion thread, he emphasized that doing so could create problems in the future: "if you do that, future You will be annoyed by the problems that pr...

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

Should You Fix Your Site Before a Core Update Finishes Rolling Out?

John Mueller Apr 09, 2024 ★★★

Regarding the March 2024 Core Update, John Mueller advised not to wait for the update to finish before making corrections, especially if the identified issues are obvious. He also emphasized diversifying traffic sources and constantly improving the s...

Algorithms Content AI & SEO

Does Shared Hosting with Shared IP Addresses Really Hurt Your SEO?

John Mueller Apr 09, 2024 ★★★

On X, John Mueller once again indicated that sharing IP addresses on shared servers and using a content delivery network (CDN) is normal and does not negatively affect ranking on Google. He also emphasized that, given the limited number of available ...

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Penalties & Spam Social Media

Does Google really strip stop words from your search queries?

Gary Illyes Apr 09, 2024 ★★

When interpreting a query, Google cleans the query by removing unnecessary stop words like 'a', 'of', 'the' when they are not necessary to understand the query.

AI & SEO

Does page quality or site quality matter more in Google's ranking algorithm?

Gary Illyes Apr 09, 2024 ★★★

Google takes into account both page quality and site quality when ranking. Quality is determined by several factors, including content uniqueness and the relative importance of the page on the Internet.

Domain Age & History Content