What does Google say about SEO?

Why does modifying canonicals with JavaScript create contradictory signals that confuse Google?

Martin Splitt Feb 26, 2026 ★★★

When a canonical tag is present in the initial HTML and then modified by JavaScript, this creates mixed signals that are difficult to interpret. Google discourages changing metadata with JavaScript because it's difficult to understand what the intent...

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO

Should you really optimize preloading hints for Googlebot?

Gary Illyes Feb 26, 2026 ★★

Google does not use or barely uses link hints like DNS prefetch, preconnect, preload or prefetch, because its infrastructure works differently from browsers: no synchronous resource fetching, Google-side caching, and batch processing. These hints are...

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Pagination & Structure Web Performance

Does Google really parse HTML the same way browsers do?

Gary Illyes Feb 26, 2026 ★★

Search engines, including Google, try to behave similarly to browsers when parsing HTML. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Like browsers, Google accepts metadata tags in the but not in the , even though the HTML standard is very permissive....

AI & SEO

Why Can Displaying 'Not Available' via JavaScript Kill Your Google Indexing?

John Mueller Feb 17, 2026 ★★★

John Mueller strongly advises against displaying "not available" via JavaScript before the actual content loads. This practice can lead Google to believe that the page doesn't exist, preventing its indexing and ranking in search results. He recommend...

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Local Search

Why could your HTTPS site display an incorrect name and favicon in Google due to a phantom HTTP page?

John Mueller Feb 17, 2026 ★★★

John Mueller from Google revealed an unusual issue: an old invisible HTTP homepage can cause malfunctions in the display of the site name and favicon in Google search results. The context: a site was using HTTPS, but a default HTTP homepage remained...

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing HTTPS & Security AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name Pagination & Structure Local Search Search Console

Why Has Visible Anchor Text Become Essential for Your SEO?

John Mueller Feb 17, 2026 ★★★

John Mueller recommends always prioritizing visible anchor text for links in order to provide more context to search engines. In other words, don't just rely on using the title attribute in links, make sure the links in question contain actual visibl...

Domain Age & History Content Links & Backlinks Pagination & Structure

Are social media platforms becoming real SEO competitors for your website?

Martin Splitt Feb 12, 2026 ★★

Social networks have begun optimizing their content for search engines (SEO) and are gaining visibility in search results, unlike previous years when they were not optimized for this purpose.

Content AI & SEO

Are social media profiles really websites from an SEO perspective?

Gary Illyes Feb 12, 2026 ★★

Profiles and shops on social networks are indeed websites accessible via browser. The distinction between website and social network has faded, making the categorization less relevant.

Content AI & SEO Social Media

Does a clean website really boost your credibility in Google's eyes?

Martin Splitt Feb 12, 2026 ★★

Having a well-designed website with an appropriate domain name and HTTPS strengthens the credibility and trust users place in a business or project, compared to a presence limited to social media alone.

HTTPS & Security AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name

Do you really still need a website to rank on Google in 2024?

Gary Illyes Feb 12, 2026 ★★★

The decision to have a website in 2026 depends entirely on your objectives, target audience, and the type of content or service you provide. There is no universal answer—some businesses succeed without a website.

Content AI & SEO

Is a website really still the number one tool for maximizing your online visibility in 2024?

Martin Splitt Feb 12, 2026 ★★★

If the goal is to make information or services available to the greatest number of people possible, a website remains the best solution in 2026, according to Martin Splitt's perspective.

Why does owning a website give you far more control over monetization than relying on social media platforms?

Gary Illyes Feb 12, 2026 ★★

A website gives you complete control over monetization strategies (affiliate links, display ads, etc.), unlike social platforms that impose restrictions and often take a commission.

AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Social Media

Why does Google still prioritize the open web over native mobile apps?

Gary Illyes Feb 12, 2026 ★★

Sharing a web link represents a lower barrier to entry for users compared to downloading an application, because it requires no strong commitment and no compatibility with a specific operating system.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Social Media

Should You Create Alternative Versions of Your Site for AI Bots?

John Mueller Feb 10, 2026 ★★★

Developers are experimenting with a technique that involves detecting AI bots and serving them raw Markdown instead of complete HTML. The objective: reduce token usage (up to 95% according to one developer) and increase site ingestion capacity by RAG...

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Images & Videos

Should You Really Analyze All Redirects and CSP Configurations to Optimize Your SEO?

John Mueller Feb 10, 2026 ★★

John Mueller advises against spending too much time analyzing redirects and CSP (Content Security Policy) parameters for every URL on a website to optimize search engine rankings. His argument: Bad redirects or CSP configurations are generally visibl...

Domain Age & History Content HTTPS & Security AI & SEO Domain Name Pagination & Structure Redirects

Should You Really Wait for a Google Update to Explain Your Ranking Fluctuations?

John Mueller Feb 03, 2026 ★★

In January 2026, Google results experienced very high volatility. Google officially confirmed no update that would explain these fluctuations. Questioned on Bluesky about a ranking drop in the USA, John Mueller responded that he had "no insight or up...

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Social Media

Are action parameters in your URLs sabotaging your crawl budget?

Gary Illyes Feb 03, 2026 ★★★

Action parameters (such as add_to_cart=true or add_to_wishlist=true) in URLs represent approximately 25% of crawl problem reports. These parameters can double or triple your crawlable URL space. Googlebot doesn't purchase products and shouldn't crawl...

Crawl & Indexing E-commerce AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name Search Console

Should you really get rid of session IDs in your URLs?

Gary Illyes Feb 03, 2026 ★★

Session IDs in URLs are an obsolete practice from the 2000s. Crawlers don't need to access session IDs because they don't maintain session persistence. These parameters can be blocked via robots.txt.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Domain Name

Are your WordPress calendar parameters secretly destroying your crawl budget?

Gary Illyes Feb 03, 2026 ★★★

Calendar and event date parameters account for 5% of issues. Certain WordPress plugins create infinite calendar URL spaces on every path of your site, which prevents Google from detecting soft 404s and generates excessive crawling.

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

Is double URL encoding silently killing your crawl budget?

Gary Illyes Feb 03, 2026 ★★

Double percent encoding of URLs (encoding an already encoded URL) represents about 2% of issues. Google decodes URLs once, but if they have been encoded twice, the URLs remain incorrect and the site cannot handle them properly.

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