What does Google say about SEO?

What information does Google actually store in its index for canonical pages?

Gary Illyes Apr 04, 2024 ★★

If a canonical page is indexed, Google stores the information collected about it and its cluster in Google's index. The index is technically a large database distributed across thousands of computers.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing

Should You Start Using AVIF Format for Your SEO Images?

John Mueller Apr 02, 2024 ★★

Unlike BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, WebP, and SVG formats, Google Search does not currently support the AVIF image format. On X, John Mueller indicated that this situation should change in the future, without specifying when. This statement comes as WordPres...

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

Do Core Web Vitals Really Impact Your SEO Rankings That Much?

John Mueller Apr 02, 2024 ★★★

In a recent episode of Search Off the Record, John Mueller stated that gradual improvements in Core Web Vitals scores might not have a significant impact on search result rankings. Consequently, he advises against focusing too much on these metrics t...

Content AI & SEO Web Performance

Are Ads on Your Website Really Hurting Your Google Rankings?

Danny Sullivan Apr 02, 2024 ★★★

On X, Danny Sullivan clarified that the presence of ads on a website does not prevent it from ranking well in search results: "there are plenty of sites that rank perfectly well in Google Search and have ads, whether they're large or small sites." Ho...

Algorithms Domain Age & History AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Penalties & Spam

Should You Really Keep Contact and About Pages for SEO?

John Mueller Apr 02, 2024 ★★★

John Mueller indicated that, although "Contact us" and "About" pages are not explicitly required according to Google's official documentation for developers, this does not mean they should be removed. He particularly emphasizes the importance of thes...

Domain Age & History Content Discover & News E-commerce AI & SEO Pagination & Structure PDF & Files

Should you really spend months perfecting your Core Web Vitals scores?

John Mueller Mar 28, 2024 ★★★

Google is warning against over-optimizing Core Web Vitals metrics. Spending months optimizing incremental improvements is likely not going to show up in your search rankings. You need to balance technical optimization with content quality and design ...

Content Web Performance

Does Googlebot really click through your pages like a real user would?

John Mueller Mar 28, 2024 ★★

Googlebot does not navigate from page to page by clicking like a real user would. It loads each URL separately in a new browser context after extracting links from the HTML. Interaction metrics like INP do not therefore apply directly to Googlebot's ...

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing Featured Snippets & SERP AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Domain Name Web Performance

Can an ultra-fast but empty page rank thanks to Core Web Vitals?

John Mueller Mar 28, 2024 ★★

Google uses the extreme example of an empty page that would load very quickly to illustrate that having only good technical performance without quality content won't be beneficial for SEO. Core Web Vitals optimization must be accompanied by valuable ...

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

Are Core Web Vitals Really a Google Ranking Factor?

John Mueller Mar 28, 2024 ★★★

Google officially confirms that Core Web Vitals are used in search ranking systems. This usage has been documented more explicitly following a review with the ranking teams, although Google does not disclose the thresholds or precise details of this ...

AI & SEO PDF & Files Web Performance

Are Core Web Vitals really a Google ranking factor for SEO?

John Mueller Mar 28, 2024 ★★

Core Web Vitals are less about site discoverability (traditional SEO aspect) and more about user experience once they arrive on your site. It's a way to ensure a friction-free journey to accomplish a task, rather than a factor for initial marketing o...

AI & SEO Web Performance

Is Google really patient with JavaScript rendering, or should you worry about speed?

John Mueller Mar 28, 2024 ★★

Regarding rendering, Google is very patient with page loading. Although there may be a correlation between server slowness and slow page visibility, it is difficult to determine precisely which element is causing speed issues for site owners.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Web Performance

Has Google really transformed the web ecosystem with Core Web Vitals, or is it just marketing hype?

John Mueller Mar 28, 2024 ★★

Google acknowledges that integrating Core Web Vitals into its ranking algorithm has raised awareness among more people about web performance problems and has contributed to measurable improvements in metrics over time, making the overall web ecosyste...

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

Why Are Google’s New Anti-Spam Policies a Game Changer for SEO?

Google Mar 28, 2024 ★★★

Google has released new policies regarding spam that allow for more effective handling of behaviors that may negatively impact search results.

AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Penalties & Spam

How is Google aiming to eliminate unnecessary content with this new update?

Google Mar 28, 2024 ★★★

The March 2024 Core Update aims to enhance search quality by eliminating content created solely for the purpose of gaining clicks, while promoting the display of content that is genuinely useful to users.

Algorithms Domain Age & History Content

Why doesn't Googlebot always see the same HTML as users?

Google Mar 28, 2024 ★★★

There are two types of HTML: the original HTML and the rendered HTML. If the necessary JavaScript resources for rendering are blocked for Googlebot, the engine will only see the original HTML, not the final content visible to users.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO

Should you really be concerned about blocking JavaScript for SEO?

Google Mar 28, 2024 ★★★

If a necessary JavaScript file for rendering is blocked for search engines (for example via robots.txt), Google will only index the initial HTML, not the content generated by JavaScript after execution.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO PDF & Files

Could consent banners be messing with your SEO indexing?

Google Mar 28, 2024 ★★

The content of compliance banners (like Cookie Management Tools (CMP) or age confirmation prompts) may sometimes be indexed by Google, especially if the HTML data volume of these banners is significant and they appear at the top of the HTML code acro...

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Why is rendering a major challenge for SEO?

Google Mar 28, 2024 ★★

Rendering is probably the process that consumes the most resources at Google, making it the most challenging step to overcome for indexing, similar to the difficulties of crawling and indexing.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO

Why does Googlebot ignore user interactions?

Google Mar 28, 2024 ★★★

Googlebot does not engage in user interactions such as clicking or scrolling. Content that requires these actions (infinite scroll, 'load more' buttons) will not be indexed. It is recommended to use traditional pagination.

Content Crawl & Indexing Pagination & Structure

Could using noindex in the initial HTML actually sabotage your SEO?

Google Mar 28, 2024 ★★★

Placing a noindex tag only in the initial HTML (before rendering) in the hope that only the rendered HTML will be indexed does not work: it will completely prevent the rendering process from being executed.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO