What does Google say about SEO?

Should you really limit lastmod updates in your XML sitemaps?

Martin Splitt Nov 16, 2023 ★★★

The lastmod attribute should only be modified when significant changes occur on a page. If modified too often without reason, crawl scheduling will treat these entries as useless and risk ignoring them in the future.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

What are the real technical limits of XML sitemap files that can kill your SEO visibility?

Martin Splitt Nov 16, 2023 ★★★

XML sitemap files have strict limits: 50 megabytes maximum or 50,000 URLs maximum in a single file.

Content Crawl & Indexing JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name PDF & Files Search Console

Should you really split your large sitemaps into multiple files?

Martin Splitt Nov 16, 2023 ★★★

If your site exceeds the limits of a single sitemap, split it into multiple files. This approach is also useful for debugging issues because problematic URLs can be isolated in a single sitemap.

Crawl & Indexing Domain Name PDF & Files Search Console

Should you really submit every single URL from your sitemap to Google?

Martin Splitt Nov 16, 2023 ★★

Before dividing a large sitemap, ask yourself if you really need all those URLs in the sitemap and what the probability is that they will all be indexed.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Domain Name Search Console

What content types should you really include in your sitemaps?

Martin Splitt Nov 16, 2023 ★★

Sitemaps can include different types of web pages: articles, videos, images, or any other type of web page intended to appear in search results.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing Discover & News Images & Videos Search Console

Why Doesn't Compressing Your Images Always Improve Your PageSpeed Score?

John Mueller Nov 14, 2023 ★★★

In a discussion posted on Reddit, a user asked for advice after noticing that significantly reducing the size of images and videos did not improve their PageSpeed Insights results. In response, John Mueller recommended conducting a preliminary test, ...

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Images & Videos Web Performance

Should You Block Third-Party Security Scanners to Avoid Errors in Google Search Console?

John Mueller Nov 14, 2023 ★★★

On X, John Mueller stated that Google Search does not use the Sistrix virus scanner, in response to a message from a user who pointed out HTTP 408 errors (Request Timeout) being returned by URLs in a sitemap. John Mueller added: "It looks like your s...

Domain Age & History Content HTTPS & Security AI & SEO Domain Name

What are the three specific ways to configure your sitemap for maximum Google indexation?

Martin Splitt Nov 13, 2023 ★★

There are three specific tips for properly configuring sitemaps. Appropriate sitemap configuration optimizes page discovery and indexing by Google Search.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing Search Console

Are sitemaps really enough to guarantee optimal discovery of your pages by Google?

Martin Splitt Nov 13, 2023 ★★

Sitemaps are tools that allow Google Search to discover pages on a website. They are particularly useful for helping Google find pages faster and more efficiently.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Search Console

Are sitemaps really only beneficial for very large websites?

Martin Splitt Nov 13, 2023 ★★

Sitemaps are very useful for owners of very large websites who want Google Search to discover their pages faster. Proper sitemap configuration improves the speed of content discovery.

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

Why isn't Google showing your updated content in search results—and how do you fix it?

Martin Splitt Nov 09, 2023 ★★★

If search results aren't displaying updated information, Search Console helps you understand how Google Search crawls, discovers, and refreshes your content, and identifies any problems encountered during these processes.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Local Search Search Console

How can you truly leverage Google Search Console's Performance Report to drive your organic visibility?

Martin Splitt Nov 09, 2023 ★★★

The Google Search Console Performance Report allows you to know how frequently your pages appear in Google Search results, the number of clicks received, the queries for which your pages appear, and the countries where users performing the searches a...

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Web Performance Search Console

Can Google Search Console really expose the hidden barriers blocking your indexation?

Martin Splitt Nov 09, 2023 ★★★

Google Search Console indicates whether a page has an issue preventing it from appearing in search results. The tool lets you verify the problem and see what Google detected on the page, making troubleshooting easier.

Domain Age & History Search Console

How can you unlock hidden traffic from high-impression pages in Google Search Console?

Martin Splitt Nov 09, 2023 ★★★

Search Console allows you to find pages that appear frequently in search results but generate few clicks. These pages represent optimization opportunities where content can be reworded to better match the queries users are searching for.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Local Search Search Console

How can you unlock hidden SEO insights by exporting Search Console data to other analytics platforms?

Martin Splitt Nov 09, 2023 ★★

Google Search Console allows you to export data to other analytics tools. This functionality lets you combine Search Console insights with information from other platforms to perform more in-depth data analysis on your site's performance.

Web Performance Search Console

Should You Really Fix All 404 Errors Reported in Search Console?

John Mueller Nov 07, 2023 ★★★

On Reddit, John Mueller clarified how to approach Search Console reports showing a significant number of 404 errors related to URLs that don't exist. The culprit: spam sites creating links to imaginary pages. In this specific case, John Mueller simpl...

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Domain Name Penalties & Spam Search Console

Should You Really Stop Thinking About Google When Creating SEO Content?

Danny Sullivan Nov 07, 2023 ★★

On X/Twitter, Danny Sullivan from the Search Liaison team invited bloggers and other content creators not to focus on Google when writing content: "I encourage you (or anyone) to stop thinking – what do I need to do for Google – in terms of content c...

Domain Age & History Content E-commerce AI & SEO Social Media

How Can You Avoid Keyword Stuffing Without Becoming Paranoid About Repetition?

Danny Sullivan Nov 07, 2023 ★★

On X/Twitter, Danny Sullivan provided some clarifications regarding Keyword Stuffing. According to him, the problem is less related to the number of times a word is repeated on a page than to the way they are integrated: "Keyword stuffing is real spa...

Domain Age & History AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Pagination & Structure Penalties & Spam Social Media International SEO

Will Changing a Date or Minor Detail Help You Escape the Helpful Content Filter?

Danny Sullivan Nov 07, 2023 ★★★

Danny Sullivan reminded us that the Helpful Content System is an algorithm that applies to an entire site. Therefore, changing a single character on one page has no impact: "If the Helpful Content system used just one character change on one page to ...

Algorithms Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO PDF & Files

Does Google really remove search features based on clicks alone?

Gary Illyes Nov 07, 2023 ★★★

Google does not base its decision to remove a search feature solely on engagement metrics. Multiple aspects must be considered, not just interaction rates in isolation.

AI & SEO