What does Google say about SEO?

Do you really need to choose between www and non-www for SEO?

Google Sep 06, 2023 ★★

Both www and non-www versions of a website are completely acceptable to Google Search. There is no SEO preference between the two versions from a ranking perspective.

JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name Pagination & Structure

Why does Googlebot ignore your buttons and how can you work around this limitation?

Gary Illyes Sep 06, 2023 ★★★

Generally speaking, Googlebot does not click on buttons. Links must be accessible via standard HTML elements rather than requiring user interaction.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Links & Backlinks

Are guest posts really banned by Google for building backlinks?

Google Sep 06, 2023 ★★★

Using guest posts to obtain backlinks violates Google's anti-spam policies. These links must be marked with the rel="nofollow" or rel="sponsored" attribute to signal that they do not affect search results.

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

Does semantic HTML really impact your Google rankings?

Google Sep 06, 2023 ★★

Using semantic HTML correctly can help search engines better understand a page's content and context. Clearly marking headings is a sign that your content matches that heading, facilitating comprehension.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO

Can PDFs hosted on Google Drive actually be indexed by Google search?

Gary Illyes Sep 06, 2023 ★★

Google can index public PDF files hosted on Google Drive. It's simply another URL on a website, and the indexing delay can vary from a few seconds to never.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Domain Name PDF & Files

Is your low-quality content actually hurting your SEO rankings?

Google Sep 06, 2023 ★★

If you're publishing low-quality content on your site, you can either delete it or fix it. Ask yourself whether this content fills a gap on the web and provides significant value, or if it's simply content that already exists elsewhere.

Content AI & SEO

Does your CMS really impact how Google ranks your website?

Gary Illyes Sep 06, 2023 ★★

Google does not judge different parts of a website differently based on the content management system (CMS) behind them.

Content

Should you really optimize INP if it's not (yet) a ranking factor?

Google Sep 06, 2023 ★★★

Interaction to Next Paint (INP) is not yet part of the Core Web Vitals. While improving INP can help user experience, you shouldn't expect to see a visible change in your search ranking.

AI & SEO Web Performance

Should you stop forcing indexing when Google deindexes your pages?

Google Sep 06, 2023 ★★★

If pages are deindexed after submission, it means Google's systems aren't convinced of your site's value. Don't keep forcing indexation, but instead work on your site's overall quality and its unique value to the web.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Do you really need text on category pages to rank well in Google?

Gary Illyes Sep 06, 2023 ★★★

Don't create low-quality auto-generated text repeated across all your category pages. Add content that users will actually find useful, not content because you think Google requires it.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO

Should you really worry about 404 errors generated by JSON and JavaScript in Google Search Console?

Gary Illyes Sep 06, 2023 ★★

404 error URLs appearing in Google Search Console that seem to come from JSON or JavaScript code can be ignored, or you can add an HTTP noindex header for these URLs.

Crawl & Indexing HTTPS & Security AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name Search Console

Does Google really prioritize meta descriptions when page content is thin?

Gary Illyes Sep 06, 2023 ★★

Google's algorithms generally use your meta description when there isn't much content on the page itself, or when the meta description is more relevant to the user's search query than the actual page content.

Algorithms Domain Age & History Content

Does Google really expect you to block indexation of menus and common site sections?

Google Sep 06, 2023 ★★

It is not necessary to block the indexation of common page content such as headers, menus, sidebars or footers. Search engines handle the web as it is, including voluminous mega menus.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Pagination & Structure

Can infinite scroll really work for SEO when each section has its own unique URL?

Gary Illyes Sep 06, 2023 ★★

Infinite scroll can work correctly for Googlebot if each virtual page section is also accessible and discoverable via a unique URL. Implementation is the key.

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

Does mobile-first indexing really force you to prioritize the mobile version above all else?

Google Sep 06, 2023 ★★★

With mobile-first indexing, Google uses the mobile version of a page as the basis for indexing and discovering links. If the mobile version contains the complete content, that's sufficient.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing Links & Backlinks Mobile SEO

Why is Google indexing your URLs even when robots.txt blocks them?

Gary Illyes Sep 06, 2023 ★★★

Google can index the URL alone (not the content) even if that URL is blocked by robots.txt. If that's problematic, allow the URL to be crawled and use a noindex rule in HTTP headers or a meta tag.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing HTTPS & Security Domain Name

Can a noindex on your homepage really cause other pages to rank first instead?

Google Sep 06, 2023 ★★★

If a homepage contains a meta robots noindex tag, this will prevent that page from being indexed. Other pages on the site can then appear first in search results.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing

Should you really clean up every hacked page or let Google handle the sorting?

Google Sep 06, 2023 ★★

After a hack affecting thousands of pages, focus on the most visible pages and have them removed or reindexed manually, then let the rest naturally disappear from search results.

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

Does Folder Order in Your URLs (/services/paris/ vs /paris/services/) Actually Impact Your SEO?

John Mueller Sep 05, 2023 ★★

On Mastodon, a user asked John Mueller whether placing /services/ before /location/ in a URL structure mattered for SEO purposes. He responded that it should not play any particular role: "I don't think there's anything on the search engine optimizat...

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Domain Name Pagination & Structure

Do Google's Core Updates Really Affect Search Suggestions?

Google Sep 05, 2023 ★★★

On X, in response to a question asked by a user, Danny Sullivan indicated that Core Updates had no impact on what Google displayed in the predictions or suggestions of its search engine.

Algorithms AI & SEO