What does Google say about SEO?

Should you really use prefetch and prerender to boost your SEO rankings?

Google Aug 09, 2023 ★★★

Link prefetch, prerender, DNS resolve and similar tags are not directly a signal. However, when used correctly to improve user experience, this will be reflected in actual Core Web Vitals metrics and will thus be considered by search. What matters is...

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Web Performance

Should you really stop relying on Google cache to diagnose indexation issues?

Google Aug 09, 2023 ★★

Google cache has no importance for indexation. It is not a technical SEO tool. Use Search Console if you want to diagnose the status of a URL.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Domain Name Web Performance Search Console

Why is Product markup completely useless for real estate listings?

Google Aug 09, 2023 ★★

Using Product structured data for real estate is not considered an abuse, but it has no effect. Google Shopping only supports movable items, not real estate. The markup will simply be ignored. It is recommended to use structured data that has a visib...

Domain Age & History E-commerce AI & SEO Mobile SEO

Can you really use hreflang for non-translated content targeting different regions?

Google Aug 09, 2023 ★★

Hreflang can be used to link very similar content targeting different countries, even if it's not a direct translation. Hreflang is for alternative linguistic or regional versions, not specifically for localization.

Content AI & SEO Images & Videos Local Search International SEO

Does Google really require English day names in structured data for non-English websites?

Google Aug 09, 2023 ★★★

For most textual structured data, you must match what you show to users. However, enumerated fields like day-of-week must use English day names according to the schema.org specification, even if your site is in another language.

Structured Data AI & SEO Mobile SEO International SEO

Is Google really indexing content that doesn't exist on your site?

Google Aug 09, 2023 ★★★

Google doesn't invent content for indexing; it uses what your site provides. If gambling content appears in search results for your site when that's not your niche, it's because your server is serving it. This likely indicates a server or infrastruct...

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing Pagination & Structure

Does Linking to Wikipedia or CNN Really Improve Your SEO Rankings?

John Mueller Aug 08, 2023 ★★★

During a conversation on Reddit, John Mueller took the time to answer a question about outbound links. His interlocutor specifically wanted to know if Google considered a small site more credible when it linked to well-known authoritative sites, such...

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Images & Videos Links & Backlinks

How Many Times Can You Actually Repeat a Keyword Before Google Penalizes You?

John Mueller Aug 08, 2023 ★★★

You're worried that Google might consider your content as keyword stuffing. According to John Mueller, there wouldn't be much to worry about, as long as you don't include 300 to 500 mentions of the same terms in your content: "It's just that when I e...

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO Penalties & Spam

Does Google really index rendered HTML instead of the raw source code?

Google Aug 02, 2023 ★★★

Google Search uses rendered HTML for indexing. This HTML represents what Google Search saw on the page during crawling and rendering. You can use it with a search function to verify whether content is accessible to Google or not.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing

Does the URL inspection tool really show you how Google discovers your pages?

Google Aug 02, 2023 ★★

The URL inspection tool shows how Google discovered a page: either via a sitemap or via a referring page, specifying which page that was. This information helps you understand how Googlebot finds your content.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Domain Name Search Console

Does Google really respect your canonical tag, or does it decide on its own?

Google Aug 02, 2023 ★★★

The tool shows the canonical URL you provided on the page with the link rel='canonical' tag AND the canonical URL that Google ultimately chose. This allows you to verify whether Google respects your suggested canonical.

Domain Age & History Crawl & Indexing Links & Backlinks Domain Name Local Search

How can you effectively verify X-Robots directives hidden in your HTTP headers?

Google Aug 02, 2023 ★★★

HTTP response headers are useful for investigating X-Robots directives or other server configuration issues. The URL inspection tool displays the HTTP response code and all HTTP headers returned by the server.

HTTPS & Security Domain Name Local Search Search Console

Are JavaScript resources blocked by robots.txt really killing your indexation?

Google Aug 02, 2023 ★★★

The tool shows which requests were made during crawl and rendering, and why they failed. If resources loaded via JavaScript are blocked by robots.txt and contain important content, Google Search will miss that content.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO

Should you really worry about resource errors in Google Search Console?

Google Aug 02, 2023 ★★

When an error indicates that a resource couldn't be fetched, it generally means Google didn't really need it for rendering and indexing (like fonts), or it took too long to access. This is usually transitory and not concerning.

Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Are JavaScript console messages becoming a critical SEO signal you need to monitor?

Google Aug 02, 2023 ★★

The URL inspection tool displays JavaScript console messages that can provide clues about what happens during page rendering. Developers can interpret these messages for their specific application.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name Local Search Search Console

Why does Google Search Console's live URL test deliver different results every time you run it?

Google Aug 02, 2023 ★★

The live URL test can produce slightly different results on each run because it doesn't use cache and can't wait too long to deliver results. Sometimes certain resources don't finish loading quickly enough.

AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Domain Name Web Performance

Should you really trust Google's testing tools screenshots for SEO diagnosis?

Google Aug 02, 2023 ★★

Although live testing provides a screenshot for an initial overview, it is recommended to focus on HTML, page resources, and HTTP responses in most cases for accurate diagnosis.

Domain Age & History HTTPS & Security AI & SEO

Should You Really Adapt Your Titles Based on What Google Shows in the SERPs?

John Mueller Aug 01, 2023 ★★★

On Mastodon, John Mueller responded to a user who was wondering whether it was wise to rewrite a page's title based on how Google displays it in the SERPs. The search engine notably tends to remove the site name when it appears at the end of a title....

Domain Age & History Content Featured Snippets & SERP AI & SEO Local Search

Why does Google insist on verifying your website ownership?

John Mueller Jul 26, 2023 ★★★

Google recommends that you be the verified owner of your own website. If this is not the case, you must verify with your web developer or hosting provider as soon as possible. Verified ownership of your site is critical.

AI & SEO

Should you really restrict SEO tools to read-only access in Google Search Console?

John Mueller Jul 26, 2023 ★★★

Verify that no SEO tool or service is listed as owner or full user. These tools generally only need to read data and should not be able to make modifications.

AI & SEO