What does Google say about SEO?

Why does Google News require complete transparency about author identity?

Cherry Prommawin May 15, 2023 ★★★

An essential part of Google News policies is transparency: providing clear dates, information about authors, publication, and publisher. Visitors want to know who writes the content they read.

Content Discover & News AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO

Are pop-ups and ads really killing your SEO rankings?

Cherry Prommawin May 15, 2023 ★★

When monetizing, don't forget about user experience. Avoid pop-ups or excessive ads that can irritate users or slow down pages.

Domain Age & History

Is your paywall triggering Google's cloaking detection without you knowing it?

Cherry Prommawin May 15, 2023 ★★★

If you implement a metered paywall, paywall, or login wall, use appropriate structured data. This helps Google differentiate paid content from cloaking, which violates the anti-spam policy. Content behind the paywall must be crawlable and indexable.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Penalties & Spam

Are Google Search Essentials Really Enough to Rank Well in Google?

Daniel Waisberg May 15, 2023 ★★★

Google Search Essentials include the fundamental elements that make your web content eligible to appear and perform well in Google Search. These criteria define what allows content to be indexed and ranked.

Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO

Is user-centric content really the ranking factor Google claims it to be?

Daniel Waisberg May 15, 2023 ★★★

Google's systems are designed to surface helpful, reliable content created primarily for people, not for search engines. This is a fundamental principle of ranking.

Content AI & SEO

Has first-hand experience become a non-negotiable ranking factor for Google?

Daniel Waisberg May 15, 2023 ★★

Experience demonstrates the extent to which the content creator possesses the direct or lived experience necessary for the subject matter. For example, for product reviews, Google values content from people who have actually used the product.

Content E-commerce AI & SEO Local Search

Is creator expertise really the game-changing ranking factor Google claims it is?

Daniel Waisberg May 15, 2023 ★★

Expertise demonstrates the extent to which the content creator possesses the knowledge or skills necessary for the subject. For example, for health advice, Google prioritizes content written by doctors or researchers.

Content AI & SEO

Is thematic authority really enough to position yourself as a reference source in Google's eyes?

Daniel Waisberg May 15, 2023 ★★

Authority demonstrates the extent to which the content creator or website is recognized as an indispensable source for the subject. For example, to renew a passport, the official government page will be the most authoritative source.

Domain Age & History Content AI & SEO

Does Google really penalize you for not specifying timezone information in your structured data dates?

Cherry Prommawin May 15, 2023 ★★★

Provide a publication date to Google by following byline date guidelines. Use structured data to specify a date and timezone to help Google better understand article dates.

Discover & News AI & SEO

Should you really update your article's publication date every time you make changes?

Cherry Prommawin May 15, 2023 ★★★

For an article page receiving a significant update, modify the article's date and label the dates with text such as 'published', 'updated', or 'last updated'. Also use the dateModified structured data field.

Domain Age & History Content Discover & News Mobile SEO

Does Google really not care how you structure your editorial approach to breaking news?

Daniel Waisberg May 15, 2023 ★★

For continuous news coverage, some sites use the same page for different updates, while others publish multiple pages for the same story. Google has no preference for one particular method over another.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO Links & Backlinks Pagination & Structure

Should you remove logos and watermarks from your images to boost SEO performance?

Daniel Waisberg May 15, 2023 ★★

Use relevant images for the article and avoid logos or oversized watermarks that make images difficult to understand. Important information should not be integrated solely within images but also in accessible, crawlable text format.

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing Discover & News AI & SEO Images & Videos

Does Google News really consider all websites automatically, or are there hidden criteria you need to know about?

Cherry Prommawin May 15, 2023 ★★★

Web content is automatically considered for Google News. To appear, it must meet three criteria: high levels of E-E-A-T, consistent history of news-related content production, and compliance with Google News policies.

Domain Age & History Content Discover & News E-commerce

Does Google really penalize websites when ads dominate editorial content?

Cherry Prommawin May 15, 2023 ★★★

Advertising and other promotional elements must not exceed your editorial content. It is important to clearly distinguish what is a paid placement and what is not, in accordance with Google News guidelines.

Content Discover & News AI & SEO

Do you really need to tag ALL your outbound links with rel=sponsored or rel=ugc?

Cherry Prommawin May 15, 2023 ★★★

To inform Google about the relationship with linked pages, use rel attribute values such as 'sponsored' and 'ugc'. Leaving spam links, paid links, or user-generated links untagged can result in a violation of Google's anti-spam policies.

Domain Age & History AI & SEO JavaScript & Technical SEO Links & Backlinks Penalties & Spam

Should You Really Avoid Using Noindex and Canonical Together on the Same Page?

John Mueller May 09, 2023 ★★

Google has always said that you shouldn't use noindex and a canonical tag at the same time. But John Mueller recently played his "it depends" card on Twitter. "For identical pages you don't care much about, use rel=canonical. For different pages like...

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Social Media

Should You Use "Coming Soon" Pages During a Site Migration?

John Mueller May 09, 2023 ★★★

According to John Mueller, it's best to avoid "coming back soon" pages as much as possible during a redesign. On Twitter, he indicates that he would simply use a 503 status code if the site migration lasts less than 2 days. If it's longer, it will be...

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Pagination & Structure Redirects Social Media

Why Are Your WebP Images Showing Up in Search Console's 'Crawled - Not Indexed' Report?

John Mueller May 09, 2023 ★★★

A Reddit user noticed they had many WebP images appearing in the "Crawled - currently not indexed" report in Search Console. John Mueller responded that WebP images are not indexed as HTML pages, since they are images. But in that case, why do they a...

Domain Age & History Content Crawl & Indexing AI & SEO Images & Videos Links & Backlinks Domain Name Search Console

Should You Really Disavow Links Flagged as Toxic by SEO Tools?

John Mueller May 09, 2023 ★★★

John Mueller is not a big fan of link disavowal. On Twitter, he stated that it was a "terrible idea" to disavow links based on metrics from a third-party tool. He also added "Plus, none of these metrics are taken into account by Google, as any SEO to...

Content AI & SEO Links & Backlinks PDF & Files Social Media

Does Google really ignore links coming from penalized sites?

Duy Nguyen May 04, 2023 ★★★

Google does not trust links coming from sites identified as spam by algorithms or manual actions. This allows it to maintain the quality of anchor signals used for ranking.

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