What does Google say about SEO? /
This category compiles all official Google statements regarding its ranking algorithms and their successive updates. Algorithms form the foundation of the search engine and determine website visibility in search results. Here you'll find Google communications about Core Updates, those major algorithm refreshes deployed several times yearly, alongside historical algorithms such as Panda (content quality), Penguin (link spam), Hummingbird (semantic understanding), and artificial intelligence innovations like RankBrain and BERT. SEO professionals will discover official positions on recent thematic updates including the Helpful Content Update, designed to reward genuinely useful content for users, and Spam Updates targeting manipulative practices. Understanding Google's official statements about these algorithms is crucial for anticipating ranking fluctuations, adapting SEO strategies to search engine evolution, and aligning practices with official recommendations rather than relying on speculation or misinformation. This resource helps practitioners distinguish between confirmed algorithmic factors and industry myths, enabling data-driven optimization decisions. Whether responding to sudden traffic changes or planning long-term SEO strategies, these official declarations provide the authoritative foundation needed for effective search engine optimization in an ever-evolving digital landscape.
★★★ Why does Google stagger Core Updates over multiple weeks instead of releasing them all at once?
John Mueller explains that Core Updates are not deployed all at once, but in stages, because they affect multiple systems and components that must be pushed out progressively. He also clarifies that t...
John Mueller Apr 07, 2026
★★★ Do 'Crawled – not indexed' pages really harm your entire website's visibility?
Having many pages with 'Crawled – not indexed' status does not mean that the entire site is considered low-quality or algorithmically penalized. It simply indicates that Google decided not to index th...
Google Mar 05, 2026
★★★ Are favicons disappearing from SERPs a signal of a Google penalty?
John Mueller confirmed on LinkedIn that the display or disappearance of favicons in Google search results is not affected by core updates. This clarification follows the complaint of a user whose favi...
John Mueller Jan 20, 2026
★★ Why Can't Google Announce Its Core Updates in Advance?
On Bluesky, John Mueller responded to an article by Barry Schwartz regarding Core Updates. According to John Mueller, it is impossible for Google to announce a precise date in advance for these update...
John Mueller Dec 23, 2025
★★ Should you really optimize your entire site after an algorithmic update?
To plan improvements after a ranking drop caused by an algorithmic update, you need to make improvements across your entire site, not just on individual pages. You must examine your entire site and id...
Google Dec 18, 2025
★★★ Is the 'content for humans' mantra still worth believing in 2025?
All of Google's ranking systems aim to reward content created for human beings, not for search algorithms or LLMs. This guiding principle remains valid for all formats, including AI....
Danny Sullivan Dec 17, 2025
★★ Should you completely rethink your SEO strategy for Google Discover?
During the Google Search Central Live event in Zurich, Andy Almeida (from Google's Trust & Safety team) presented a slide indicating "minimal alignment" between Discover rankings and classic Search ra...
Google Dec 16, 2025
★★★ Should You Really Wait for Google's Core Updates to See Your SEO Efforts Pay Off?
A few days before rolling out its December Core Update, Google modified its documentation dedicated to developers to confirm that it regularly deploys "smaller core updates" (minor updates to the algo...
Google Dec 16, 2025
★★★ Does a Domain Name with a Keyword in the Extension (.music, .photo, .shop) Actually Improve Your SEO?
John Mueller gave an unequivocal answer to a question on Reddit regarding the value of registering a .music domain for SEO purposes: there is no direct SEO advantage. Google does not grant algorithmic...
John Mueller Nov 25, 2025
★★★ Should You Worry When Googlebot Changes Its Crawl Frequency on Your Site?
John Mueller has once again confirmed that variations in crawl frequencies (exploration) are not linked to the launch or preparation of major Google algorithm updates. This independence has been confi...
John Mueller Sep 09, 2025
★★★ Should You Adapt Your SEO Strategy to Google's MUVERA Algorithm?
Google has not confirmed using MUVERA (Multi-Vector Retrieval via Fixed Dimensional Encodings), despite certain rumors circulating in the SEO community. Gary Illyes clarified on LinkedIn that he never...
Gary Illyes Aug 12, 2025
★★★ Why Can't EEAT Just Be Added to Your Site Like a Regular SEO Factor?
Google has confirmed that EEAT (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) cannot simply be "added" to a web page like a standard SEO element. At the Search Central Live NYC event,...
John Mueller Apr 08, 2025
★★★ Do Google Quality Raters Actually Control Your Site's Ranking?
During Search Central Live NYC, John Mueller also emphasized the importance of quality raters, these evaluators who assess the effectiveness of Google's algorithm updates. Although these evaluations d...
John Mueller Apr 01, 2025
★★★ Why Do 15% of Never-Before-Seen Google Queries Change Your SEO Strategy?
Finally, John Mueller reaffirmed that 15% of queries handled by Google are completely new; a figure that remains stable over the years despite the rise of AI in search. To answer these queries that ca...
John Mueller Apr 01, 2025
★★★ Why is Google deploying two separate core updates at the same time?
The search quality team has recently launched two core updates affecting different components of Google Search. These updates address various parts considered to be part of Google Search's 'core.'...
John Mueller Jan 14, 2025
★★★ Can Google Core Updates Actually Change Your Site Name in Search Results?
On Bluesky, John Mueller clarified that Core Updates, meaning the main algorithm updates, should not impact the display or change of site names in search results. This response followed a user who ind...
John Mueller Jan 14, 2025
★★★ What exactly is a Google spam update and how can you effectively protect your site from it?
Google has launched a spam update. These types of updates are announced on the Search Status dashboard, with RSS feeds available to subscribe and be informed first....
John Mueller Jan 14, 2025
★★ Why is your site losing ground on generic queries while brand queries remain unaffected?
For a medical site, a significant decline in competitive generic queries (procedure names, common issues) while brand queries perform normally indicates an algorithmic problem rather than a technical ...
Google Nov 28, 2024
★★★ Has Buying Links Really Become Useless for SEO?
The detection of reliable links has significantly improved over the years. Consequently, buying links is now at risk of becoming useless, as Google is better at identifying manipulative links....
Google Nov 28, 2024
★★ Why is Google suddenly refreshing its documentation on video SEO, title links, and crawlers?
Google has updated its documentation pages concerning video SEO, title links, Google crawlers, and core updates. The team is encouraging feedback via feedback links to further improve clarity....
John Mueller Nov 13, 2024
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