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.
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★★★ Should you really stop placing category pages in noindex?
Google advises against using the noindex tag on category, author, or list pages (for example, in WordPress). Allowing Google to crawl and index all pages helps the algorithm better understand the site...
Anonyme (金谷武明) Jun 04, 2020
★★★ Can you relaunch an old domain without being penalized for duplicate content by spammers?
If a site that has been closed for a year is relaunched on a new domain and its content has been copied by scraping sites, Google will likely not penalize the legitimate site for duplication. The algo...
Anonyme (金谷武明) Jun 04, 2020
★★ Do Google penalties really spread between domains and subdomains?
Google does not reveal whether manual or algorithmic penalties propagate between the main domain and subdomains, to avoid exposing anti-spam methods. Avoid creating content that risks manual action....
金谷武明 Jun 04, 2020
★★★ Why doesn't Google display your FAQ rich results even with perfect markup?
The display of FAQ rich results in the SERPs is determined by Google's algorithm, not by the webmaster. Even if the structured data is correct and error-free in Search Console, Google may choose not t...
Anonyme (金谷武明) Jun 04, 2020
★★★ What should you do if your site lost traffic after a Core Update without making any mistakes?
The May 2020 Core Algorithm Update is complete and deployed. If a site has lost traffic, it doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a problem: the decline may be due to the emergence of higher quality conten...
Anonyme (金谷武明) Jun 04, 2020
★★★ Does a ranking drop after a Core Update really indicate an issue with your site?
The May 2020 Core Algorithm Update is over. A ranking drop does not necessarily mean there's a problem with the site: it can result from the enhancement of competing content. There isn't always a corr...
金谷武明 Jun 04, 2020
★★★ Should you really report every scraping URL via the Spam Report to prompt action from Google?
In the face of mass scraping or hacked sites displaying stolen content, Google advises reporting each URL via the Spam Report. Although each report may not lead to individual action, these reports ass...
Anonyme (金谷武明) Jun 04, 2020
★★★ Why does Google remember your SEO history even after a drastic content change?
Historical data influences ranking. An older site has accumulated signals (links) over the years. Some algorithms (adult content, quality) have a memory: a site that changes from adult content to gene...
John Mueller May 29, 2020
★★★ Do Google Core Updates Really Impact Your Google Business Profile?
John Mueller explained, once again on Twitter, that Google's "core updates" have no impact on the display of "My Business" data in the SERPs. The two systems are uncorrelated. That said, there can be ...
John Mueller May 18, 2020
★★ Why doesn't the Disavow file hide bad links in Search Console?
The Disavow file does not affect the display of links in the link report of Search Console. Disavowed links will continue to appear in this report even if they are ignored by the algorithm....
John Mueller May 15, 2020
★★★ Why does Google not index all your pages despite active crawling?
When Search Console shows a lot of 'Discovered - currently not indexed' or 'Crawled - currently not indexed' pages, it is often because Google's algorithms are not convinced by the overall quality of ...
John Mueller May 15, 2020
★★ Is Google algorithmically downgrading specific sectors during health crises?
Google does not algorithmically downgrade travel sites or any other sector specifically due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Traffic fluctuations are related to user behavior, not an algorithmic adjustment a...
John Mueller May 15, 2020
★★ Should you really fix the missing images detected by Google on mobile?
Google may signal missing images on mobile even if the publisher has intentionally reduced their number (e.g., related products in the sidebar). If the webmaster considers this difference acceptable, ...
John Mueller May 14, 2020
★★ Should you really align the word order in your meta description with the target query?
Writing the meta description with keywords in the exact order of the query can improve the click-through rate if it makes the snippet more appealing to the user. Google recommends testing different va...
John Mueller May 14, 2020
★★ Does Google really give a 6-month notice before any major SEO changes?
Google Search strives to give at least 6 months' notice before any major algorithmic change requiring webmaster action (e.g., HTTPS, AMP, Page Speed). For Chrome initiatives (slowness warnings), the t...
John Mueller May 14, 2020
★★ Does Google really announce its major algorithm changes 6 months in advance?
When Google anticipates a significant algorithmic change that webmasters can act upon, the Search team strives to communicate at least 6 months in advance. This timeframe allows sites to plan and make...
John Mueller May 14, 2020
★★ Does Google flag missing images on mobile: Should you ignore these alerts if your mobile version is intentionally different?
Google may report missing images on mobile even if the webmaster considers this difference intentional and acceptable (e.g., fewer associated products displayed). If the mobile version aligns with you...
John Mueller May 14, 2020
★★ Should you optimize your site for synonyms, or does Google really handle it all by itself?
John Mueller recommends checking out Paul Haahr's video (Google engineer) presented at the Webmaster Conference 2019, which explains in detail how Google algorithmically detects and utilizes synonyms....
John Mueller May 14, 2020
★★★ Does Google really understand your synonyms better than you do?
Google automatically learns that certain generic terms primarily refer to a specific concept (e.g., 'jeans' → 'jeanshosen' at 80%, 'jeansjacken' at 20%). This weighting is acquired through machine lea...
John Mueller May 14, 2020
★★★ Do core updates really not penalize any technical errors?
Core updates (such as the June 2019 update) improve the relevance of search results. A drop in ranking after a core update does not necessarily indicate a technical error or a penalty, but suggests th...
John Mueller May 13, 2020
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