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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★★ Is Bounce Rate Really a Ranking Factor on Google?
Gary Illyes reaffirmed on Twitter for the 478th time that bounce rate is not taken into account by Google's algorithms, simply because "it's not a good relevance signal". And once again, we can only a...
Gary Illyes Apr 10, 2017
★★★ How do your SEO changes boost your site… only to bring it back down?
Changes to your site can lead to temporary increases in rankings, but if the changes are not seen as significant, the site may drop back down. This is not due to an 'algorithmic bias'....
John Mueller Apr 07, 2017
★★★ Why does Google only announce certain algorithm updates?
Google announces algorithm updates when the changes are significant and may benefit from specific recommendations for webmasters, such as mobile-related changes or HTTPS....
John Mueller Apr 07, 2017
★★★ Do Social Signals Like Facebook Likes Actually Impact Google Rankings?
Gary Illyes indicated on Twitter for the 3,487th time that Google's algorithm does not take into account Facebook "Likes" (like the vast majority of social signals in general, for that matter). Some b...
Gary Illyes Apr 03, 2017
★★ How Have Google's Duplicate Content Detection Algorithms Really Evolved Over the Years?
Googler Paul Haahr, usually quite discreet but nevertheless highly relevant when he speaks, indicated that duplicate content detection algorithms at Google are constantly evolving, but have remained f...
Google Apr 03, 2017
★★★ Are Google's SEO Penalties and Adsense Really Independent From Each Other?
The same Gary Illyes indicated, also on Twitter, that just like with the Adwords Team, there was no interaction between the Search Quality Team (the teams that inflict penalties on websites that attem...
Gary Illyes Apr 03, 2017
★ What Does Google's Fred Update Really Reveal About Penalized Sites?
The same Gary Illyes indicated during the SMX West conference the Fred update of March 9th, arguing that this algorithm update was based on points present in Google's guidelines. But he didn't say whi...
Gary Illyes Mar 27, 2017
★★★ Why does Google prioritize deploying new features in the United States?
Some Google features may first be launched in English or in the United States, before gradually appearing in other regions, depending on algorithm developments....
John Mueller Mar 24, 2017
★★ Why do HTTPS migrations break your canonicalization?
Issues can arise in recognizing canonical URLs during HTTP to HTTPS migrations due to Google's algorithms. Proper implementation of redirects and internal links remains crucial....
John Mueller Mar 24, 2017
★★★ Why aren't your featured snippets showing up in every country?
Featured snippets can vary from one region to another and from one language to another based on Google's algorithms. This is due to automatic adjustments in snippet positioning according to the result...
John Mueller Mar 24, 2017
★★★ Is mobile speed really going to make a difference in search results?
Mobile page speed will be incorporated into the mobile-first algorithm. This reflects the importance of user experience on mobile, where users’ patience is often more limited than on desktop....
John Mueller Mar 24, 2017
★ Is Google's Page Layout Algorithm Still Penalizing Your Site in 2024?
Gary Illyes indicated on Twitter that the Page Layout algorithm, which has been updated several times in the past and aims to penalize pages with too many ads embedded in editorial content, somewhat l...
Gary Illyes Mar 20, 2017
★★★ Does Optimizing Keywords in URLs Really Matter for SEO?
John Mueller, once again, reminded us on Twitter that the presence of keywords in URLs is a weak ranking factor for the search engine's algorithm, especially since on mobile devices, we don't even see...
John Mueller Mar 13, 2017
★★★ Does A/B testing on page titles pose issues for Google?
Changing titles for A/B testing is acceptable to Google, but it’s challenging to track which version is displayed in search results, especially since Google can also algorithmically rewrite titles....
John Mueller Mar 10, 2017
★★★ Do low-quality pages really sabotage the authority of your entire site?
When Google's algorithm evaluates a site, it considers low-quality pages, thus affecting the overall perception of the site....
John Mueller Mar 07, 2017
★★★ Can unintentional duplicate content really hinder your Panda recovery?
If a high-quality site innocently uses your content, it should not delay or prevent a recovery related to a Panda penalty....
John Mueller Mar 07, 2017
★★★ Does the Knowledge Graph really operate without manual intervention from Google?
Knowledge Graph entries are generated algorithmically and can appear or disappear over time. Google does not manually modify these entries....
John Mueller Mar 07, 2017
★★ How Can You Effectively Optimize Your Images for Google Images in 2024?
John Mueller also reminded us this week of the various criteria taken into account by the Google Images algorithm: image file name, Alt attribute, Title attribute of a link pointing to the image, capt...
John Mueller Mar 06, 2017
★ Does Panda Really Analyze Your Entire Site Architecture or Just Content Quality?
John Mueller indicated in a hangout that the Panda filter takes into account not only the quality of the content offered by a website, but also the entire site and therefore its architecture, without ...
John Mueller Mar 06, 2017
★★★ Why does Google roll out language-targeted algorithms?
Google sometimes makes algorithm updates aimed at issues specific to certain languages or regions. These updates are not new and can happen as needed....
Google Mar 02, 2017
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