What does Google say about SEO? /
The Content category compiles all official Google statements regarding textual content creation, optimization, and evaluation in the context of search engine optimization. It encompasses fundamental aspects such as editorial quality, E-E-A-T criteria (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness), duplicate content issues, and thin content concerns. Google's positions on these topics are critical for understanding how algorithms assess the relevance and added value of web pages. This category also includes recommendations on structural elements like headings (H1, H2, Hn tags), meta descriptions, and semantic optimization. With the introduction of the Helpful Content system, Google has reinforced the importance of a user-first approach rather than a search engine-first methodology. SEO professionals will find here official guidance for creating content that meets algorithmic expectations while delivering genuine value to users, a balance that has become essential for achieving and maintaining strong rankings in search results. These declarations provide clarity on content strategies that align with Google's evolving quality standards and ranking factors.
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★★ Does Google really share everything it knows about SEO?
The podcast addresses topics that are not officially documented or information that led to what has ultimately been documented. It discusses the context and process behind Google's official communicat...
John Mueller Dec 07, 2020
★★★ Does Google Really Index Hidden CSS Content (display:none and visibility:hidden)?
Martin Splitt (Google Zurich) explained on Twitter that Google treats the Visibility:Hidden and Display:None codes in the same way: text "hidden" in this manner will be read, analyzed by the algorithm...
Martin Splitt Dec 07, 2020
★★★ Are Core Web Vitals really the only three metrics that matter to Google?
Current Core Web Vitals include three metrics: First Input Delay (interactivity), Largest Contentful Paint (main content display), and Cumulative Layout Shift (visual stability). These metrics represe...
Martin Splitt Dec 07, 2020
★★ What insights does Google’s internal podcast reveal about its algorithm?
The podcast shares what the Google Search teams think about and work on, as well as what happens before things become public. It's about sharing elements from daily work as well as discoveries made du...
Martin Splitt Dec 07, 2020
★★ Do Google podcasts reveal more than the official documentation?
A large portion of the podcast content revolves around topics that are not officially documented or information that leads to what eventually gets documented. It is about sharing the process and think...
John Mueller Dec 07, 2020
★★★ Can Google Still Rank Your Page for Old Keywords That Were Removed from the Content?
John Mueller indicated on Twitter that Google can continue to rank a page for an "old query", even if the terms that constitute it have disappeared from the page at some point: "If we know that text w...
John Mueller Dec 07, 2020
★★★ Why isn't Google indexing all of your discovered URLs?
When many URLs fall under the 'discovered, currently not indexed' category, it means that Google has crawled the site and seen these URLs, but is not convinced that indexing them will provide value to...
John Mueller Dec 04, 2020
★★★ How does Google really analyze the anchor text of your backlinks?
Google analyzes the anchor text of external links both at the individual page level and at the site-wide level. The page-level analysis helps to understand the context of individual pages, while the g...
John Mueller Dec 04, 2020
★★★ Does Passage Ranking truly change the game for long-form content?
Passage Ranking aims to better understand the relevant parts of particularly long pages, in order to display them appropriately in search results. It is not an overall ranking improvement, but rather ...
John Mueller Dec 04, 2020
★★★ How does Google group your pages to measure Core Web Vitals?
Google groups pages for Core Web Vitals using URL patterns and content type. To ensure that sections of the site are processed individually, it is recommended to use clear URL structures (/search for ...
John Mueller Dec 04, 2020
★★★ Does the trailing slash in URLs really matter for SEO?
By default, Google does not consider URLs with and without trailing slashes to be identical. Technically, one represents the root of a directory and the other a file within the parent directory. If Go...
John Mueller Dec 04, 2020
★★★ Why are your target queries not showing up in Search Console?
If there are search queries that you expect to see but don't, your site might not have enough useful content relevant to those queries....
Daniel Waisberg Dec 02, 2020
★★★ Should you really write unique titles and meta descriptions for every page?
Write unique page titles and meta description tags for each of your pages. These are HTML elements that indicate to users and search engines what a particular page is about....
Daniel Waisberg Dec 02, 2020
★★★ Should you rewrite your titles and descriptions when impressions skyrocket without clicks following?
If the number of impressions is significantly higher than clicks for a query or page, you may need to create better page titles and descriptions to make your site more appealing to users in search res...
Daniel Waisberg Dec 02, 2020
★★ Are header tags really a ranking factor or just a structural tool?
Use header tags (headings) to emphasize important text on your pages....
Daniel Waisberg Dec 02, 2020
★★★ Should you really create "comprehensive" content to rank on Google?
For SEO, create high-quality content that is factually accurate, clearly written, and comprehensive....
Daniel Waisberg Dec 02, 2020
★★★ Can Artificial SERP Clicks Actually Boost Your Google Rankings?
John Mueller has once again reminded us that creating a "click machine" that would type queries into the search engine and then automatically click on your site's link without returning to the SERP af...
John Mueller Nov 30, 2020
★★ Can Plagiarism of Your Content Actually Hurt Your Google Rankings?
John Mueller also reminded on Twitter that the fact that other sites copy your content will not cause your content to rank lower in the search engine's results....
John Mueller Nov 30, 2020
★★★ Can You Force Googlebot to Crawl Your Site Using HTTP/2?
John Mueller reminded on Twitter that it was not possible to force Googlebot to crawl a site using HTTP/2, following his announcement on this subject last September. Google chooses the protocol used b...
John Mueller Nov 30, 2020
★★★ Are Longer Link Anchors Actually Better for SEO Than Short Ones?
John Mueller explained during a hangout that providing a long link anchor could be a good thing because it gives more contextual information about what the target page offers and this may potentially ...
John Mueller Nov 30, 2020
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