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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★★★ Do structured data really enhance Google's understanding of content?
Structured data is a markup that developers add to their pages so that machines can better understand their content. This markup powers rich results. Google recommends visiting the Search Gallery to b...
Daniel Waisberg Jul 08, 2020
★★★ Are rich results really an SEO lever to prioritize or just a cosmetic gimmick?
Rich results are search results that provide special features or enhanced information. For example, for recipes, you can see an image of the dish and an overview of the ingredients. For job postings, ...
Daniel Waisberg Jul 08, 2020
★★★ How does Google Search Console now monitor your video structured data?
Google announced on Twitter a minor change in how video traffic data is displayed in Search Console: "if you're using structured video data, our report is now aligned with official documentation and w...
Google Jul 06, 2020
★★★ Should You Optimize Your Mobile Site for Landscape Mode in SEO?
John Mueller explained on Twitter that the fact that a website doesn't support "landscape" mode on mobile has no impact on the search engine algorithm and therefore no SEO impact......
John Mueller Jul 06, 2020
★★★ Is content behind login really invisible to Google?
Any content located behind a login system is invisible to search engines and has no SEO impact. Webmasters can therefore freely implement JavaScript interfaces for logged-in users without SEO consider...
Martin Splitt Jul 01, 2020
★★ Why do your PageSpeed testing tools show contradictory LCP and FCP scores?
FCP and LCP do not necessarily happen simultaneously, especially on devices with slow CPUs or slow network connections. Lighthouse run locally can yield different results than PageSpeed Insights execu...
Martin Splitt Jul 01, 2020
★★★ Does Googlebot crawl with cookies enabled or does it ignore your personalized content?
Googlebot does not operate with cookies enabled, so it will only see the content presented to new users. To expose different content (e.g., promotions for existing users), it is advisable to create se...
Martin Splitt Jul 01, 2020
★★★ Should you really hide consent banners from Googlebot to enhance its crawling?
It is technically acceptable not to show user consent pages to Googlebot and to load the main content directly, but this approach carries the risk of being detected as cloaking by Google's heuristics....
Martin Splitt Jul 01, 2020
★★ Is the content behind a login really invisible to Google?
Google cannot index content located behind a login. What happens once the user is logged in has no impact on SEO, and search engines do not care about it....
Martin Splitt Jul 01, 2020
★★★ How can you verify if your JavaScript content is truly indexable by Google?
To confirm if content loaded via scripts or widgets is indexable, use Google’s testing tools (URL Inspection Tool, Mobile-Friendly Test, Rich Results Test) and examine the rendered HTML. If the conten...
Martin Splitt Jul 01, 2020
★★★ Does rendered HTML really ensure JavaScript indexing?
To determine if content loaded by JavaScript is indexable, Google’s testing tools (URL Inspection Tool, Mobile-Friendly Test, Rich Results Test) should be used to examine the rendered HTML. If the con...
Martin Splitt Jul 01, 2020
★★ Should you really redirect Googlebot to www to bypass CORB errors?
It is technically acceptable to redirect only Googlebot to the www domain while keeping users on the non-www version to avoid CORB errors caused by a service worker. However, Martin recommends fixing ...
Martin Splitt Jul 01, 2020
★★★ Why will your hash (#) URLs never be indexed by Google?
URLs containing a hash (#) cannot be crawled or indexed by Google. For temporary content (e.g., sports match) to be findable in search before or during the event, clean routes without a hash must be u...
Martin Splitt Jul 01, 2020
★★ Should you treat Googlebot differently from users to manage redirects?
While it is technically possible to redirect only regular users to the www domain and not Googlebot, this approach makes testing and debugging more difficult. It is better to address the root cause of...
Martin Splitt Jul 01, 2020
★★ Can logged-in users be redirected to different URLs without facing SEO penalties?
It is acceptable to redirect users to different URLs based on the presence of cookies as long as Googlebot can access all content versions via links. This approach does not negatively impact SEO....
Martin Splitt Jul 01, 2020
★★★ Does switching JavaScript frameworks really ruin your SEO?
A simple change of technology (e.g., from Angular to Vue/Nuxt) should not affect SEO as long as the content, site structure, and URLs remain identical. Any drop in traffic observed during a migration ...
Martin Splitt Jul 01, 2020
★★★ Why does Googlebot ignore your cookies and how can you adapt your personalized content strategy?
Googlebot does not execute cookies, so it only sees content intended for new users. To expose multiple variants of content (new vs existing), it is recommended to create separate landing pages accessi...
Martin Splitt Jul 01, 2020
★★★ Does changing your JavaScript framework lead to a drop in Google rankings?
Changing a JavaScript framework (e.g., moving from Angular to Vue/Nuxt) should not in itself lead to a drop in ranking, as Google focuses on the content, not on the technology being used. The drops ob...
Martin Splitt Jul 01, 2020
★★ Should you really show consent screens to Googlebot to avoid possible cloaking penalties?
It is generally acceptable not to show Googlebot the user consent screen and to load the main content directly, especially if there are legal reasons preventing the content from being loaded before co...
Martin Splitt Jul 01, 2020
★★ Is it true that Googlebot can do without pre-rendering?
In 90% of cases, pre-rendering is unnecessary for Googlebot because it executes JavaScript. If pre-rendering is used to work around a JavaScript issue, it is essential to ensure that any remaining Jav...
Martin Splitt Jul 01, 2020
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