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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★★★ What can you truly expect from Google Search Console to optimize your SEO?
With Google Search Console, you can discover how Google crawls and indexes your pages, fix crawl errors, submit updated content to the Google index, and monitor search performance trends by queries, c...
Daniel Waisberg Nov 27, 2019
★★★ Does improving site speed really enhance Google’s crawl frequency and ranking?
Improving your site's speed can indeed increase crawl frequency if Google needs to access more URLs. However, crawl frequency does not guarantee a better ranking; it simply allows for quicker updates ...
John Mueller Nov 26, 2019
★★★ Do Country Selection Interstitials Really Block Your Pages from Being Indexed?
Using an interstitial for country selection can block indexing if it prevents Googlebot from seeing the main content of the page. A banner is recommended to avoid this issue....
John Mueller Nov 26, 2019
★★★ Does Google Really Penalize Websites Using Outdated HTML Code?
John Mueller reminded us on Twitter that Google does not penalize sites that use "old version" HTML, the use of tables, the absence of CSS, the fact that the HTML code does not pass the W3C Validator,...
John Mueller Nov 25, 2019
★★★ Can a Backlink Still Pass SEO Value if the Source Page Isn't Indexed?
John Mueller reminded us on Twitter that a backlink is only taken into account if the link is present in a page indexed by the search engine. If a link exists but the page containing it disappears or ...
John Mueller Nov 25, 2019
★★ Is it really necessary to self-host your website to improve rankings?
If you choose to create a separate website for your business, it will require more effort, but you will have the ability to precisely decide the appearance and content of the site, thus providing bett...
Google Nov 21, 2019
★★★ Should You Really Set a Target Country in Search Console for International SEO?
John Mueller reminded us on Twitter that indicating a target country for a site in Search Console does not prevent it from appearing in the Google version for other countries. For example, if you indi...
John Mueller Nov 18, 2019
★★★ Do rich results really depend on the overall quality of the site?
To display rich results, we need technically correct structured data, logically appropriate markup, and a high-quality website. If you see rich results using a 'site:' query, focus on improving the si...
John Mueller Nov 15, 2019
★★★ Is Mobile-First Indexing a Game Changer for Desktop Ranking?
With mobile-first indexing, Google indexes a site's mobile version instead of the desktop version. This means that mobile content becomes the foundation for indexing and ranking, even for desktop sear...
John Mueller Nov 15, 2019
★★★ Do 302 redirects really penalize SEO less than 301?
A 302 redirect does not negatively affect rankings like a 301 redirect does, as it does not indicate a permanent URL change. This plays an important role in the context of temporary redirects....
John Mueller Nov 15, 2019
★★ Are accented characters in URLs really treated as synonyms by Google?
Special characters in URLs such as accented letters are treated as automatic synonyms in Google search, unless indicated otherwise by user-synonym context....
John Mueller Nov 15, 2019
★★★ Do big images really enhance your visibility in Google Discover?
In Google Discover, visual content, such as large images, tends to attract user attention more effectively....
John Mueller Nov 15, 2019
★★★ Should you really ditch infinite scroll to enhance your indexing?
To ensure good indexing, it is advisable to maintain normal links for pagination rather than infinite scrolling or AJAX techniques, especially for mobile versions of websites....
John Mueller Nov 15, 2019
★★★ Is it true that the Google Indexing API is inaccessible to 99% of websites?
The Indexing API is limited to live streaming content and job postings. For other content, it is recommended to use sitemap files....
John Mueller Nov 15, 2019
★★★ Does Googlebot really click your buttons to index dynamic content?
Googlebot does not click on elements to load additional content. Thus, dynamic content loaded via JavaScript without a distinct URL may not be indexed....
John Mueller Nov 15, 2019
★★★ Is internal duplicate content really harmless for SEO?
Duplicate content within your own site does not lead to a penalty. It is typically viewed as natural and common....
John Mueller Nov 13, 2019
★★★ Should you really block the indexing of internal search in e-commerce?
Google recommends not indexing internal search result pages on an e-commerce site. This can lead to an explosion in the number of indexed URLs without useful content....
John Mueller Nov 13, 2019
★★★ Should You Block Parameterized URLs in Robots.txt or Rely on Canonical Tags Instead?
John Mueller explained on Twitter that you should not use the robots.txt file to deindex parameterized URLs in favor of those same URLs without parameters, because the search engine cannot canonicaliz...
John Mueller Nov 12, 2019
★★★ Should You Build Your XML Sitemap from a Third-Party Crawl or Use an Integrated Solution?
John Mueller indicated on Reddit that it wasn't a good thing to create an XML Sitemap file based on a site crawl by a third-party tool, as URLs can be missed and this can affect server response time d...
John Mueller Nov 12, 2019
★★★ Is There a Specific Loading Time You Should Target to Rank Well on Google?
In a video from the #AskGoogleWebmasters series, John Mueller and Martin Splitt explain that there is no "ideal page loading speed" for Google. Basically, ranking is done between "values" like "very g...
John Mueller Nov 12, 2019
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