What does Google say about SEO? /
The Crawl & Indexing category compiles all official Google statements regarding how Googlebot discovers, crawls, and indexes web pages. These fundamental processes determine which pages from your website will be included in Google's index and potentially appear in search results. This section addresses critical technical mechanisms: crawl budget management to optimize allocated resources, strategic implementation of robots.txt files to control content access, noindex directives for page exclusion, XML sitemap configuration to enhance discoverability, along with JavaScript rendering challenges and canonical URL implementation. Google's official positions on these topics are essential for SEO professionals as they help avoid technical blocking issues, accelerate new content indexation, and prevent unintentional deindexing. Understanding Google's crawling and indexing processes forms the foundation of any effective search engine optimization strategy, directly impacting organic visibility and SERP performance. Whether troubleshooting indexation problems, optimizing crawl efficiency for large websites, or ensuring proper URL canonicalization, these official guidelines provide authoritative answers to complex technical SEO questions that shape modern web presence and discoverability.
Quick SEO Quiz

Test your SEO knowledge in 5 questions

Less than a minute. Find out how much you really know about Google search.

🕒 ~1 min 🎯 5 questions
★★★ Does hreflang really need to be used exclusively for identical content?
Hreflang tags should only be used for identical content across countries or languages. If the content differs, hreflang is not appropriate. The complexity of this implementation must be weighed agains...
John Mueller Jan 08, 2020
★★★ Why do scrapers index faster than your original content?
When an original site is outrun by a scraper, it is often due to technical issues that delay indexing. Ensure that the site is easy to crawl, with a clear structure and quickly updated sitemaps to ass...
John Mueller Jan 08, 2020
★★★ Should you really maintain 301 redirects indefinitely after a domain change?
301 redirects are permanent and should ideally be maintained indefinitely after a domain change. At a minimum, keep them for one year to ensure that all URLs are properly crawled by Googlebot....
John Mueller Jan 08, 2020
★★★ Is it true that hreflang can distinguish between US and UK content for identical pages?
It is possible to use hreflang tags to target English-speaking users in the United States and the United Kingdom with the same content. However, Google may recognize that these pages are identical and...
John Mueller Jan 08, 2020
★★★ How can you leverage Search Console dimensions to supercharge your SEO performance analysis?
Dimensions in Google Search Console, such as countries and pages, describe the attributes of the data. For instance, the 'country' dimension indicates the country of origin for searches related to you...
Daniel Waisberg Jan 08, 2020
★★ Should you really block the indexing of filter and product variation pages?
For large quantities of similar URLs resulting from variations, it may be wiser to concentrate on main category pages for better SEO impact rather than indexing all URLs....
John Mueller Jan 08, 2020
★★★ Do 5xx Errors Really Slow Down Google's Crawling of Your Site?
John Mueller explained on Twitter that if Googlebot encounters a persistent number of 5xx errors (server errors) on a website, the crawl will be slowed down. However, he does not specify at what level...
John Mueller Jan 06, 2020
★★★ Why does the URL Inspection Tool show a 200 code for a 301 redirect?
The URL Inspection Tool in Google Search Console shows a 200 code for a 301 because it displays the final result after redirection, reflecting what Googlebot sees once the redirection process is compl...
Martin Splitt Dec 30, 2019
★★★ Can rel=canonical really enhance your visibility if your content exists elsewhere?
Using the rel=canonical attribute can help designate a preferred version of content, thereby enhancing its visibility in search results, especially in cases of content duplication across multiple site...
John Mueller Dec 27, 2019
★★★ How Does Google's Machine Learning Really Determine Canonicalization Criteria Weights?
The same John Mueller explained during a webmaster hangout an example of how Google can use machine learning algorithms: "So, for example, we use machine learning for canonicalization. We have all the...
John Mueller Dec 23, 2019
★★★ How Does Google Really Process Your XML Sitemap Files?
John Mueller explained on Reddit that Google processes XML sitemap files like an "energy drink effect": "All XML sitemap files from a site are imported into one large common cup where they are mixed, ...
John Mueller Dec 23, 2019
★★★ Why isn't your site showing up in Google's site: search results?
If your site doesn't appear in a 'site:' search, there might be crawling or indexing issues. You can submit your sitemap and URLs to Google Search Console to manage your online presence on Google Sear...
Google Dec 18, 2019
★★★ Does the 'site:' operator really suffice for checking if your pages are indexed?
To check if your website is indexed by Google, use the search 'site:' followed by your site's address on Google. If your site appears in the results, this means that Google has already indexed it....
Google Dec 18, 2019
★★★ How can you manage the surge of Googlebot crawling that crashes your server?
If your site is experiencing a sudden increase in Googlebot crawling that affects server performance, you can adjust the crawl frequency through Google Search Console or submit a request for a specifi...
Google Dec 17, 2019
★★ Does lazy loading really sabotage the indexing of your images?
Deferred loading of images via lazy loading can affect when Googlebot discovers images for indexing. Make sure that critical images for SEO are not omitted by the lazy loading technique....
Google Dec 17, 2019
★★★ Is it true that you should forget about using the Google Indexing API for your standard pages?
Currently, Google's Indexing API is restricted to job listings and live broadcasts. There is no confirmed timeline for its extension to other types of content....
Google Dec 17, 2019
★★★ Does Robots.txt really block the crawling of your images across all your domains?
The robots.txt file is specific to each hostname and protocol. Blocking on a main domain does not block crawling of subdomains or different domains. A 503 code in robots.txt can temporarily stop crawl...
John Mueller Dec 13, 2019
★★★ Why does an old URL still show up in Google after a redirect?
When Google follows a redirect, the destination page is deemed valid, and an old URL might still show up in search if explicitly accessed, for example via a site:oldurl.com request....
John Mueller Dec 13, 2019
★★★ Does the canonical URL selected by Google really impact your rankings?
Google uses several signals to determine the canonical URL, such as 301 redirects, canonical tags, internal and external linking, and sitemap files. Even if Google chooses a canonical URL different fr...
John Mueller Dec 13, 2019
★★★ Should you really limit Googlebot's crawl on your server?
Limit Googlebot's requests if your server is experiencing too many requests. This will help Googlebot prioritize crawling important URLs....
John Mueller Dec 10, 2019
🔔

Get real-time analysis of the latest Google SEO declarations

Be the first to know every time a new official Google statement drops — with full expert analysis.

No spam. Unsubscribe in one click.