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.
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★★★ 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
★★★ 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 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
★★★ Why can't your images be indexed without a landing page?
For images to appear in image search, they must be associated with an indexable landing page. You cannot have indexed images without their pages....
John Mueller Nov 15, 2019
★★★ Should you really use the URL parameter management tool to optimize crawling?
If you have URL parameters that complicate crawling, such as those for sorting or filtering, you can use the parameter management tool. Otherwise, if crawling is functioning well, it is not necessary ...
John Mueller Nov 15, 2019
★★★ Can single-page websites really rank well in SEO?
Single-page websites can rank well in search results if they cover the subject thoroughly. However, it is generally more advantageous to expand an existing site rather than create multiple single-page...
John Mueller Nov 13, 2019
★★★ What does the status 'valid' in Google Search Console really mean?
The term 'valid' in Google's Search Console can be misleading. It is used to indicate that a page has been indexed, not that it contains errors....
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
★★★ 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
★★★ 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
★★★ Does Googlebot really ignore Chrome's security restrictions?
Chrome's security changes, such as blocking mixed content or not supporting TLS 1.0/1.1, do not apply to Googlebot. These security measures do not directly influence Googlebot's crawling ability on si...
Google Nov 06, 2019
★★★ Is your mobile version truly ready for Mobile-First indexing?
After the shift to Mobile-First indexing, content is primarily indexed from the mobile version. If the mobile version isn't correctly set up, it can cause visibility issues for certain URLs in search ...
Google Nov 06, 2019
★★★ Does BERT Really Require No Technical SEO Optimization Whatsoever?
Danny Sullivan reiterated on Twitter, as he typically does after almost every "core update," that there were no real modifications (particularly technical ones) to anticipate on your site following BE...
Danny Sullivan Nov 04, 2019
★★★ Should You Split Your XML Sitemap Into Multiple Smaller Files Instead of One Large File?
John Mueller explained during a Reddit discussion that there is no ideal size for an XML Sitemap file. Generally speaking, he added that the size of this file does not influence the crawling of the si...
John Mueller Nov 04, 2019
★★ Should you really use the URL removal tool to manage redirects?
The URL removal tool in Search Console should not be used for URLs that simply redirect, as it does not change indexing. Use it only if you must urgently prevent content from appearing in search resul...
John Mueller Nov 01, 2019
★★★ Should you be concerned about a high number of HTTP 410 statuses on your site?
A high number of URLs returning a 410 status has no negative impact on rankings. Over time, Googlebot is more focused on URLs returning a 200 status, but an increased number of 410s is neither a good ...
John Mueller Nov 01, 2019
★★★ Is it true that hidden content in tabs and accordions is actually considered by Google?
In mobile-first indexing, Google treats loaded but hidden content, such as that behind a tab or dropdown menu, as ordinary page content, as long as it is already in the default HTML....
John Mueller Nov 01, 2019
★★★ Can layout changes really hurt your organic search rankings?
Significant layout changes that emphasize non-informative elements, such as a booking tool, can make it difficult for Google to determine the main content of a page, which can affect its indexing and ...
John Mueller Oct 31, 2019
★★ Does using noindex really decrease the crawl frequency of your pages?
Using noindex on certain pages may reduce their crawl frequency. Decide whether you want to keep a page always indexed, or use noindex if you are certain it won't add value for a long time....
John Mueller Oct 31, 2019
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