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 Googlebot really handle JavaScript sites as well as static ones?
Googlebot can process sites based on JavaScript frameworks like Angular, but it is recommended to use tools like the mobile compatibility test to ensure these pages are rendered and indexed correctly....
John Mueller Jul 27, 2018
★★★ Does lazy-loading images really block Google indexing?
For lazy-loaded images, inserting an image tag within a noscript element allows Google to properly recognize and index them....
John Mueller Jul 27, 2018
★★★ How does Google really transfer signals during an HTTPS migration?
When transitioning a site from HTTP to HTTPS, if the migration is done correctly, Google can easily transfer all properties from the old site to the new one. In cases of technical errors, such as misc...
John Mueller Jul 27, 2018
★★ Does stock level really influence the ranking of your product listings?
We do not consider stock levels to influence the ranking in search....
John Mueller Jul 27, 2018
★★★ Does a noindex tag on an HTML page really prevent the indexing of its associated AMP version?
If a traditional page is set to noindex, we do not follow the link to the AMP page. For a standalone AMP, it can be indexed independently if linked correctly....
John Mueller Jul 27, 2018
★★ Do multiple social profiles really boost your SEO?
Creating additional social profiles for the same brand does not improve the ranking of the main site. Social profiles can be indexed if public, but they do not affect the relevance of search results f...
John Mueller Jul 27, 2018
★★ Why does Google Cache display your page differently from the actual rendering?
Differences between the Google cache rendering and the actual rendering of your page may occur due to access restrictions to CSS or JS files, but this will not affect Google's ability to index your co...
John Mueller Jul 27, 2018
★★★ Does the canonical tag really work if the pages are different?
For the canonical tag to be effective, the pages must have equivalent content. Use rel=next/prev for paginated series instead of enforced canonicals to the first page....
John Mueller Jul 27, 2018
★★ Why do HTTP and HTTPS create two distinct indexes in Search Console?
In Search Console, it is important to verify the correct HTTP or HTTPS versions of a site as indexations can vary between them after a migration....
John Mueller Jul 27, 2018
★★★ Should you still use the Fetch as Google tool to index your pages?
To submit URLs for Google's index, it is recommended to use the 'Fetch as Google' tool in Search Console, especially following the removal of public submission tools....
John Mueller Jul 27, 2018
★★★ Should You Really Avoid Combining Noindex, Canonical, and Disallow on the Same Page?
John Mueller, on Reddit this time, indicated that Canonical tags and meta robots "noindex" (just like Disallow: in the robots.txt file) should not be used at the same time because they are contradicto...
John Mueller Jul 23, 2018
★★★ Should You Notify Google About Site Migrations or Redesigns for Better Crawling?
John Mueller, this time on Twitter, explained that Google does not need a tool allowing webmasters to inform the search engine of major changes to a site, such as during a migration or massive redesig...
John Mueller Jul 23, 2018
★★★ Why Hasn't Google's Mobile First Index Been Fully Rolled Out After All These Years?
Again John Mueller, on Twitter, explained that the Mobile First Index was still being rolled out (we periodically see messages about this appearing in Search Console) and that there was still a lot of...
John Mueller Jul 23, 2018
★★★ Does the canonical tag really work like a 301 redirect?
The use of the canonical tag is similar to redirects in designating a primary page, but clear signals must be provided to Google to avoid any ambiguity regarding which page to canonize....
John Mueller Jul 20, 2018
★★ Does Google Cache Really Require Your Active Management?
Google's cache is built automatically when Google indexes pages. No specific action from the webmaster is required to manage it....
John Mueller Jul 20, 2018
★★ Why don't Google's live testing tools always reflect actual indexing?
Testing tools like Fetch and Render are more patient and reliable for seeing how Google views a page compared to live testing tools that have strict time limits to obtain quick results....
John Mueller Jul 20, 2018
★★ Should you really use noindex in JavaScript for out-of-stock pages?
A noindex tag added via JavaScript is recognized by Google, but the processing may be delayed because JavaScript rendering takes longer. This differs if the noindex tag is present from the initial loa...
John Mueller Jul 20, 2018
★★★ Does Google really keep a page indexed after a 500 or 404 error?
Google is resilient to 500 and 404 errors. If the page is important, Google may retain its indexed status until the page becomes accessible again....
John Mueller Jul 20, 2018
★★★ How can you remove an entire section of your website from Google in under 24 hours?
To quickly remove an entire section of a website, using Google's URL removal tool for specific directories allows for removal in less than one day. More fragmentary removals require the use of 404 cod...
John Mueller Jul 20, 2018
★★★ Can the robots.txt really block the indexing of your pages?
A noindex directive in the robots.txt file is not officially supported and may not work anymore. It is recommended not to rely on this method to prevent the indexing of pages....
John Mueller Jul 20, 2018
🔔

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.