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 automate language redirections for your multilingual website?
You can automatically redirect users based on language or allow them to choose from a selection page. Ensure that language versions remain crawlable....
John Mueller Sep 07, 2017
★★★ Does site structure really enhance its indexing?
A good site structure makes crawling and indexing easier, but it doesn’t guarantee high rankings; overall content quality remains essential....
John Mueller Sep 07, 2017
★★★ Do image redirections to HTML pages pass on PageRank?
Google does not transfer signals from an image redirection to an HTML page. Images and HTML pages are treated differently in indexing....
John Mueller Sep 07, 2017
★★★ Is the mobile-first index rendering your desktop SEO strategy obsolete?
Google is transitioning to a mobile-first index, where the mobile version of a site will be the reference for indexing and ranking. Responsive sites have nothing to fear, while those with separate des...
Google Sep 05, 2017
★★★ Is it enough to rely solely on SEO techniques to secure a top ranking?
Following technical SEO recommendations helps Google to better understand and index your content, but it does not necessarily guarantee that your site will be ranked in the top position if the content...
John Mueller Sep 05, 2017
★★★ Should you really avoid robots.txt to block your deleted pages?
It is advised not to use robots.txt to block the crawling of pages that no longer exist on a website, as this prevents Google from recognizing that the page returns a 404 or 410 error, slowing down in...
Google Sep 05, 2017
★★ Are the URL parameters set in Search Console actually ignored by Google?
URL parameters set to not change content are generally ignored during indexing, but random checks are possible to confirm that the parameter is correctly configured....
John Mueller Sep 05, 2017
★★ Should you wait for mobile-first indexing or take action now?
No specific date is set for the transition to the mobile-first index. However, this is unlikely to occur before 2018. Currently, Google is conducting tests to mitigate repercussions and enhance the sy...
Google Sep 05, 2017
★★ Is the app/web equivalence really a no-cloaking criterion for Google?
The content displayed in an app through app indexing must be equivalent to the content displayed on the website to avoid issues such as cloaking....
John Mueller Sep 05, 2017
★★★ Should You Really Remove All Hash (#) Links to Boost Your SEO?
John Mueller indicated on Twitter that Google completely ignores links like <a href="#"> (often used, for example, to open pop-up windows) since they lead "nowhere" according to John......
John Mueller Sep 04, 2017
★★★ Is it really necessary to avoid massive changes during a website redesign?
When updating a website, avoid making massive changes all at once. Proceed in stages, for example by publishing updates section by section. Ensure that the old queries you were ranked for are still co...
Google Aug 31, 2017
★★★ Should you really limit the number of URLs submitted to Google for larger sites?
For large-scale websites, avoid submitting hundreds of thousands of unnecessary URLs. Use a sitemap file to indicate which pages should be indexed as a priority....
Google Aug 31, 2017
★★★ Can Google really ignore your duplicate content even with canonicals in place?
Google might not index duplicate information found on multiple pages. Use practices like defining canonicals to indicate to Google which version of a page should be indexed in order to avoid duplicate...
Google Aug 31, 2017
★★★ What Does Google Do When Your Site Sends Conflicting Canonical Signals?
John Mueller indicated on Twitter that when contradictory and/or conflicting signals are sent to Google regarding "canonical" tags (for example: an HTTPS URL containing a "canonical" tag pointing to t...
John Mueller Aug 28, 2017
★★★ What Does the "Expired" Status in Search Console's URL Removal Tool Really Mean?
John Mueller explained what the "Expired" status means in Search Console and the "Remove URLs" tool. This status indicates that no specific action is needed to deindex the page, as it is covered by a ...
John Mueller Aug 28, 2017
★★★ Does Googlebot Always Start Crawling from a Website's Homepage?
John Mueller indicated on Twitter that Googlebot generally crawls a site's homepage first, simply because it's the first page it finds. But that it's not mandatory....
John Mueller Aug 28, 2017
★★★ How does Google really manage duplicate content in its index?
Google automatically processes duplicate content by attempting to select a canonical URL to index. Having distinct and unique content on each page helps avoid any ambiguity....
John Mueller Aug 25, 2017
★★★ Can the canonical tag really block doorway pages?
Google recommends using the canonical tag to prevent doorway page issues. This allows signals to point towards the preferred primary domain or page....
John Mueller Aug 25, 2017
★★★ Is it really necessary to remove .html extensions from your URLs to enhance your SEO?
There is no SEO advantage to removing suffixes like .html from URLs unless it is combined with a major site redesign. Otherwise, this could lead to unnecessary reindexing....
John Mueller Aug 25, 2017
★★★ How can you manage duplicate content between two sites without harming their indexing?
If you want to index two sites that share content, make sure each site has meaningful unique content. Otherwise, use canonical tags to indicate your indexing preference....
John Mueller Aug 25, 2017
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