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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★★ Can Google actually crawl and index Web3 domains like .eth?
Web3 addresses like .eth domains are invented and unofficial top-level domains. Google cannot crawl or index them, even if a browser plugin allows their resolution. They operate similarly to the Tor n...
John Mueller May 30, 2023
★★★ Is JavaScript really indexed by Google, or should you still be cautious about it?
Google is capable of rendering JavaScript and indexing client-side generated content. The claim that JavaScript content is not indexed by Google is false, as long as there are no technical problems....
Martin Splitt May 30, 2023
★★★ Should you really prioritize the 410 code over 404 to signal a deleted page?
Google treats HTTP 404 (Not Found) and 410 (Gone) status codes the same way internally. Search Console displays them identically as well, which reflects the actual processing performed by Google's cra...
Martin Splitt May 30, 2023
★★★ Can a single JavaScript rendering failure cost you weeks of lost search visibility?
If JavaScript rendering fails during a crawl with client-side rendered content, Google will have nothing to index because the HTML is empty. You'll have to wait for the next crawl, which can delay ind...
Martin Splitt May 30, 2023
★★★ Are your key pages missing from Google's search results? Here's how to fix your indexation issues
If important pages from your site don't appear in the list within the Performance report, it means you're not receiving Google Search traffic to these pages. Use the Inspect URL tool to check whether ...
Daniel Waisberg May 23, 2023
★★ Is the 50,000-row limit in Search Console really crippling your SEO analysis?
Both the official Search Console connector in Looker Studio and the Search Console API allow exporting up to 50,000 rows of performance data, URL inspection, sitemaps, and sites....
Daniel Waisberg May 18, 2023
★★ Should you remove logos and watermarks from your images to boost SEO performance?
Use relevant images for the article and avoid logos or oversized watermarks that make images difficult to understand. Important information should not be integrated solely within images but also in ac...
Daniel Waisberg May 15, 2023
★★★ Are Google Search Essentials Really Enough to Rank Well in Google?
Google Search Essentials include the fundamental elements that make your web content eligible to appear and perform well in Google Search. These criteria define what allows content to be indexed and r...
Daniel Waisberg May 15, 2023
★★★ Is your paywall triggering Google's cloaking detection without you knowing it?
If you implement a metered paywall, paywall, or login wall, use appropriate structured data. This helps Google differentiate paid content from cloaking, which violates the anti-spam policy. Content be...
Cherry Prommawin May 15, 2023
★★★ Should You Use "Coming Soon" Pages During a Site Migration?
According to John Mueller, it's best to avoid "coming back soon" pages as much as possible during a redesign. On Twitter, he indicates that he would simply use a 503 status code if the site migration ...
John Mueller May 09, 2023
★★ Should You Really Avoid Using Noindex and Canonical Together on the Same Page?
Google has always said that you shouldn't use noindex and a canonical tag at the same time. But John Mueller recently played his "it depends" card on Twitter. "For identical pages you don't care much ...
John Mueller May 09, 2023
★★★ Why Are Your WebP Images Showing Up in Search Console's 'Crawled - Not Indexed' Report?
A Reddit user noticed they had many WebP images appearing in the "Crawled - currently not indexed" report in Search Console. John Mueller responded that WebP images are not indexed as HTML pages, sinc...
John Mueller May 09, 2023
★★ Should you abandon dynamic rendering for SEO?
Dynamic rendering (full HTML via SSR for bots, CSR for users) works but adds complexity to configuration and maintenance. Google does not encourage it for new projects....
Martin Splitt May 04, 2023
★★ Does image URL depth really prevent Googlebot from crawling your images?
The number of levels in an image URL does not prevent Googlebot from crawling and indexing that image. Path complexity is not a problem for Google....
Martin Splitt May 04, 2023
★★★ Does Google really render EVERY successfully crawled page with JavaScript?
All pages that are correctly crawled are rendered by Googlebot. Only pages that generate errors like 404s are not rendered. JavaScript rendering is part of the normal indexation process....
Martin Splitt May 04, 2023
★★★ Is Your Declared Canonical Different From Google's? Here's How to Spot It Using the URL Inspection API
The URL Inspection API provides indexation information including the canonical URL declared by the user and the one selected by Google. This API can be used to check whether differences exist between ...
Daniel Waisberg Apr 26, 2023
★★ Should you be monitoring your sitemaps through Google's dedicated API?
The Sitemaps API lets you retrieve information about sitemaps already submitted to Google Search, including processing status, last download date, and any existing warnings. It also allows you to subm...
Daniel Waisberg Apr 26, 2023
★★★ Can the URL Inspection API Really Replace Manual Indexation Testing?
The URL Inspection API allows you to debug and optimize specific pages by providing analysis results including indexation status, AMP, rich results, and mobile usability based on a URL. It matches the...
Daniel Waisberg Apr 26, 2023
★★ Does the URL Inspection API finally reveal the true indexation status of your pages?
Analyzing indexation status via the URL Inspection API provides detailed information about the URL including whether it is indexed or not, the time of the last crawl by Google, the canonical URL selec...
Daniel Waisberg Apr 26, 2023
★★★ Should You Be Worried About the New GoogleOther Crawler?
Gary Illyes announced on LinkedIn that a new crawler, GoogleOther, has been added to the list of crawlers that relieve Googlebot. According to him, it doesn't change much but it's interesting to know....
Gary Illyes Apr 25, 2023
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