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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★★★ How does Google group your pages to measure Core Web Vitals?
Google does not have CWV data for every individual page. Pages are grouped according to the available data: at the domain/origin level if there is little data, or by groups of similar pages if there i...
John Mueller Feb 05, 2021
★★ Is it true that Google never disconnects your old pages during a migration?
During a migration, Google does not de-index the old page before re-indexing the new one. The process works via canonical change: Google sees the redirect, checks that the content is identical, and sw...
John Mueller Jan 29, 2021
★★★ Does Google really transfer all signals in bulk during a complete site migration?
During a complete site migration, if Google can recognize that all indexable content has been moved, it transfers all signals in bulk to the new domain. This is more efficient than a partial migration...
John Mueller Jan 29, 2021
★★ Does the http:// or https:// namespace in an XML sitemap really affect crawlability?
In the XML Sitemap, using http:// or https:// for the namespace URL (xmlns) has no functional importance. Google treats both identically. Conventionally, http:// is more common....
Google Jan 28, 2021
★★ Why does your new site fluctuate like a yo-yo in the SERPs?
For a recently created and indexed site, it is normal for rankings and indexing to be unstable at first. Fluctuations do not necessarily indicate a problem but rather a normal evaluation phase by Goog...
Google Jan 28, 2021
★★★ Why does CrUX collect your Core Web Vitals even if you block Googlebot?
The Core Web Vitals use data from the Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX), based on real user experiences. The data accumulates even if Googlebot is blocked by robots.txt or noindex, as it originates...
Google Jan 28, 2021
★★★ Can you really block the collection of Core Web Vitals using robots.txt or noindex?
Core Web Vitals data comes from the Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX) based on real users. Blocking Google via robots.txt or noindex does not prevent the collection of this data, as it is measured ...
Google Jan 28, 2021
★★ Is it really sufficient to include only one version, mobile or desktop, in your XML sitemap?
For a site with separate mobile and desktop URLs, it is enough to include only one version in the sitemap if the bidirectional annotations are present in the HTML code. There is no need to include bot...
Google Jan 28, 2021
★★ Does using HTTPS for your XML sitemap namespace hurt your SEO ranking?
In XML sitemaps, the namespace can be declared in HTTP or HTTPS without functional impact. Google treats both the same way. However, for consistency and maintenance reasons, it is recommended to follo...
Google Jan 28, 2021
★★★ How does Google now assign AMP cache's CrUX data to the origin?
CrUX data from the AMP cache is now attributed to the origin. If canonicalization is correctly set up between AMP and non-AMP, data from both versions is taken into account....
Google Jan 28, 2021
★★ Why do new sites experience extreme volatility in indexing and ranking?
Newly created or indexed sites may experience instability in initial indexing and ranking. This volatility is normal and does not necessarily indicate a problem with the site....
Google Jan 28, 2021
★★ Should you really submit both mobile AND desktop versions in your sitemap?
If the mobile/desktop annotations are correctly implemented in the pages themselves, it is unnecessary to include both versions (mobile and desktop) in the sitemap. Submitting either of the two URLs i...
Google Jan 28, 2021
★★★ Is rendered HTML really the only reference for Google indexing?
To ensure Google is indexing your content correctly, check the rendered HTML code in testing tools. If the content appears in the rendered HTML, it will be indexed. Screenshots are not used for indexi...
Martin Splitt Jan 27, 2021
★★ Can a XML sitemap really trigger a targeted recrawl of your pages?
To increase a site’s crawl rate, one can update the XML sitemap file to indicate that pages have changed, which may encourage Google to recrawl them. You can also request indexing for priority pages, ...
Martin Splitt Jan 27, 2021
★★ Why do live tests in Search Console produce conflicting results?
Live tests in the URL Inspection tool or the mobile test can show different results from test to test because they do not utilize the cache like the actual indexing pipeline. Timeouts can occur, leadi...
Martin Splitt Jan 27, 2021
★★★ How will the new Index Coverage Report in Search Console transform your indexing diagnostics?
Google has significantly updated the Index Coverage Report in Search Console to better inform website owners about issues affecting indexing. For instance, the previous generic error type 'crawl anoma...
John Mueller Jan 27, 2021
★★ Why should large websites rethink their crawling strategy?
Google has released a new guide specifically for large websites regarding crawling. As a site grows, crawling becomes more challenging. This guide compiles best practices to keep in mind and is useful...
John Mueller Jan 27, 2021
★★★ Is it really time to stop manually submitting your pages to Google?
For most sites, there shouldn't be a need to use manual submission systems. They should instead focus on good internal linking and proper sitemap files. If a site does these things well, Google's syst...
John Mueller Jan 27, 2021
★★★ Why can't Googlebot see links revealed after a user clicks?
Links that only appear after a user action (click) will not be seen by Googlebot, as it does not interact with pages. However, if the links are present in the source code but simply hidden (then revea...
Martin Splitt Jan 27, 2021
★★★ Is the new crawl report in Search Console really making server logs obsolete?
Google has launched an updated crawl statistics report in Search Console. It provides insights into the number of queries by response code, crawl goals, host-level information on accessibility, and mo...
John Mueller Jan 27, 2021
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