What does Google say about SEO? /
This category compiles official Google statements regarding featured snippets, optimized excerpts, and rich search result features displayed on search engine results pages (SERP). Featured snippets, often referred to as position zero, represent a critical strategic opportunity for SEO professionals as they provide maximum visibility by appearing above traditional organic results. Here you'll find Google's communications about Knowledge Graph functionality, rich results implementation, passage ranking technology, and "People Also Ask" features. Understanding the selection criteria for featured snippets, preferred formats (paragraphs, lists, tables), and content structuring best practices is essential for maximizing your chances of capturing these premium positions. Google's official positions on these topics help SEO practitioners separate myths from facts, effectively optimize structured content, and understand how algorithms select and display these enhanced elements that fundamentally transform user experience and organic click-through rates. This resource provides valuable insights into SERP evolution and how to adapt your optimization strategies accordingly for maximum search visibility and traffic potential.
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★★ Search Console Geolocation vs Hreflang: Which One Delivers the Real SEO Boost?
John Mueller has indicated the difference between geolocation of a site (in Search Console) and the use of the Hreflang tag. Geolocation seems stronger, with a genuine effort from Google to present th...
John Mueller May 22, 2017
★★★ Does Adding a Video to a Page Really Improve Its SEO Ranking?
Gary Illyes explained on Twitter that "simply having a video on a web page" does "absolutely not" help it achieve better ranking in the SERPs. And fortunately!......
Gary Illyes May 22, 2017
Should You Really Use Special Characters in Title Tags and Meta Descriptions?
John Mueller indicated that, most of the time, Google ignored and removed special characters (Unicode) sometimes placed in Title tags and meta "description" tags (arrows, sun symbols, triangles, etc.)...
John Mueller May 15, 2017
★★ Do Clicks on a 404 Page from Search Results Actually Trigger Deindexing?
Gary Illyes indicated on Twitter that if a user clicks on a link in a SERP and lands on a 404 page, this will not send a signal to Google to remove that URL. For this page to be deindexed, it will be ...
Gary Illyes Apr 24, 2017
Is Google's Page Layout Algorithm Still Penalizing Your Site in 2024?
Gary Illyes indicated on Twitter that the Page Layout algorithm, which has been updated several times in the past and aims to penalize pages with too many ads embedded in editorial content, somewhat l...
Gary Illyes Mar 20, 2017
★★★ Does Google Only Penalize Mobile Interstitials Coming From Search Results?
Regarding the interstitial penalty that will be applied starting tomorrow, John Mueller indicated on Twitter that this penalty would only apply to sites that display an interstitial when the mobile us...
John Mueller Jan 09, 2017
★★★ Does Google Really Limit How Much Traffic It Sends to Your Site?
John Mueller indicated on a forum that Google does not limit the traffic sent to a website. In other words, it doesn't stop displaying a link in its search results if it believes the traffic generated...
John Mueller Jan 02, 2017
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