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.
★★★ 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
★★★ Should You Really Worry About the Page Experience Badge in Search Results?
Martin Splitt explained on Twitter that the badge Google plans to display in the SERPs as part of the launch of its Page Experience and Core Web Vitals projects next May might not see the light of day...
Martin Splitt Jan 18, 2021
★★★ Can You Actually Spot Passage Indexing Results in Google's SERPs?
Danny Sullivan also explained on Twitter that results displayed through "Passage Indexing" (when this system is implemented, which is not yet the case) will not appear as featured snippets, in any for...
Danny Sullivan Jan 04, 2021
★★★ Does Search Console really provide all the data from Google?
The mission of Search Console is to provide data and tools to help site owners improve their websites and optimize their appearance on Google. The product extracts important and relevant information f...
Hillel Maoz Dec 28, 2020
★★ Are Adult Sites Really Excluded from All Rich Results in Google?
John Mueller explained during a hangout that in his opinion, no rich results (enhanced display in the SERPs) were taken into account for sites targeting an "adult" audience. These sites therefore do n...
John Mueller Dec 28, 2020
★★★ Do structured data really improve your ranking in Google?
Structured data (schema markup) do not change page rankings. They alter the display in search results (rich results, FAQs). This can increase visibility and attract more users, but with no direct effe...
John Mueller Dec 18, 2020
★★★ Does a modified HTML title lose its ranking power in the SERPs?
When Google changes the displayed title in search results, it does not disregard it for ranking purposes. The HTML title remains used for ranking; only the display in the SERPs changes according to th...
John Mueller Dec 11, 2020
★★★ Why does Google consistently block rich results for adult sites?
No types of rich results are supported for adult content sites, according to Google's guidelines. The systems recognize it as an adult site and simply do not display these rich results, without any ma...
John Mueller Dec 11, 2020
★★★ Can adult sites actually display rich results on Google?
All types of rich results that Google offers are not intended for adult content sites. If an adult site uses schemas, the systems recognize the adult content and simply do not display the rich results...
John Mueller Dec 11, 2020
★★★ How does Google determine the location and language of your pages during indexing?
Google determines during indexing which country or metropolitan area the pages are local to, as well as their language. These signals are used as ranking factors to give a slight boost to locally rele...
Gary Illyes Dec 10, 2020
★★★ Does Google really utilize ALL of your structured data, including the invalid ones?
Google extracts all forms of structured data present on a page, not just those validated by the Rich Results Test. This data is used, among other things, to infer information about the entities presen...
Gary Illyes Dec 10, 2020
★★★ Are all indexing signals really ranking signals?
Among the many signals extracted during indexing, some become ranking signals (SafeSearch, country, language) while others do not (like most of the hashes used for canonicalization)....
Gary Illyes Dec 10, 2020
★★★ Are JavaScript-generated structured data really indexed by Google?
JavaScript-generated structured data works correctly. They do not function in the Structured Data Testing Tool, but they do work in the Rich Results Test and Search Console....
Martin Splitt Dec 07, 2020
★★★ Does Passage Ranking truly change the game for long-form content?
Passage Ranking aims to better understand the relevant parts of particularly long pages, in order to display them appropriately in search results. It is not an overall ranking improvement, but rather ...
John Mueller Dec 04, 2020
★★★ Can Artificial SERP Clicks Actually Boost Your Google Rankings?
John Mueller has once again reminded us that creating a "click machine" that would type queries into the search engine and then automatically click on your site's link without returning to the SERP af...
John Mueller Nov 30, 2020
★★ Why does Google index your images with a completely separate system from the rest of your content?
Google uses a completely different indexing mechanism for images. During content conversion, image tags are extracted and their URLs are sent to a specialized image indexer that performs image recogni...
Gary Illyes Nov 16, 2020
★★ How does Google really determine the publication date of an article?
To ensure that Google correctly recognizes the date of an article, make sure that the date displayed on the page matches the date in the structured data. Google can display a snippet with a date if it...
John Mueller Nov 13, 2020
★★ Should you still structure your pages now that Google understands passages?
Passage ranking helps Google better understand poorly structured pages, but that doesn't mean webmasters should do nothing. Properly structuring your content remains a best practice. It's more about h...
John Mueller Nov 10, 2020
★★★ Why isn't your valid Schema.org markup displaying rich results?
Having valid structured data markup according to the Rich Results Test does not guarantee the display of rich results. Google considers other factors in deciding whether or not to display them....
Google Nov 05, 2020
★★★ Do structured FAQs really help improve rankings on Google?
Structured FAQs do not improve a page's ranking; they merely allow for potential display with FAQ snippets in the results. It's not a matter of competitiveness in terms of ranking, but rather visibili...
John Mueller Oct 29, 2020
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