What does Google say about SEO? /
Artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping search engine optimization and Google's algorithms. This category compiles Google's official statements regarding AI usage in search, including machine learning technologies, large language models (LLMs), and new generative search experiences like SGE and AI Overview. SEO practitioners will find Google's positions on how AI-generated content (ChatGPT, Gemini, Bard) impacts website rankings and organic visibility. Google has clarified its guidelines concerning artificial intelligence for content creation, distinguishing acceptable practices from manipulative techniques that violate search quality standards. Understanding these official declarations is crucial for adapting SEO strategies to algorithmic evolutions, particularly with the increasing integration of machine learning into ranking systems. This category also covers the impact of AI-generated answers in SERPs, E-E-A-T quality criteria applied to AI-assisted content, and recommendations for maintaining organic search presence in the era of generative search. Essential insights include how Google evaluates content quality regardless of production method, focusing on helpfulness and user value rather than creation process. A must-follow resource for staying ahead in modern search engine optimization.
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★★ Should you really avoid CDNs for your API calls?
CDNs should strictly be used for static resources (JavaScript, CSS, images, videos, fonts) as they can slow down dynamic API calls. For APIs, use a separate domain like api.example.com....
Martin Splitt Oct 30, 2020
★★★ Could Fixing CSS Dimensions of Your Graphics Save Your Core Web Vitals?
To avoid impacting your Core Web Vitals, use CSS to give fixed dimensions to graphic containers so they do not cause layout shift (cumulative layout shift) when they appear....
Martin Splitt Oct 30, 2020
★★ Should You Really Fix All the 404 Errors Reported in Search Console?
The 404 error report in Search Console highlights non-existent pages, but this is not necessarily something to fix. It can happen naturally when someone creates a link to a page that does not exist....
Martin Splitt Oct 30, 2020
★★★ Is it true that translated content is free from duplicate content issues in Google's eyes?
If you translate content from one language to another, Google does not consider it duplicate content because the words are different. Search engines look at the words on the page, and if the words dif...
John Mueller Oct 30, 2020
★★★ Should you really block the indexing of all your e-commerce facets?
For e-commerce facets and filters, the general recommendation is not to allow them to be indexed at all, unless these facet pages can truly stand alone as important category pages for the brand. Paged...
John Mueller Oct 30, 2020
★★★ How can you structure your pages so that Google recognizes indexable passages?
For Google to recognize sections of a page as part of passages, it is recommended to have clear headings and well-structured content. If you already have clean pages with clear headings and structure,...
John Mueller Oct 30, 2020
★★ Should you really be concerned about corrupted titles in the site: operator?
If you see default titles or corrupted descriptions in the results of the site: operator, it's not really a problem since Google generally does not use these versions for real search queries. It becom...
Martin Splitt Oct 30, 2020
★★ Do JavaScript charts create duplicate content on your pages?
Adding JavaScript charts to an existing page does not cause duplicate content issues. If the chart is the only content on the page, it may not be useful and could be disregarded....
Martin Splitt Oct 30, 2020
★★ Is JavaScript pagination really an issue for Google?
Using JavaScript for pagination isn't bad. It's acceptable as long as you test that it works correctly and that Google can crawl it....
Martin Splitt Oct 30, 2020
★★ Should you optimize your content for emojis in SEO?
Google tries to understand the emojis used in searches and generally maps them to normal text searches. If someone searches for the coffee emoji, Google should understand that it's equivalent to the w...
John Mueller Oct 30, 2020
★★★ Should you return a 404 or a 200 on a product page that's out of stock?
For temporarily unavailable products, displaying a page with a 200 code and an email alert option is acceptable. If the unavailability is long, switching to a 404 allows Google to optimize the crawl b...
John Mueller Oct 29, 2020
★★ Does alternative text for images really enhance SEO?
The alternative text for images is mainly used for image search (Google Images) and for accessibility. It should describe what's visible in the image, not necessarily repeat the product description....
John Mueller Oct 29, 2020
★★★ Should you really use cross-domain canonicals to consolidate multiple thematic sites?
Using canonical tags across multiple domains (e.g., 25 thematic stores pointing to a main store) is technically correct. It avoids duplicate content but may redistribute SEO strength among the domains...
John Mueller Oct 29, 2020
★★ Why does Google keep crawling your old 404 URLs?
Google continues to occasionally crawl old URLs that return 404, particularly if they had backlinks or were significant. This crawl is done at very low priority and does not block the crawl of new pag...
John Mueller Oct 29, 2020
★★ Why does Google still display old content in your meta descriptions?
Google adapts the snippets and descriptions based on the user's query, even if the content is no longer present on the page. This adaptation can persist for a few weeks after a content change before i...
John Mueller Oct 29, 2020
★★ Do 302 redirects really end up being treated as permanent 301s?
There is no definitive timeframe, but Google eventually treats a 302 redirect as a 301 if it remains in place for a long time. The timeframe is more about months than days, as some 302s stay temporary...
John Mueller Oct 29, 2020
★★ Can your website's language versions really have completely different designs?
The English and French versions of a site can have a completely different design when implementing hreflang. Audiences, content, and keywords can vary drastically from one language to another. This is...
John Mueller Oct 29, 2020
★★ Does Google's URL Parameters tool still work even when its interface is broken?
The URL parameters management tool in Search Console is still functional on Google's side, even though the display of statistics is faulty. A replacement tool is being developed, but no confirmed rele...
John Mueller Oct 29, 2020
★★★ Does FAQ structured data really need to be 100% visible on the page?
The content of FAQ structured data must be visible word-for-word on the page. Algorithms check that the text is present to avoid promising something in the results that the user cannot find on the pag...
John Mueller Oct 29, 2020
★★ Can paged pages really disappear from Google search results?
There is no meta tag to tell Google to index paged pages but not show them in the results. If they are indexed, they may theoretically appear. In practice, page 1 usually appears first as it is strong...
John Mueller Oct 29, 2020
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