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 return a 404 for products that are permanently unavailable?
For temporarily unavailable products, displaying a 200 page is acceptable. But for products that are permanently unavailable, using a 404 (or soft 404) status allows Google to crawl more efficiently b...
John Mueller Oct 29, 2020
★★★ Can you really migrate multiple sites to a single domain using Google's Change of Address tool?
The Change of Address tool in Search Console only allows for migrating one domain to another, not multiple domains to a single one. You can still perform the migration with 301 redirects but cannot us...
John Mueller Oct 29, 2020
★★★ Are Core Web Vitals really the only speed criterion that counts for ranking?
For 'page experience' ranking, Google will rely solely on Core Web Vitals as the speed factor. Other performance metrics may be important for user experience but are not direct ranking factors....
John Mueller Oct 29, 2020
★★★ Do 302 redirects really pass on as much PageRank as 301 redirects?
Google uses numerous signals to determine the canonical URL: 301/302 redirects, rel canonical, internal/external links, sitemap, appearance of the URL. A long-term 302 can be treated as a 301 if it st...
John Mueller Oct 29, 2020
★★ Is it true that Google still indexes Flash content, or should everything be migrated to pure HTML?
Google indexes pages with Flash solely based on the visible HTML content in the rendered DOM, not content within Flash files. The removal of Flash from browsers should not affect site traffic as Googl...
John Mueller Oct 29, 2020
★★★ Do 302 redirects really pass PageRank like 301 redirects?
Google treats both 301 and 302 redirects similarly when it comes to the transmission of SEO signals. Both types of redirects pass PageRank and other signals. The difference mainly lies in the choice o...
John Mueller Oct 29, 2020
★★ Do outbound links that are 404 really harm the perceived quality of a page?
Having a few outbound links returning 404 on a page does not lead Google to consider the page as low quality or outdated. Google adds these links to the scheduler, and if some are 404, it’s not a prob...
John Mueller Oct 29, 2020
★★★ Does Google really analyze the audio of your podcasts for SEO?
Google does not perform any textual analysis of podcast audio files to understand what is being said. If content is essential for SEO, it needs to be presented in text on the page, for example through...
John Mueller Oct 29, 2020
★★★ Is it really necessary to avoid any migration following a failed domain migration?
During a problematic domain migration, the one thing you must absolutely avoid is another migration. Internal changes to the site are acceptable, especially if they don't involve modifying URLs....
John Mueller Oct 29, 2020
★★★ Does lazy loading really harm your content's indexing by Google?
When rendering a page, Google uses a fairly high viewport and indexes everything that loads within this viewport. If content requires a specific action (scroll, click on 'Read more'), it will probably...
John Mueller Oct 29, 2020
★★ Does Googlebot really follow HTTP redirects to HTTPS like a regular browser?
When Googlebot accesses an HTTP URL that redirects to HTTPS (which is typically the case for a site with both HTTP and HTTPS), it will follow this actual server-side redirect normally....
John Mueller Oct 28, 2020
★★★ Does Googlebot really ignore HSTS 307 redirects, or is there a catch?
Googlebot does not interact with 307 redirects generated by HSTS. These 307 redirects are not real server-side redirects but rather redirects generated by the Chrome browser to indicate that it is app...
John Mueller Oct 28, 2020
★★★ Does Googlebot actually ignore your forced HTTPS redirects?
Googlebot attempts to crawl URLs with a clean slate and doesn’t retain any HSTS list. It accesses HTTP URLs directly without applying the browser's HSTS rules....
John Mueller Oct 28, 2020
★★★ Are 307 HSTS redirections really invisible to SEO?
The 307 redirections you see in Chrome with HSTS aren't actually present on the server. Chrome displays a 307 result code to clearly indicate that an HSTS redirection has occurred, but this is just a ...
John Mueller Oct 28, 2020
★★★ Can Your Slow Site Penalize Your Fast Pages?
John Mueller explained in a hangout that generally, the search engine uses granular data to analyze and test each page of a site. But sometimes, particularly regarding web performance (loading time), ...
John Mueller Oct 27, 2020
★★★ How Does Google Rank Specific Passages Within a Page Without Creating a Separate Index?
Google recently announced that it would strengthen its ability to rank certain parts of a text (such as a paragraph), even when these are included in overall content with a different meaning. On this ...
Danny Sullivan Oct 27, 2020
★★★ Does Publishing First Really Guarantee Google Will Recognize You as the Original Author?
John Mueller indicated on Twitter that the fact that Google indexes content first does not make that content original and "canonical". In other words, just because a spammer plagiarizes your content b...
John Mueller Oct 27, 2020
Should You Really Limit the Number of Outbound Links on a Web Page?
For years, Google has indicated that there is no limit to the number of outbound links (internal or external) on a web page that are read by the search engine's robots. However, Gary Illyes indicated ...
John Mueller Oct 27, 2020
★★★ Why have product structured data become essential for ranking in e-commerce?
Adding product structured data to detailed pages allows Google to provide enriched search and image results. If the markup is correctly implemented, users can see the price, availability, and review r...
Daniel Waisberg Oct 20, 2020
★★★ Why does Google place such a high emphasis on detailed product descriptions and specifications?
Product pages must include a detailed description highlighting features and specifications. This helps users find products by searching for these details, both on the site’s internal search and Google...
Daniel Waisberg Oct 20, 2020
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