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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★★ Does Google instantly change the canonical URL after removing a redirect?
When a redirect is set up and then removed, the canonicalization algorithms do not perceive the site as deceptive. They look at the current state. Google tends to be persistent with the canonical URL ...
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
★★★ How does Google really handle the separation of a site into two distinct entities?
Separating a site into two is not considered a domain migration by Google since a new state is being created. Using rel canonical followed by 301 redirects is an acceptable approach. It is essential t...
John Mueller Oct 29, 2020
★★ Should you really avoid setting all your outbound links to nofollow?
Setting all outbound links of a site to nofollow can have a slight negative impact. Google uses links to understand how a site fits into the web. If all links are nofollow, it may give the impression ...
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
★★ 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
★★★ Should you really cancel a failed domain migration or commit to it fully?
You should avoid canceling a domain migration because it does not revert everything to the original state. You're simply moving the current situation (with its issues) back to the old domain. This res...
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
★★ Should you really avoid putting all your outbound links in nofollow?
Putting all outbound links in nofollow does not violate guidelines, but it can have a slight negative impact. Google uses links to understand how a site fits into the web. If all links are nofollow, i...
John Mueller Oct 29, 2020
★★★ Do out of stock pages really hurt your Google rankings?
Pages of products marked 'out of stock' or 'not available' tend to be ranked as soft 404s. When they slip into a soft 404 state, the page and its images disappear from search results....
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
★★★ Should you really index all your pagination pages?
You need to decide whether pagination pages should be indexed based on whether they are critical for discovering products. If products are well linked elsewhere on the site, pagination does not need t...
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
★★★ Why does blocking robots.txt prevent noindex from working?
You should not block noindex URLs in robots.txt, as this prevents Google from seeing the noindex directive, and these pages may stay indexed. Instead, use the URL Parameters Tool to reduce crawling of...
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 the URL Parameters Tool in Search Console a zombie or still useful for your SEO?
The URL Parameters Tool in Search Console is still operational and is recognized by Google, but display data has been at zero for a long time. A replacement tool is under development....
John Mueller Oct 29, 2020
★★★ Do 302 redirects really turn into 301s over time?
Google eventually treats 302 redirects as permanent redirects (301) when they persist over time. This is considered a 'soft 301' from Google's perspective....
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
★★ Should you really show cookie banners to Googlebot?
Googlebot should ideally see what a normal user would see from the same location. Since Googlebot mainly crawls from the USA, if American users do not see a cookie banner, Googlebot does not need to s...
John Mueller Oct 29, 2020
★★ Why does Google still crawl your deleted old URLs?
Google occasionally continues to crawl old URLs (returning 404) for years, especially if they had backlinks or were important. It is at low priority and does not block normal site crawling....
John Mueller Oct 29, 2020
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