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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★★ Is third-party JavaScript slowing down your site: Does Google really hold you accountable for ranking?
If a third-party JavaScript (e.g., advertising) significantly slows down a page, Google will measure this slowdown when evaluating speed for ranking, without making a distinction between site code or ...
John Mueller Sep 14, 2020
★★★ Are Google’s manual penalties always visible in Search Console?
If a manual action has been taken by Google's Webspam team, it will almost always be visible in Search Console. There are a few rare edge cases where this would not be displayed, but for a normal site...
John Mueller Sep 14, 2020
★★★ Should You Still Be Using the Speakable Tag for SEO in 2024?
John Mueller explained on Twitter that the Speakable tag was still valid and not obsolete, contrary to what an email received by a publisher from a Googler working on Google News might have suggested....
John Mueller Sep 14, 2020
★★ Do Google’s core updates truly follow a predictable schedule?
Core updates do not follow a precise timeline and are not limited to a single algorithm. They can include changes in how links are treated, and Google continuously processes new links, not just during...
John Mueller Sep 14, 2020
★★★ Should you include or exclude Googlebot from your A/B tests without risking a penalty?
It is acceptable to include Googlebot in a temporary A/B test (e.g., menu change) or to exclude it by treating it as a special category (based on geolocation, language, capabilities). If separate URLs...
John Mueller Sep 14, 2020
★★★ Can a blog on a subdomain really pass SEO authority to the main site?
For a blog on a subdomain (e.g., Shopify + WordPress) to pass authority to the main site, Google primarily relies on internal links and the fact that both are on the same root domain. Similar design o...
John Mueller Sep 14, 2020
★★ Is footer content really treated as standard content by Google?
Content placed in the footer is treated like normal content located at the bottom of the page, provided that it is legible and not hidden. Google performs a viewport expansion during rendering and det...
John Mueller Sep 14, 2020
★★ Should you really choose the 410 code over 404 for quick deindexing of a page?
The 410 (Gone) code removes pages from the index slightly faster than the 404, but in the long term, the difference is theoretical and negligible. For urgent removal, using the removal tool in Search ...
John Mueller Sep 14, 2020
★★ Should you really implement both Merchant Center feeds and product structured data?
It is recommended to use both the Merchant Center feed and the product structured data on the pages. The feed powers organic shopping results, while the structured data generates rich results in regul...
John Mueller Sep 14, 2020
★★★ Do core updates really recalculate your scores continuously between deployments?
Unlike the old Panda or Penguin updates where scores were frozen until the next refresh, modern core updates see their scores regularly refreshed between two major deployments. Google can recalculate ...
John Mueller Sep 14, 2020
★★★ Can Google Really Block a Page's Visibility Based on Country?
John Mueller explained on Twitter that there is no system or mechanism on Google's search engine to limit a page's visibility to one country or another. For example, a page that could be visible on Go...
John Mueller Sep 09, 2020
★★★ Does Google Really Flag Domains as "Toxic" in Its Algorithm?
John Mueller explained on Twitter that Google doesn't have a "flag" indicating that a domain name is toxic: "We don't have a concept of a toxic domain. It's good to use tools to work on your site, but...
John Mueller Sep 09, 2020
★★★ Can generated content for location pages really escape Google's duplicate content filter?
For location pages (e.g., 50 states with similar content), generated content can work if it contains enough relevant facts and differing information from one city to another. If the content is too sim...
Martin Splitt Sep 09, 2020
★★ Why are crawl stats a completely useless indicator for assessing the performance of your content?
To determine if content is underperforming, check the Performance Report in Search Console rather than the crawl stats. If you're getting a lot of impressions but few clicks, the content may need to b...
Martin Splitt Sep 09, 2020
★★★ Should you update your existing content instead of creating new pages?
For similar content published each year (e.g., skincare routines), it's better to update the existing page and reposition it on the site rather than create a new page. Google may consider very similar...
Martin Splitt Sep 09, 2020
★★★ Do Images in XML Sitemaps Count Toward the 50,000 URL Limit?
We know that XML Sitemap files are limited to 50,000 URLs. We also know that for each page URL, we can indicate the URLs of the main images it contains. But do these image URLs count as part of the 50...
John Mueller Sep 09, 2020
★★★ Should you really merge your similar content for better ranking?
Merging similar content and implementing redirects reduces Google’s crawl workload and helps centralize relevance and information in one place. This makes it easier to identify the right content to pr...
Martin Splitt Sep 09, 2020
★★★ Is the word count really a Google ranking factor?
The word count is not a ranking factor. If you can answer the user's need in 50 words, that's perfect. If you need 2000 words, that's also acceptable. The important thing is to provide the necessary i...
Martin Splitt Sep 09, 2020
★★★ Do Core Web Vitals Really Matter for Google Rankings?
Gary Illyes explained on Reddit that the "Core Web Vitals (CWV)" project, which was set to launch in 2021, would not be a heavily weighted criterion in the algorithm: "Google strives to present the hi...
Gary Illyes Sep 09, 2020
★★★ Should you really consolidate your FAQ pages to dodge thin content penalties?
For help centers featuring hundreds of pages addressing very specific questions in just one or two sentences, Google may treat them as thin content. It is advisable to group similar or related questio...
Martin Splitt Sep 09, 2020
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