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 it true that using nofollow on internal menu links can control PageRank?
To prevent signal transfer to certain internal menu links, using the nofollow attribute is appropriate. However, in most cases, it is not necessary to hide these links; a no-index on the destination p...
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020
★★★ Should you really put empty user profile pages on no-index?
It is generally unnecessary to put no-index on underfilled user profile pages. Google automatically focuses on the important parts of the site. No-index is only useful if these pages are used for spam...
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020
★★★ Do YouTube two-click embeds really hurt video SEO?
YouTube video embeds with placeholder (two-click for privacy) do not inhibit indexing if the VideoObject schema is used. Google can thus recognize the video and display it in results even without seei...
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020
★★ Should you create a separate page for each video instead of grouping them together?
When multiple videos are present on a page, Google only displays a single video thumbnail. For important videos, it's better to create a separate landing page for each video, so that each video has it...
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020
★★★ Do outgoing links to authoritative sites really boost your Google ranking?
Adding outgoing links to authoritative sites (Wikipedia, CNN, etc.) does not improve a page's ranking. Google does not consider that a site becomes better simply because it links to quality content. T...
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020
★★ Do you really need to duplicate your infographics' content in text for Google?
For infographics, it is recommended to also provide the text or the essential content in textual format (in an article or other format), as Google primarily treats infographics as images and not as te...
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020
★★★ What is the optimal number of internal links per page for SEO?
There is no magic number of internal links per page. Using the same link multiple times on a page is acceptable. The key is to have a clear site structure that allows Google to understand the hierarch...
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020
★★★ Could unmoderated comments trigger SafeSearch and penalize your entire site?
Google tries to isolate comments from main content, but if a site publishes unmoderated adult or spam comments, it can be globally treated by SafeSearch or penalized. The webmaster must moderate or no...
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020
★★★ Does Google Ads really penalize the speed of your pages in PageSpeed Insights?
Google's speed testing tools are agnostic to the origin of scripts. If a Google Ads script slows down a page, the tool will report it without special treatment. Users care about speed, not about the s...
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020
★★★ Could separating each step of a site migration save you weeks of SEO diagnostics?
During a domain merge or migration, Google recommends separating the different steps (changing the domain, URL structure, CMS, design) to easily identify the source of any potential issues. Merging co...
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020
★★★ Schema.org that's not visible: should you really markup content that doesn't generate rich results?
Certain types of Schema.org help Google understand the context of a page without generating visible rich results. However, adding obvious high-level markup (e.g., WebPage on a webpage) does not provid...
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020
★★ Does the average position in Search Console really mislead you about your true visibility?
The average position in GSC does not always reflect true visibility. A page may display a position of 20-50 but seem to be on the first page due to multiple elements (OneBoxes, images, side panels). G...
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020
★★ Can deep linking to a mobile app really boost your website's SEO?
Linking a website to a mobile app through deep linking does not confer any direct positive ranking effect to the website. Simply creating links to quality content (app or otherwise) does not automatic...
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020
★★★ Should you really disavow spam backlinks pointing to your noindexed profiles?
Low-quality backlinks pointing to user profiles do not require disavowal if these pages are noindexed. Google effectively manages this type of automated spam that has been prevalent for years. The noi...
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020
★★ Is it really enough to just have an alt attribute for your graphics and infographics?
For graphics and charts included in a blog article, Google recommends adding them as images with a descriptive alt attribute that contains critical information. It is not necessary to convert the grap...
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020
★★ Does the URL Inspection Tool really guarantee your pages will be indexed?
Google does not have any known crawling issues with the URL Inspection Tool, but submitting a URL does not imply automatic indexing. New sites without strong signals may not be indexed immediately; it...
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020
★★★ Has PageRank really become a negligible ranking factor for Google?
PageRank is still used by Google, but it's just one factor among hundreds of others. Concentrating only on PageRank or links is not helpful since ranking depends on many other signals. Manipulating on...
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020
★★ Does the FAQ schema work if the answers are hidden in an accordion?
For the FAQ schema, the content must be visible on the page. It is acceptable to display questions with expandable answers, but hiding the entire FAQ block would be problematic. The presence of visibl...
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020
★★ Why does your favicon take months to get indexed on Google?
A favicon can take several months to appear in search results, particularly if the site uses subdomains for each language instead of being indexed at the root. Google recommends reporting persistent c...
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020
★★ Do image metadata really influence rankings in Google Images?
Google indexes certain image metadata, primarily to display licensing and copyright information in Google Images. This metadata does not constitute a ranking factor but is useful for providing legal i...
John Mueller Jul 24, 2020
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