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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★★★ Can You Really Rank on Google Without Any Link Building?
A user asked John Mueller the following question on Twitter: can a website rank on Google without implementing a "link building" strategy? John's answer was, of course: "yes" 🙂...
John Mueller Nov 27, 2017
★★★ Should You Really Disavow Nofollow Links Pointing to Your Site?
A user asked John Mueller on Twitter the following question: should you disavow a URL that links to your site with nofollow? John Mueller responded that nofollow links transmit no signals, so disavowi...
John Mueller Nov 21, 2017
★★★ Why Do Google's Panda and Penguin Filters Keep Evolving and How Can You Adapt?
Googler Eric Kuan indicated at the Pubcon conference that the engineering teams at Google continue to work on the Panda and Penguin algorithmic filters and that they evolve over time......
Google Nov 21, 2017
★★★ Why Do Featured Snippets Change So Frequently in Google Results?
Gary Illyes indicated at the Pubcon conference that the featured snippets currently displayed in the SERPs can vary significantly for the same query from one day to the next, because Google engineers ...
Gary Illyes Nov 21, 2017
★★★ Should You Worry About Google Removing Additional Links from the info: Syntax?
Google has confirmed that when you type a query like [info:www..com] into the search engine, the additional links that were placed under the result and provided information such as the cached version ...
Google Nov 13, 2017
★★★ Do JavaScript Links Really Pass as Much PageRank as HTML Links?
John Mueller reminded us on Twitter that the way a link is designed and presented on a web page doesn't matter: HTML or JavaScript, in particular. If Google can read it, it will be treated like all ot...
John Mueller Nov 13, 2017
★★ Why Are Structured Data Becoming Essential for SEO Success?
Gary Illyes indicated at the Pubcon conference that 2018 would be notably focused at Google on structured data (Schema.org markup) and that we should expect quite a few innovations in this area in the...
Gary Illyes Nov 13, 2017
★★★ Does a Direct Link to an Image Boost the SEO of the Page Containing It?
A user asked John Mueller whether a link pointing directly to an image (to a file like http://www.site.com/image/image-name.jpg for example) gave more SEO weight to the page containing that image. The...
John Mueller Nov 13, 2017
★★ Do You Really Need Schema.org Markup to Get Rich Snippets in Google?
John Mueller indicated on Twitter that, to display "rich snippets" in Google's SERPs (review stars, etc.), Schema.org structured data markup is not strictly required in principle. However, examples of...
John Mueller Nov 06, 2017
★★★ How Can You Get Google to Index a New Page Quickly?
John Mueller shared an interesting tip on Twitter: if you want to quickly submit a new page to Google or resubmit an updated version, don't hesitate to use the Search Console and its "Crawl > Fetch as...
John Mueller Nov 06, 2017
★★★ Should You Delete or Improve Low-Quality Content on Your Website?
John Mueller discussed in a recent hangout the approach to take when you have content considered low-quality on your site. According to him (and Gary Illyes as well, who often talks about it), the bes...
John Mueller Nov 06, 2017
★★★ How Can You Optimize Internal Link Anchors to Supercharge Your SEO?
John Mueller reminded us in a hangout that using descriptive anchors (link texts) is not only important for external backlinks. This is also critical for internal linking (crosslinking). When creating...
John Mueller Nov 06, 2017
★★★ Should You Delete Old Content from Your Website to Improve SEO?
Gary Illyes indicated at an SEO event that it was unfortunate, in his opinion, to delete content on news sites solely on the grounds that it was "old" and therefore "obsolete". According to Gary, old ...
Gary Illyes Oct 30, 2017
★★ Will Search Console Finally Offer a Full Year of Historical Data?
Gary Illyes hinted during the SMX East conference that the new version of Search Console (whose official launch date is not yet known) should provide one year of data (particularly for the "Search Ana...
Gary Illyes Oct 30, 2017
★★★ How Does Google Really Index Hidden Content in Tabs with Mobile First?
John Mueller confirmed during a hangout that content inside a tab would indeed be taken into account, within the Mobile First index framework, with the same weight as content visible by default. Howev...
John Mueller Oct 30, 2017
Should You Really Ignore Duplicate Content Like Google Suggests?
John Mueller indicated in a webmaster forum that the duplicate content issue should be reserved for "a rainy day, or when a new person joins the company or for the intern hired for the summer." Basica...
John Mueller Oct 30, 2017
★★★ Does Disabling Right Click and Text Selection Really Impact SEO or Is It Just a Myth?
John Mueller indicated on Twitter that disabling right-click on a web page, as well as the ability to select text with the mouse, has no impact—positive or negative—on SEO, in addition to being comple...
John Mueller Oct 23, 2017
Should You Use Search Console's "Change of Address" Tool for HTTPS Migrations?
When migrating a site from HTTP to HTTPS, it is necessary to set up 301 redirects from the old address to the new one. Oddly enough, in Search Console, the "Change of Address" function does not accoun...
John Mueller Oct 23, 2017
★★★ Can an HTTPS Migration Really Be Achieved Without Losing SEO Traffic?
Gary Illyes and John Mueller confirmed on Twitter that a migration from HTTP to HTTPS does not imply a drop in website traffic after this action......
John Mueller Oct 16, 2017
★★★ How Many Hreflang Tags Can You Really Add to a Page Without Getting Penalized?
John Mueller explained on Twitter that there is no theoretical limit to the number of Hreflang tags integrated into HTML code. And that if you have many sites, targeting many countries, using an XML S...
John Mueller Oct 16, 2017
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