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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★★★ Are Mobile First Indexing and Mobile-Friendliness Really Two Different Things?
Gary Illyes clarified that the Mobile First indexing project is separate from the mobile-friendliness criteria Google uses to determine whether a site is compatible or not. The two subjects have nothi...
Gary Illyes Nov 14, 2016
★★ Does Domain Registration Length Really Impact SEO Rankings?
John Mueller indicated on Twitter that purchasing (or renewing) a domain name for a longer or shorter period is not considered a relevance criterion by Google. The rumor suggests that the longer you r...
John Mueller Nov 14, 2016
★★★ Does Your Domain Extension (.com, .fr, .edu, .paris) Really Affect Your Google Rankings?
John Mueller and Gary Illyes have both recently indicated (for the 3,687th time 😉) that Google does not assign a lower or higher score to a site based on its extension (.com, .fr, .edu...), and in par...
John Mueller Nov 14, 2016
★★★ How Does Google's Page Layout Algorithm Actually Penalize Ad-Heavy Websites?
John Mueller indicated in a hangout that the Page Layout algorithm, which penalizes pages offering too many ads relative to editorial content, was being updated in an automated fashion and not launche...
John Mueller Nov 07, 2016
★★ Do Rich Snippets Really Mean Google Considers Your Site High Quality?
John Mueller indicated that the fact that "rich snippets" (stars, reviews, in particular) are displayed for a site does not necessarily mean that all Google algorithms consider that site to be of good...
John Mueller Nov 07, 2016
★★★ Should You Still Disavow Links That Have Gone Nofollow or Disappeared?
John Mueller indicated on Twitter that if a link has disappeared or has switched to nofollow, it is no longer necessary to include it in a disavow file. This indeed seems logical....
John Mueller Nov 07, 2016
★★★ Should You Request Frequent Recrawls of Your Site to Improve Your SEO Rankings?
John Mueller indicated on Twitter that if you request (for example via Search Console) that Googlebot recrawl a site, it will not negatively impact a site. And if the search engine's robots crawl a si...
John Mueller Nov 07, 2016
Should You Really Worry About Google's Announced Algorithm Changes Coming This Year?
John Mueller recently hinted during a hangout that Google could launch numerous new features on the search engine and its algorithm before the end of the year. But without any specifics. So, saying th...
John Mueller Nov 07, 2016
★★★ Why Does Google Prefer JSON-LD for Structured Data?
John Mueller indicated that the JSON-LD format was Google's favorite for implementing structured data markup. While it certainly accepts all other formats, he recommends JSON-LD....
John Mueller Oct 24, 2016
★★ Does Switching to HTTPS Really Boost SEO Even with a Basic Certificate?
Again, Gary Illyes told Search Engine Land that the "boost" (if it exists...) given in search engine rankings to HTTPS pages is granted regardless of the quality or validity of the certificate used by...
Gary Illyes Oct 24, 2016
★★★ Does Google Really Penalize Sitewide Links and Blogrolls?
John Mueller indicated that "sitewide" backlinks (for example, links placed in the footers of all pages of a website, identically) or in blogrolls (to the right or left of the editorial area, in the f...
John Mueller Oct 24, 2016
★★★ Do You Really Need a Dedicated XML Sitemap for Your AMP Pages?
John Mueller indicated on Twitter that using the AMP standard on your site does not require creating a specific XML Sitemap for this format. A "classic" Sitemap is sufficient and Google will find the ...
John Mueller Oct 24, 2016
Does Google Really Use a Global Authority Score to Rank Websites?
John Mueller also explained during a hangout that Google doesn't use a relevance criterion resembling a "global authority score for a website". Google may use global scores associated with a website, ...
John Mueller Oct 24, 2016
★★★ How Long Should You Really Keep a 301 Redirect Active?
John Mueller said it last year: a 301 redirect should be kept in place for at least a year, if not longer. In fact, the idea is primarily to measure traffic to the old URL. As soon as it becomes zero ...
John Mueller Oct 24, 2016
★★ Should You Really Worry About RankBrain and Machine Learning for Your SEO?
Gary Illyes indicated at the Pubcon conference that we shouldn't overdo it with RankBrain and machine learning algorithms. These systems haven't "taken over" the search engine's overall algorithm and ...
Gary Illyes Oct 24, 2016
★★★ How Does Google Label Your Backlinks Internally to Detect Spam?
Gary Illyes indicated that the SQT (Search Quality Team), which is responsible for implementing (or not) manual actions, has access to an internal system in which links pointing to a site are labeled:...
Gary Illyes Oct 17, 2016
★★ Does Penguin Really Analyze Site Quality Rather Than Link Anchors?
Gary Illyes also indicated that Penguin primarily considers "the quality of sites linking to a page." This could contradict the prevailing opinion in the SEO world, which has long held that the Pengui...
Gary Illyes Oct 17, 2016
★★ Do International Links Really Have Less SEO Value for Google?
John Mueller indicated on Twitter that the quality analysis of a link does not take into account whether the linking site is located in another country or offered in a different language than the dest...
John Mueller Oct 17, 2016
★★ Does Penguin Really Just Ignore Bad Links While Panda Actually Penalizes Weak Content?
Gary Illyes indicated on Twitter that, while Penguin's purpose is to ignore low-quality links (without giving a negative score to the page receiving them), Panda works differently: it can demote a pag...
Gary Illyes Oct 17, 2016
★★ How Did Google Prepare to Counter Manipulation Attempts of Penguin 4.0?
And finally, Gary Illyes indicated that Google's engineering teams had prepared themselves to counter spam attempts trying to manipulate the recently launched Penguin 4.0 filter. History will tell whe...
Gary Illyes Oct 17, 2016
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