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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★ How can you leverage the Google Search Status Dashboard API to supercharge your SEO tools?
It's now possible to access Google Search Status Dashboard data through an RSS feed and JSON history, both linked from each dashboard page. These data sources can be used to build custom monitoring to...
Gary Illyes Jul 18, 2024
★★ Does Google really treat a site after massive expansion as a brand new website?
When a website grows significantly (for example, moving from 10,000 to 100,000 products), the site becomes globally very different. The old site would represent only 10% of the new one. It is therefor...
Google Jul 18, 2024
★★★ Why aren't your product structured data appearing in Google's rich results?
To obtain product rich results, three conditions are necessary: the page must be indexed, it must contain valid structured data, and Google's systems must determine that it is relevant to display this...
Google Jul 18, 2024
★★★ Do links on crawl-blocked pages really lose all their SEO value?
When a page is blocked from crawling or indexation, you must consider this from the user's perspective: if a page is not available, they cannot do anything with it, so links on that page become somewh...
Google Jul 18, 2024
★★ What's the only way to hide text from Google without using HTML tags?
There is no HTML tag or annotation to tell Google to ignore certain text portions. One workaround involves injecting unwanted tags via JavaScript and blocking Google from crawling that JavaScript. If ...
Gary Illyes Jul 18, 2024
★★★ Should you block GoogleOther or risk disrupting your Google services?
GoogleOther is a generic crawler used by various Google product teams to retrieve publicly accessible content, notably for internal research and development. It was launched to provide greater transpa...
Gary Illyes Jul 18, 2024
★★★ Does the noindex tag really only affect individual pages, or can it impact your entire site?
The noindex rule applies to individual pages or other resources on a site. To add a noindex rule to HTML pages, you must add a meta robots tag with the noindex value in the HTML head element of the pa...
Gary Illyes Jul 18, 2024
★★★ Should you panic if your hreflang disappears temporarily during a migration?
During an incremental CMS migration, if certain pages don't yet have hreflang markup, this connection simply won't be taken into account temporarily. Once the migration is complete and the markup is r...
Google Jul 18, 2024
★★ Why does Google refuse to grant unlimited indexation request quotas in Search Console?
It is not possible to have an unlimited number of indexation requests in Google Search Console, even for managers handling multiple sites....
Gary Illyes Jul 18, 2024
★★★ Should you really fix every single indexation error Google reports in Search Console?
You don't need to fix every error reported in the page indexation report. Many errors are expected, for example when part of your site is removed. Other issues can be normal: search engines simply don...
Google Jul 18, 2024
★★ Do local domains (ccTLD) really offer an SEO advantage for local search rankings?
Local domain names like .kr tend to perform better because Google Search favors local content for the user. A .com can work just as well, but the local ccTLD offers a slight advantage. However, the ma...
Gary Illyes Jul 18, 2024
★★ Does Google really use RSS feeds to discover and index new content on your site?
Google can use RSS feeds referenced on a site to discover new URLs or other URLs on other sites, similar to sitemaps. RSS feeds are mentioned in the official documentation on sitemaps....
Gary Illyes Jul 18, 2024
★★ Does Google really require a specific sitemap structure, or can you organize them however you want?
Sitemap files can be organized as desired. Documented limits indicate 50,000 pages per sitemap file. If sitemap files are generated automatically, it is sufficient to fill them up to this limit....
Google Jul 18, 2024
★★ Do you really need to fill in every single field of structured data for Google to actually use it?
You can use structured data markup even without all the required fields, but Google's systems will likely ignore this markup because it will be considered incomplete. For cases with millions of varian...
Google Jul 18, 2024
★ Why is your new favicon taking so long to appear in Google search results?
Favicons generally don't change quickly, so Google's systems don't refresh them often. After a favicon update, you need to verify that all relevant files are updated (there may be multiple favicons ta...
Google Jul 18, 2024
★★★ Can Google actually transfer your SEO rankings during a domain migration?
Google's team cannot directly help transfer SEO rankings from an old domain to a new one, but site owners can do it themselves. Migration guidelines are available that explain how to proceed....
Gary Illyes Jul 18, 2024
★★★ Does the order of H1, H2, H3 tags really affect your Google rankings?
Having headings in semantic order is excellent for screen readers, but from Google Search's perspective, the disorderly use of heading tags doesn't matter. The SEO Starter Guide is regularly updated t...
Gary Illyes Jul 18, 2024
★★ Is your brand really stuck being confused with a common word? How long does Google actually need to figure it out?
When a brand is confused with a common English word in search results, the situation will resolve itself over time as Google's systems recognize that users are searching for the site and not a misspel...
Google Jul 18, 2024
★★ Is Schema Recipe really restricted to food recipes only, or can you use it creatively?
The structured data schema for recipes cannot be used for non-edible recipes such as deodorant or laundry detergent. Google's guidelines on structured data are very clear on this point. It is not reco...
Google Jul 18, 2024
★★ Why Does Reddit Outrank Expert Sites on Google – Is Credibility Still Enough?
John Mueller explained why content from Reddit could outrank expert websites in search results pages. He emphasized the need to learn to look beyond the simple dimension of credibility, specifying tha...
John Mueller Jul 16, 2024
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