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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★★★ Should You Really Disavow Spammy and Toxic Backlinks Pointing to Your Site?
On Reddit, a site owner expressed concern after noticing hundreds of thousands of backlinks from AI-generated blog articles pointing to their site. In response, John Mueller stated that these links co...
John Mueller Jan 16, 2024
★★★ Should You Really Worry About Hacked Pages That Stay Indexed for Months?
Following an attack that resulted in the creation of thousands of pages in Japanese and Chinese, a hacking technique known as the "Japanese keyword hack," a user asked for help on Reddit. After provid...
John Mueller Jan 16, 2024
★★ What should you do when redirects are technically impossible during a domain change?
If setting up redirects is not possible, it is recommended to replace the old content with text indicating that the site has moved to a new domain name....
John Mueller Jan 16, 2024
★★★ Should you really delete your old site after an SEO migration?
Google strongly recommends deleting or cleaning up the old website when launching a new site. The main reason is to avoid confusing users with potentially different information between the two sites....
John Mueller Jan 16, 2024
★★ Should You Really Stop Focusing on Links in SEO?
On Reddit, John Mueller responded to a question from a user who was wondering why a link, which he considered important, wasn't displayed in any tracking tool and he wasn't seeing any increase in Doma...
John Mueller Jan 09, 2024
★★★ How Can You Prevent a Site Redesign from Destroying Your Google Rankings?
John Mueller advised a user who needs to launch a new site including various UI/UX improvements and new pages to carefully plan their site redesign to avoid any issues, stating: "ideally, describe all...
John Mueller Jan 09, 2024
★★★ Is SEO Really Dying with the Rise of Artificial Intelligence?
Phew! SEO should not be taking its final bow in 2024, at least not during the first part of the year. This is more or less the prediction that John Mueller shared with us on Bluesky, in response to a ...
John Mueller Jan 02, 2024
★★★ Could Your Indexing Problems Really Be Caused by a Simple Domain Configuration Error?
Following an indexing problem encountered by a user with their site, which they believed could have been caused by the Core MVC framework or the HTTPS protocol, John Mueller pointed out that the site ...
John Mueller Jan 02, 2024
★★★ Can Anti-Bot Protection Accidentally Trigger Noindex on Your Site?
On X, John Mueller stated that protection measures taken against bots at the server level could sometimes trigger a noindex directive. The same thing can happen with a login page or an interstitial. A...
John Mueller Jan 02, 2024
★★ Is Google really updating its search standards, or is it all just noise?
Google is working to evolve the standards and protocols used in search to adapt to new needs and technologies....
Cherry Prommawin Dec 29, 2023
★★ How can you get your content discovered across Google's new search surfaces beyond traditional search results?
Google provides guidance on how to position your content to appear in Google Search results and on emerging search surfaces....
Daniel Waisberg Dec 29, 2023
★★★ Will Google's generative AI in Search Labs completely reshape your SEO strategy?
Google has launched Search Labs, which uses generative artificial intelligence to provide more information and context to user searches....
John Mueller Dec 29, 2023
★★★ Are Double Slashes in Your URLs Hurting Your Google Indexing?
Gary Illyes stated that the presence of a double slash (or double forward slash) in a URL could cause usability issues, but more importantly, that it could disrupt certain indexing bots. Indeed, this ...
Gary Illyes Dec 26, 2023
★★★ Should You Stop Searching for the Perfect SEO Strategy?
During the December 2023 SEO Office Hours, John Mueller stated that no SEO (meaning SEO strategy or action) was perfect, specifying that the discipline is destined to evolve, just like the internet an...
Google Dec 26, 2023
★★★ How Can You Structure Your Site to Speed Up Indexing of Your News Content?
During the SEO Office Hours, Gary Illyes also explained that it was wise to use a hierarchical structure for large-scale sites in order to encourage Google to explore different sections quickly. Gary ...
Gary Illyes Dec 26, 2023
★★★ Is Googlebot really rejecting HTML pages larger than 15 MB from being crawled?
Google has a 15 megabyte request size limit for crawling web pages. This limit applies to individual HTML files and is large enough for the vast majority of websites....
Gary Illyes Dec 21, 2023
★★ Can you really trust AI-generated content for SEO?
With current technology, it is impossible to reduce AI model hallucinations to zero. AI-generated content always requires human verification and oversight, even for simple tasks....
Gary Illyes Dec 21, 2023
★★ Are Google's AI principles really shaping how search results rank?
Google applies its artificial intelligence principles to all its AI-related products, including SGE and Bard. The gradual rollout across different countries allows it to comply with local regulations ...
Martin Splitt Dec 21, 2023
★★ Is Google really preparing a universal opt-out for AI training?
Google is working on control mechanisms allowing publishers to choose opt-in or opt-out from AI training. These solutions must be developed in collaboration with other AI companies and publishers, not...
Gary Illyes Dec 21, 2023
★★★ Why does Google separate Googlebot and Google-Other in its crawling activities?
Google created the Google-Other user-agent to isolate crawl traffic unrelated to search. Googlebot is now reserved exclusively for search-related traffic, while Google-Other is used for search and cer...
Gary Illyes Dec 21, 2023
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