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 avoid publishing a 'Coming Soon' page on a new domain?
You should not put a 'Coming Soon' page on a new domain because search engines will discover it and stop visiting the site. It's better to wait until the site is ready before making it accessible....
John Mueller Jul 20, 2023
★★★ Should You Really Avoid Changing Your 301 Redirects Too Frequently?
On Reddit, John Mueller explained that it is possible to cancel a permanent 301 redirect, but that he doesn't recommend doing this to redirect content elsewhere in the short term: "I would prefer that...
John Mueller Jul 18, 2023
★★ Can you really get better content insights from Search Console without connecting Google Analytics?
Search Console Insights is now available for users who don't have Google Analytics connected to their account....
John Mueller Jul 18, 2023
★★ Does Google's Search Labs let you test new AI features before everyone else gets them?
Google has launched Search Labs, a platform where users can register to test new products and ideas that Google is exploring, particularly in the field of generative AI....
John Mueller Jul 18, 2023
★★★ Is Google Really Replacing FID with INP in Core Web Vitals—And What Does It Mean for Your Rankings?
Interaction to Next Paint (INP) will officially become a metric that is part of the Core Web Vitals....
John Mueller Jul 18, 2023
★★★ How can you optimize your content for Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE)?
Search Labs includes the Search Generative Experience (SGE), a new feature that uses generative artificial intelligence to provide more information and context to user searches. This technology aims t...
Google Jul 13, 2023
★★ Is Search Labs really locked down in the US, and what does that mean for your SEO strategy?
At launch, Search Labs is available only to users located in the United States. This initial geographic limitation concerns access to experimental features offered in the program....
Google Jul 13, 2023
★★ Does Google really let you test unreleased search features? What can Search Labs teach you about the future of SEO?
Google has launched Search Labs, a platform where users can register and test new products and ideas currently being explored by Google. This initiative allows users to discover new Google search inno...
Google Jul 13, 2023
★★★ Do Google's quality raters really affect your site's search rankings?
Quality raters examine individual sites but do not modify rankings in real-time. Google regularly uses their responses to evaluate changes, but they do not directly impact search result rankings....
Martin Splitt Jul 11, 2023
★★ Should You Place Your Blog Posts in a /blog/ Subfolder or at the Root of Your Site?
On Reddit, John Mueller responded to a user who was wondering whether it was better to place their blog articles in a /blog/ directory or if it was possible to put them at the root. His response: "Goo...
John Mueller Jul 11, 2023
★★★ Do 404 errors and 301 redirects really hurt your SEO rankings?
404 errors are completely harmless, just like 301 redirects. You should choose the solution best suited to your specific scenario without worrying about negative SEO impact....
Gary Illyes Jul 11, 2023
★★ How can you create unique content for identical products without falling into duplicate content traps?
To make a product page unique when sold by multiple vendors, you need to offer your own perspective: a genuine review, a product test, or useful information beyond the manufacturer's text and specific...
Martin Splitt Jul 11, 2023
★★★ How Will Bing Chat's New #nosearch Feature Change the Way AI Answers Your Questions?
On Twitter, several users complained about Bing Chat's tendency to provide answers sourced from the web, even when simply coding or solving a math problem. In response, Mikhail Parakhin, Corporate Vic...
Google Jul 11, 2023
★★ Should you really verify each subdomain separately in Search Console?
Subdomains and subdirectories can be verified separately in Search Console. If the main domain is verified, you can add these sub-sections without additional verification. Data can take a few days to ...
John Mueller Jul 11, 2023
★★ Is Google really seeing your prices in US dollars by default?
Google crawls predominantly from the United States. If a site changes currency based on user location, Google will primarily see prices in US dollars. To display multiple currencies in search results,...
John Mueller Jul 11, 2023
★★★ Is mobile-first indexing really the standard for every website on the web?
Almost all websites are now crawled and indexed with their mobile version. To verify, check the crawl statistics in Search Console. If the smartphone Googlebot is the most common crawler type, it's co...
John Mueller Jul 11, 2023
★★ How long does Google actually remember old URLs after a site migration?
Google's systems can remember old URLs for a very long time after a migration. This isn't a problem as long as the old URLs redirect correctly. You generally cannot erase them from Google's memory; th...
John Mueller Jul 11, 2023
★★★ Why does Google treat hreflang and canonical tags as two completely separate mechanisms?
With hreflang, you tell Google that pages are identical but in different languages or regions. Canonicalization then selects the main URL in the index. Other URLs can appear in search results dependin...
Martin Splitt Jul 11, 2023
★★★ Should you really mark every affiliate link with rel=nofollow or rel=sponsored?
Affiliate sites are acceptable. There is no special structured data to signal that a site is affiliate-based. Affiliate links must be marked with rel=nofollow or rel=sponsored so that search engines k...
John Mueller Jul 11, 2023
★★★ Can Relevance Really Outweigh All Other SEO Ranking Factors?
On Mastodon, John Mueller clarified that no ranking factor can compensate for a lack of relevance or users' lack of interest in a website. As the Google employee states: "it's easy to forget that a si...
John Mueller Jul 11, 2023
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