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.
Quick SEO Quiz

Test your SEO knowledge in 5 questions

Less than a minute. Find out how much you really know about Google search.

🕒 ~1 min 🎯 5 questions
★★★ Why do some pages get indexed in seconds while others never appear in Google at all?
Indexing time varies enormously depending on the interest and popularity of the content. For a viral event with numerous backlinks (like Eurovision), indexing can happen in seconds. For isolated conte...
Gary Illyes Jun 22, 2023
★★ Is your website really missing from Google's index, or could canonicalization be playing tricks on you?
A website can appear unindexed when it's actually indexed due to canonicalization. For example, the www version might be indexed but not the non-www version, or the opposite. You need to verify which ...
John Mueller Jun 22, 2023
★★★ Can Google still index the entire web?
The internet has reached a size where it is no longer possible to index it in its entirety, even with considerable resources. Search engines must make choices and prioritize the most relevant and high...
Gary Illyes Jun 22, 2023
★★★ Is the site: operator truly reliable for measuring your website's indexation?
The 'site:' command in Google Search does not display all indexed pages on a site, only a selection. It is not technically feasible to list all pages using this operator. To obtain the total number of...
Gary Illyes Jun 22, 2023
★★★ Does Google really impose an indexation quota on your website?
Google does not apply an indexation quota per site. A single site can have different types of content indexed simultaneously. However, Google may choose not to index certain pages to make room for new...
Gary Illyes Jun 22, 2023
★★ Should you really be using Google Search Console's 'Request indexing' button?
For a normally well-built website, it is generally not necessary to use the 'Request indexing' feature in Search Console. This feature is mainly useful for testing whether a page can be indexed, detec...
Gary Illyes Jun 22, 2023
★★★ Why isn't your new website's homepage getting indexed by Google?
When a new website fails to get its homepage indexed, it's almost always due to a technical problem. Google cannot evaluate content quality before it has crawled and indexed at least a few pages, so t...
Gary Illyes Jun 22, 2023
★★★ Why does Google really push Search Console as the gold standard for indexation diagnostics?
Google strongly recommends using Search Console rather than other methods to understand indexation problems. The tool allows you to see how many pages are indexed and where Google discovered them, at ...
Gary Illyes Jun 22, 2023
★★★ Does Google really prioritize indexing the homepage first on brand new sites?
Google's systems are designed to crawl and index the homepage (domain.com) as a priority, especially for new sites. If the homepage is not indexed, this usually indicates a significant technical probl...
Gary Illyes Jun 22, 2023
★★★ Should you really stress about indexing 100% of your website pages?
It's normal for a website not to have all its pages indexed. The most common scenario is that some content gets indexed while other parts don't. Not all pages meet the quality threshold required for i...
John Mueller Jun 22, 2023
★★★ Is Google's Search Console indexation report really enough to diagnose all your indexation problems?
Search Console offers a page indexation report that indicates how many pages are indexed and, most importantly, the reasons why certain pages are not. It's a good starting point to get an overall view...
John Mueller Jun 22, 2023
★★ Why doesn't Google's cache always show your complete JavaScript pages?
For JavaScript-based pages, the complete page may not be displayed in the cache due to browser security policies, since the cached page is loaded from a Google domain....
John Mueller Jun 20, 2023
★★★ Should You Worry About Backlinks from Foreign Language Websites?
During a conversation with an internet user, John Mueller indicated that receiving links from non-English sites on an English-language site could be beneficial in terms of rankings... provided they ar...
John Mueller Jun 20, 2023
★★ Why doesn't Google cache certain pages on your website?
Some pages are not cached due to Google's infrastructure system design choices. This does not mean there is a problem with the indexation of these pages....
John Mueller Jun 20, 2023
★★★ Should you block Google from caching your pages with the noarchive directive?
If you don't want your pages to be cached by Google, you can use the robots 'noarchive' directive to prevent their archiving....
John Mueller Jun 20, 2023
★★★ Should You Abandon Google Business Profile for Google Merchant Center for Your Products?
To silence the rumors about the potential disappearance of products from Google Business Profile (GBP) following an email promoting the Merchant Center service, Ginny Marvin from the Google AdsLiaison...
Google Jun 20, 2023
★★★ Should You Implement HTTP 103 Early Hints to Improve Your SEO?
On LinkedIn, Gary Illyes clarified how Google handles 103 Early Hints responses in HTTP headers: "HTTP 103 should be handled gracefully by Googlebot. If the server response is formatted as described i...
Gary Illyes Jun 20, 2023
★★★ Should you worry if Google isn't caching your pages?
The simple fact that a page is not being cached does not mean there is a problem with that page's indexation. Cache is not required for SEO....
John Mueller Jun 20, 2023
★★ Should You Really Consolidate Pages Ranking for the Same Queries?
During the June 2023 SEO Office Hours, Gary Illyes recommended consolidating text results from the same domain that appear one above the other. Referred to as "host clusters" by Google, these results ...
Gary Illyes Jun 13, 2023
★★★ Does Your Video Really Need to Be at the Top of the Page to Rank as Primary Content?
Another point addressed during Google's SEO Office Hours concerns the position of videos within content. The recent change to video thumbnail display seems to have generated some confusion among certa...
Gary Illyes Jun 13, 2023
🔔

Get real-time analysis of the latest Google SEO declarations

Be the first to know every time a new official Google statement drops — with full expert analysis.

No spam. Unsubscribe in one click.