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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★★★ Do you really need to tag ALL your outbound links with rel=sponsored or rel=ugc?
To inform Google about the relationship with linked pages, use rel attribute values such as 'sponsored' and 'ugc'. Leaving spam links, paid links, or user-generated links untagged can result in a viol...
Cherry Prommawin May 15, 2023
★★ Is thematic authority really enough to position yourself as a reference source in Google's eyes?
Authority demonstrates the extent to which the content creator or website is recognized as an indispensable source for the subject. For example, to renew a passport, the official government page will ...
Daniel Waisberg May 15, 2023
★★★ Why Are Your WebP Images Showing Up in Search Console's 'Crawled - Not Indexed' Report?
A Reddit user noticed they had many WebP images appearing in the "Crawled - currently not indexed" report in Search Console. John Mueller responded that WebP images are not indexed as HTML pages, sinc...
John Mueller May 09, 2023
★★★ Should You Really Disavow Links Flagged as Toxic by SEO Tools?
John Mueller is not a big fan of link disavowal. On Twitter, he stated that it was a "terrible idea" to disavow links based on metrics from a third-party tool. He also added "Plus, none of these metri...
John Mueller May 09, 2023
★★ Should You Really Avoid Using Noindex and Canonical Together on the Same Page?
Google has always said that you shouldn't use noindex and a canonical tag at the same time. But John Mueller recently played his "it depends" card on Twitter. "For identical pages you don't care much ...
John Mueller May 09, 2023
★★★ Should You Use "Coming Soon" Pages During a Site Migration?
According to John Mueller, it's best to avoid "coming back soon" pages as much as possible during a redesign. On Twitter, he indicates that he would simply use a 503 status code if the site migration ...
John Mueller May 09, 2023
★★ Should you really use Google's link disavow tool, or is it just wasting your time?
Google has been managing spam links for 25 years and knows how to ignore them well. The disavow tool in Search Console should only be used if links really bother you; otherwise, it's enough to simply ...
Gary Illyes May 04, 2023
★★★ Does Google really ignore links coming from penalized sites?
Google does not trust links coming from sites identified as spam by algorithms or manual actions. This allows it to maintain the quality of anchor signals used for ranking....
Duy Nguyen May 04, 2023
★★ Does invalid schema markup really hurt your search rankings?
Invalid schema markup doesn't harm your site. If Google can't parse the schema, it simply won't use it. This means you could miss out on search features like rich snippets....
Gary Illyes May 04, 2023
★★★ Should you really abandon directories and social bookmarking for your SEO strategy once and for all?
Submissions to directories and social bookmarking sites are a waste of time and provide no SEO benefit whatsoever. Google recommends that you stop investing effort in these outdated practices....
Gary Illyes May 04, 2023
★★ Does extended boilerplate content really hurt your SEO rankings?
Extended boilerplate content should generally not have any effect on your site's presence in search results. Instead, you should think about how users perceive it, as they might not appreciate it....
Gary Illyes May 04, 2023
★★★ Does Google really render EVERY successfully crawled page with JavaScript?
All pages that are correctly crawled are rendered by Googlebot. Only pages that generate errors like 404s are not rendered. JavaScript rendering is part of the normal indexation process....
Martin Splitt May 04, 2023
★★ Are your Search Console metrics really showing what's actually happening to your site in Google search results?
Performance data in Search Console is collected when your site is actually displayed to users for specific queries. This data is not theoretical but based on what was actually shown to users....
John Mueller May 04, 2023
★★ Should you abandon dynamic rendering for SEO?
Dynamic rendering (full HTML via SSR for bots, CSR for users) works but adds complexity to configuration and maintenance. Google does not encourage it for new projects....
Martin Splitt May 04, 2023
★★★ Can a domain migration really happen without losing your SEO rankings?
A well-executed website move, including a domain change, should not result in lasting traffic loss. There is a method to change domains without losing rankings by following official documentation....
Gary Illyes May 04, 2023
★★★ Does Google really ignore spam links automatically without any action needed?
Google's algorithms very effectively recognize and ignore spam or low-quality links. There's no need to worry about Russian or suspicious backlinks; you should let the systems do their job....
Duy Nguyen May 04, 2023
★★ Do you really need to optimize image file names for SEO?
Descriptive file names for images are somewhat useful. For a few images, it's recommended, but if you have millions of images, you need to evaluate whether the benefit is worth the effort required....
Gary Illyes May 04, 2023
★★ Should you really worry about the difference between 301 and 302 redirects anymore?
Google recognizes long-lasting 302 temporary redirects as permanent. While it's theoretically correct to use 301s, it's not critical because Google adapts as long as there is a redirect in place....
John Mueller May 04, 2023
★★★ How many products per page should you display to optimize your e-commerce SEO?
On Mastodon, a user asked John Mueller what the ideal number of products per page was. The Google employee did not directly answer his interlocutor, suggesting instead that they conduct user tests to ...
John Mueller May 02, 2023
★★★ Should You Still Optimize User Experience Now That Google Has Removed the Page Experience System?
A few days ago, Google updated its documentation by removing several ranking systems, including the page experience system. Although Google had already clarified in the past that this system was more ...
Google May 02, 2023
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