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 Always Use Absolute URLs in Your Canonical Tags?
Gary Illyes explained on LinkedIn that "canonical" tags on a website should contain absolute addresses (https://www..com/20230203-51450-quand-les-quality-raters-de-google-manifestent-pour-etre-mieux-p...
Gary Illyes Feb 06, 2023
★★★ Should You Still Calculate Keyword Density to Optimize Your SEO in 2024?
John Mueller explained once again in a webmaster hangout that Google's algorithm does not use a notion of "keyword density index" in content to assign a relevance score to a page for that query: "Keyw...
John Mueller Feb 06, 2023
★★★ Could Your CDN and Firewall Be Blocking Googlebot Without You Knowing?
Gary Illyes explained on LinkedIn that the two obstacles most frequently encountered by Googlebot when crawling a site were CDNs and Firewalls that are more or less properly configured. And he advises...
Gary Illyes Feb 06, 2023
★★★ Why does Google recommend testing in real conditions rather than relying solely on documentation?
When facing unexplained issues or unexpected behaviors, creating controlled experiments with test domains allows you to understand Google's actual behavior rather than relying solely on documentation ...
Martin Splitt Feb 01, 2023
★★ Can JavaScript Really Be Indexed Faster Than HTML?
Contrary to expectations, some JavaScript pages can be indexed faster than their HTML equivalents, because Google runs indexing processes in parallel with different priorities depending on the type of...
Martin Splitt Feb 01, 2023
★★ Is Google misleading you about JavaScript rendering, or just keeping things simple?
Statements like 'Google renders JavaScript like a modern browser' aren't false but represent simplifications. There are nuances and limitations that aren't always documented in detail....
Martin Splitt Feb 01, 2023
★★★ Is your JavaScript slowing down how fast Google discovers your pages?
In comparative experiments, the discovery and crawling of internal links are significantly faster on HTML-based sites than on sites where links are injected dynamically via JavaScript....
Martin Splitt Feb 01, 2023
★★★ Is your JavaScript really being rendered by Google? Here's how to verify it with the honeypot method.
To verify whether Google is correctly rendering your JavaScript, create links accessible only via JavaScript that point to unique URLs, then analyze your server logs to confirm that Googlebot accesses...
Martin Splitt Feb 01, 2023
★★★ Why does Google take 3 to 6 months to index JavaScript content after crawling your site?
Even when Google crawls a JavaScript site quickly (a few weeks for 50-100K URLs), full processing and indexation of rendered content can take 3 to 6 additional months before being reflected in search ...
Martin Splitt Feb 01, 2023
★★★ Should you really fix your technical SEO before investing heavily in content and backlinks?
Before investing heavily in backlinks or content, it's crucial to ensure that the technical foundation of your website is correct. A technically flawed site will not fully benefit from content or link...
Martin Splitt Feb 01, 2023
★★★ Was Google really prioritizing HTML over JavaScript for crawling and indexing?
In 2015-2016, Google had difficulty indexing certain JavaScript frameworks like AngularJS. Websites built entirely in HTML were crawled and indexed faster than JavaScript-based sites, even though Goog...
Martin Splitt Feb 01, 2023
★★ Are all JavaScript frameworks really treated equally by Google's crawling system?
Although Google is the only search engine that renders JavaScript, not all frameworks are treated identically. Some modern frameworks may have incompatibilities or require specific adjustments to be p...
Martin Splitt Feb 01, 2023
★★ Are 'Made by X' footer links really safe for your SEO?
Footer links like 'made by Squarespace' that come with the theme are not problematic. If you control the link, it is recommended to add nofollow and verify that the anchor text is reasonable....
John Mueller Jan 31, 2023
★★★ Does disavowing toxic backlinks really help you recover your lost rankings after a penalty?
Disavowing spammed links you created can help algorithms trust your site again, but it will not reposition your site as it was before. You need to work to rebuild your reputation from the ground up....
John Mueller Jan 31, 2023
★★ Should you update your sitemap's lastmod date every time you make a minor change?
The lastmod date in an XML sitemap file should indicate when content has changed enough to justify a new crawl. If comments are critical to the page, their date can be used....
John Mueller Jan 31, 2023
★★★ Why do 301 redirects remain absolutely critical when migrating to a new domain?
When changing a company name that modifies URLs, the most important thing is to ensure that old URLs redirect to new ones with 301 redirects. You then need to verify the new domain in Search Console....
John Mueller Jan 31, 2023
★★★ Should you really waste time cleaning up spammy backlinks from your link profile?
Google's systems are becoming better at identifying spammed links automatically. It's not necessary to prioritize their cleanup unless you receive a manual action. The disavow tool can be used if nece...
John Mueller Jan 31, 2023
★★ What happens when your hreflang links fail to validate completely?
Hreflang clusters are formed with validated links. If an hreflang link cannot be validated, it will not appear in the cluster, but the cluster will be created with the other valid links. Pages marked ...
John Mueller Jan 31, 2023
★★★ Should you really remove meta keyword tags from your website?
Meta keyword tags do not help with SEO. Google stopped using them long ago, as explained in a 2009 blog post....
Lizzi Sassman Jan 31, 2023
★★ Do you really need to request removal of redirected URLs from Google's index?
After moving content with 301 redirects, there is no need to request the removal of old URLs from the index. This happens automatically over time. If old URLs appear in specific searches, this is norm...
John Mueller Jan 31, 2023
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