What does Google say about SEO? /
This category compiles all official Google statements regarding JavaScript and technical aspects of search engine optimization. Modern JavaScript frameworks (React, Angular, Vue.js) and web application architectures (SPA, SSR, CSR) present critical challenges for crawling and indexing. Google's guidance on JavaScript rendering, dynamic DOM manipulation, AJAX implementation, and API calls is essential for ensuring client-side content visibility. SEO professionals will find authoritative positions on implementation best practices, differences between server-side and client-side rendering, and recommendations for optimizing load times while guaranteeing content accessibility to search crawlers. Understanding data formats (JSON, XML) and their SEO implications completes this vital resource. These official declarations help prevent common technical implementation mistakes that can severely impact the search performance of modern websites and JavaScript-powered applications. Access to Google's verified positions on these technical matters enables practitioners to make informed architectural decisions and implement JavaScript solutions that maintain strong organic search visibility while delivering enhanced user experiences.
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★★★ Is Googlebot evergreen: how does switching to an always-up-to-date Chrome change the game for JavaScript SEO?
Googlebot now uses an always up-to-date version of Chrome for web page analysis, meaning better support for modern JavaScript....
Martin Splitt May 10, 2019
★★★ Does crawl budget really consider JavaScript and XHR resources?
Crawl budget also applies to all resources loaded during page rendering, including JavaScript files and XHR requests....
Zoe Clifford May 10, 2019
★★★ How can you leverage the Index Coverage Report to fix your indexing errors?
The Index Coverage Report from Search Console helps identify indexed pages and potential issues, facilitating the rapid resolution of errors....
Martin Splitt May 09, 2019
★★ Subdomain or main domain: Where should you host your content to maximize your SEO traffic?
When moving content from a subdomain to the main domain, there may be an increase in traffic. However, this depends on how Google perceives the link between the content of the subdomain and the main d...
John Mueller May 03, 2019
★★★ Do sitemaps with lastmod really speed up the indexing of your content?
Use the sitemap file with the last modified date indicated to inform Google of changes on a page, in order to achieve a quick update in search results....
John Mueller May 03, 2019
★★ What should you know about recovering your rankings after a domain change?
A site move requiring a domain change involves 301 redirects and a notification to Google. If rankings do not recover, there may be technical questions or a domain history to consider....
John Mueller May 03, 2019
★★★ Which Dates Does Google Actually Use to Rank Your Pages?
John Mueller explained on Twitter that Google can take into account two types of dates: the one indicated in the XML Sitemap ("lastmod" field or last modified date) which corresponds to the last modif...
John Mueller May 02, 2019
★★★ Does loading speed really affect your Google ranking?
The technical performance of a page, especially its loading speed, influences its ranking in search results, particularly on mobile. Optimizing speed using techniques like lazy loading can enhance SEO...
John Mueller May 02, 2019
★★★ How does Google decide between a homepage and an internal page in search results?
Google often seeks to strike a balance between displaying the homepage or a more targeted internal page for a specific query. The structure of the page and its integration into the site play a signifi...
John Mueller May 01, 2019
★★ Should you index your return and payment policy pages?
Return and payment policy pages are important for user transparency, but their visibility in search results depends on specific searches and their perceived relevance....
John Mueller May 01, 2019
★★ Should You Ditch the Noindex Directive in Robots.txt Before It's Too Late?
John Mueller and Gary Illyes recently discussed on Twitter the use of "Noindex:" in the robots.txt file. Let's remember that as of today, this feature works, but it is not maintained by Google and is ...
John Mueller Apr 23, 2019
★★★ Should you really ignore Domain Authority to rank on Google?
John Mueller confirms that metrics such as 'domain authority' are not used by Google for ranking. He encourages focusing on site quality and user experience rather than on these third-party metrics....
John Mueller Apr 18, 2019
★★★ Is it really enough to use 301 redirects to preserve your SEO value when changing your domain?
To avoid losing the SEO value history accumulated on an old domain, John Mueller recommends setting up 301 redirects from the old to the new domain during a redesign or rebranding....
John Mueller Apr 18, 2019
★★ Which is better for speeding up the deindexing of your pages: 404 or 410?
A 410 page will be removed from the index faster than a 404 page, but beyond that, both error codes are treated the same way by Google once the page is deindexed....
John Mueller Apr 18, 2019
★★★ Should you still use Rendertron for dynamic rendering with Googlebot?
Rendertron can be used to pre-render pages for bots like Googlebot using a headless browser like Chromium. This speeds up the page loading times for these bots while maintaining a dynamic JavaScript v...
Martin Splitt Apr 17, 2019
★★★ Is dynamic rendering still a viable solution for heavy JavaScript sites?
Dynamic rendering is a technique that allows switching between client-side rendered content and pre-rendered content for certain user agents. This is useful because it enables delivering a complete cl...
Martin Splitt Apr 17, 2019
★★★ Should you avoid domains with a spam past, or can they be salvaged?
When transferring to a new domain, if its history is linked to spammy activities, it can affect its ranking. An assessment of the history and backlinks, followed by a possible disavowal, is recommende...
John Mueller Apr 16, 2019
★★★ Are expired domains really useless for SEO?
Google does not favor expired domains. Practices of purchasing expired domains for their backlinks may not provide any advantages, as Google tends to ignore irrelevant links....
John Mueller Apr 16, 2019
★★★ Should you always pre-render your JavaScript for Googlebot to index correctly?
To address the indexing limitations due to the initial non-execution of JavaScript, it is recommended to use server-side pre-rendering or dynamic rendering. Vue.js offers documentation and tools for t...
Martin Splitt Apr 10, 2019
★★★ Why has initial HTML rendering become the key to your Google indexing?
To optimize SEO, it is crucial that your site's content arrives with an initial HTML sent to the client without waiting for JavaScript execution. Googlebot goes through two waves of indexing, the firs...
Martin Splitt Apr 10, 2019
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