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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★★ Should you really wait until launch day to redirect an old domain to a new one?
In the context of rebranding, it is better to redirect from an old domain to a new one at the time of launch, rather than before, to avoid double redirection....
John Mueller Nov 14, 2017
★★ Is Google really treating mobile and desktop the same way?
Google currently treats mobile and desktop sites similarly with regard to speed and crawling. This could change in the future with the mobile-first index....
John Mueller Nov 14, 2017
★★ Is it really necessary to duplicate your JSON-LD markup across all your pages?
For JSON-LD markup, it is not necessary to add organizational markup on every page of your site, but for other types of markup like recipes, it must be present on each relevant product page....
John Mueller Nov 14, 2017
★★★ Is it a problem when JavaScript filters URLs?
Using JavaScript to filter URL parameters is not cloaking, but it makes debugging difficult. It is advisable to use standard faceted navigation techniques to avoid errors....
John Mueller Nov 14, 2017
★★ Should you really give up forums to build backlinks?
Google is not against forums, but does not recommend creating accounts to drop links, as this could be seen as spam by forum administrators....
John Mueller Nov 14, 2017
★★ Why Are Structured Data Becoming Essential for SEO Success?
Gary Illyes indicated at the Pubcon conference that 2018 would be notably focused at Google on structured data (Schema.org markup) and that we should expect quite a few innovations in this area in the...
Gary Illyes Nov 13, 2017
★★★ Do JavaScript Links Really Pass as Much PageRank as HTML Links?
John Mueller reminded us on Twitter that the way a link is designed and presented on a web page doesn't matter: HTML or JavaScript, in particular. If Google can read it, it will be treated like all ot...
John Mueller Nov 13, 2017
★★★ How Can You Get Google to Index a New Page Quickly?
John Mueller shared an interesting tip on Twitter: if you want to quickly submit a new page to Google or resubmit an updated version, don't hesitate to use the Search Console and its "Crawl > Fetch as...
John Mueller Nov 06, 2017
★★★ How Can You Optimize Internal Link Anchors to Supercharge Your SEO?
John Mueller reminded us in a hangout that using descriptive anchors (link texts) is not only important for external backlinks. This is also critical for internal linking (crosslinking). When creating...
John Mueller Nov 06, 2017
★★★ Should You Delete or Improve Low-Quality Content on Your Website?
John Mueller discussed in a recent hangout the approach to take when you have content considered low-quality on your site. According to him (and Gary Illyes as well, who often talks about it), the bes...
John Mueller Nov 06, 2017
★★★ Are paid backlinks really always penalized by Google, even on high-authority sites?
Paid backlinks are against Google's guidelines, no matter the domain authority. They can lead to manual actions or algorithmic adjustments....
John Mueller Nov 03, 2017
★★★ Is it true that Google completely ignores Domain Authority?
Google does not rely on the concept of Domain Authority. It can be a useful tool for SEOs but should be taken with caution....
John Mueller Nov 03, 2017
★★★ Do 301 redirects really transfer 100% of link signals to a new domain?
When changing a domain, it's normal to see backlinks associated with the old domain in Search Console. However, link signals are transferred to the new domain if the redirects are properly configured....
John Mueller Nov 02, 2017
★★★ Why is your server overheating after migrating to HTTPS?
When you undergo a significant transition, such as switching to HTTPS, Googlebot will crawl faster to process these changes. This can temporarily overload the server, but the crawl frequency will even...
John Mueller Nov 02, 2017
★★★ Subdomains or Subdirectories: Does Google Really Favor One for Your SEO?
There is no official SEO preference regarding the use of subdomains or subdirectories to structure a site. It is up to the webmaster to choose what is easiest to manage....
John Mueller Nov 02, 2017
★★★ Where should you position hreflangs to avoid harming your international SEO?
Hreflangs can be placed in the HTML code or in XML sitemaps, with no notable difference in treatment. However, it is crucial that the referenced pages are indexable and the content is distinct....
John Mueller Nov 02, 2017
★★★ Does Googlebot mobile actually use the same version of Chrome as desktop?
Googlebot uses the same version of Chrome for mobile crawling as it does for desktop, but with mobile-specific configurations to simulate the rendering environment on a mobile device....
John Mueller Nov 02, 2017
★★★ Does Googlebot really crawl AJAX URLs during rendering?
Googlebot can explore URLs used by AJAX scripts when rendering pages. To avoid unnecessary requests, use appropriate caching headers for these resources....
John Mueller Oct 31, 2017
★★★ Why does your cached page appear empty when Google has indexed your JavaScript content?
The cached page may reflect the raw HTML as seen by Googlebot. With JavaScript-based sites, if the JS doesn't execute properly outside its host, the cached page may appear empty even though the conten...
John Mueller Oct 31, 2017
★★★ Should You Delete Old Content from Your Website to Improve SEO?
Gary Illyes indicated at an SEO event that it was unfortunate, in his opinion, to delete content on news sites solely on the grounds that it was "old" and therefore "obsolete". According to Gary, old ...
Gary Illyes Oct 30, 2017
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