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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★★★ Do ccTLDs Really Give You a Geographic SEO Advantage?
Country-code top-level domain names (ccTLDs) can influence geo-targeting in search results. For example, a .ch domain can give a slight advantage for searches performed from Switzerland....
Martin Splitt Jul 20, 2023
★★ Should you really avoid publishing a 'Coming Soon' page on a new domain?
You should not put a 'Coming Soon' page on a new domain because search engines will discover it and stop visiting the site. It's better to wait until the site is ready before making it accessible....
John Mueller Jul 20, 2023
★★ Should you prioritize branding over exact keywords in your domain name?
It is recommended to focus on branding rather than exact keywords in the domain name, because the site will likely evolve over time and changing domains is always complicated....
John Mueller Jul 20, 2023
★★ Why can't you detect manual actions before buying an expired domain?
You can only verify if a domain has a Google manual action after registering it in Search Console, which represents a risk when buying expired domains....
Martin Splitt Jul 20, 2023
★★ Does your domain extension (TLD) really impact your search rankings?
Choosing between an expensive domain (like a $10,000 .com) and a cheaper one is primarily a business and branding decision rather than an SEO decision....
Gary Illyes Jul 20, 2023
★★★ Should you really avoid cheap domain extensions for your SEO?
You should avoid the cheapest or free TLDs because they are often saturated with spam. If more than 99% of a TLD's content is spam, Google may not retrieve sitemaps from those domains....
Martin Splitt Jul 20, 2023
★★ Does Google's Search Labs let you test new AI features before everyone else gets them?
Google has launched Search Labs, a platform where users can register to test new products and ideas that Google is exploring, particularly in the field of generative AI....
John Mueller Jul 18, 2023
★★★ Why is Google shutting down its mobile-friendly testing tool?
The mobile-friendly testing tool and its API will be removed from Search Console by the end of 2023....
John Mueller Jul 18, 2023
★★ How long does Google actually remember old URLs after a site migration?
Google's systems can remember old URLs for a very long time after a migration. This isn't a problem as long as the old URLs redirect correctly. You generally cannot erase them from Google's memory; th...
John Mueller Jul 11, 2023
★★ Should you really verify each subdomain separately in Search Console?
Subdomains and subdirectories can be verified separately in Search Console. If the main domain is verified, you can add these sub-sections without additional verification. Data can take a few days to ...
John Mueller Jul 11, 2023
★★ Is the .ai domain really being treated as a gTLD by Google?
Since early June 2023, Google treats the .ai domain as a gTLD (generic top-level domain) in Google Search, not as a ccTLD for Anguilla. It can therefore be used for a global presence....
Gary Illyes Jul 11, 2023
★★ Does the disavow tool really delete toxic backlinks from Google's index?
The link disavow tool tells Google not to count links for ranking, but it doesn't remove them from the web or from Google's systems. Links from foreign language websites are perfectly acceptable and c...
John Mueller Jul 11, 2023
★★ Is Google's new spam report really a game-changer for SEOs?
The spam report has been redesigned and anti-spam policies in Search Essentials (formerly Webmaster Guidelines) have been updated to make it easier to report problematic search results....
John Mueller Jul 05, 2023
★★ Should you really stop using the ping endpoint to submit your sitemaps?
Google announced the upcoming deprecation of the ping endpoint for sitemaps, scheduled for the end of 2023, because the data received was not particularly useful. Sitemaps can still be submitted via S...
John Mueller Jul 05, 2023
★ Should you rethink your domain strategy now that .ai has become a generic ccTLD?
Google has changed how it treats the .ai top-level domain in Google Search. It is now considered a generic country code top-level domain (generic ccTLD)....
John Mueller Jul 05, 2023
★★ Why does Google still insist on anchor tags instead of JavaScript for your links?
You must use anchor (a) tags for links rather than on-click JavaScript handlers, so that Google can properly identify and follow links....
John Mueller Jun 29, 2023
★★★ Should You Launch Your New Domain Several Weeks Before an SEO Migration?
According to John Mueller, launching a new domain several weeks before migrating your site to it can reduce certain risks. He explains: "There are internal and external things that could be risky. It ...
John Mueller Jun 27, 2023
★★★ Can the Google Domains Sale Actually Affect Your SEO Rankings?
Since the announcement of the Google Domains sale, many have been wondering about the impact on the SEO of Google Domains sites. Barry Schwartz wanted to clarify the situation: "This sale should have ...
Google Jun 27, 2023
★★ What can you really do with the site: operator beyond just checking indexation?
The 'site:' operator is useful for searching unwanted keywords on your site (spam, injected content), finding localized versions of pages, or checking which images are indexed. Google Alerts can also ...
Gary Illyes 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
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