What does Google say about SEO? /
This category compiles all official Google statements regarding links and their role in search engine optimization. Backlinks have always been a cornerstone of Google's ranking algorithm, though guidelines continue to evolve. Here you'll find Google's positions on link building strategies, acceptable practices versus manipulative techniques, proper use of nofollow and dofollow attributes, and official guidance on private blog networks (PBN) and guest blogging approaches. SEO practitioners will discover authoritative recommendations on anchor text optimization, toxic link management through the disavow tool, and the significance of internal linking for site architecture. Google regularly communicates about backlink quality, emphasizing relevance and natural link profiles over sheer volume. Understanding these official declarations is crucial for developing compliant netlinking strategies, avoiding algorithmic or manual penalties, and effectively optimizing PageRank flow throughout your website. This documentation helps search marketers separate myths from facts regarding outbound links impact, various link types, and acquisition techniques endorsed by the search engine. Whether you're addressing linkspam concerns or building sustainable link equity, these official statements provide the authoritative foundation for modern link-based SEO strategies.
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★★★ Why Does Your Website Suddenly Disappear for a Keyword It Once Ranked #1 For?
During the latest edition of SEO Office Hours, Gary Illyes provided an answer to website owners who notice their site disappearing for certain specific keywords, even though they were sometimes ranked...
Gary Illyes Apr 18, 2023
★★ Does Google's Updated rel=canonical Documentation Change How You Should Handle Duplicate Content?
Google has recently updated documentation regarding rel=canonical link annotations. These annotations provide search engines with a hint about which page version should be preferred for indexing....
John Mueller Apr 18, 2023
★★★ Are Links from News Sites Really Worth More for SEO?
Following a discussion initiated by Patrick Stox from Ahrefs, John Mueller indicated that links from news sites are not treated differently from other links: "why would links from news sites be treate...
John Mueller Apr 18, 2023
★★ Why is Google publishing a specific guide on links for web designers?
Google has published a set of recommendations for links. If you're working with a web designer and want to ensure that the links on your site work well for search, this document is essential to share ...
John Mueller Apr 18, 2023
★★ Are orphaned pages really invisible to Google's crawlers?
If you don't create any links to a page and don't mention it anywhere, it's very difficult for Google to discover it. The internet is like deep space: without a link to a resource, it's practically im...
Gary Illyes Apr 05, 2023
★★★ Is robots.txt really sufficient (almost always) to block a staging site from being indexed?
To prevent indexation of a staging site, robots.txt is a simple and effective solution. In most cases, this works because Google cannot crawl the pages and therefore cannot make an indexation decision...
Gary Illyes Apr 05, 2023
★★★ Do You Really Need to Verify Every Single Property of Your Domain in Search Console?
In an SEO discussion on Reddit, John Mueller responded to a user about a question regarding domain verification. Google's Webmaster Trends Analyst indicated that he no longer recommends verifying all ...
John Mueller Apr 04, 2023
★★★ Should You Worry About Googlebot's 15 MB Limit on Your Web Resources?
Google has added some clarifications to Googlebot's help documentation regarding crawling, to specify that the 15 MB limit for HTML code crawled by Googlebot also applies to each individual sub-resour...
Gary Illyes Mar 28, 2023
★★★ Should You Really Worry About Spammy Backlinks Pointing to Your Site?
On Twitter, a user pointed out to John Mueller that their referral traffic from spammy .xyz sites had significantly increased since the latest Link Spam update. Not much more to add, except that Googl...
John Mueller Mar 21, 2023
★★★ Does Using Nofollow to Sculpt PageRank Still Work in 2024?
During a Twitter exchange, John Mueller stated that attempting to sculpt your PageRank by relying on the nofollow attribute of your links was an "SEO myth" and above all a genuine waste of time. Furth...
John Mueller Mar 14, 2023
★★★ Is infinite scroll killing your e-commerce indexation on Google?
Infinite scroll creates difficulties for search engines because they must simulate scrolling (via viewport expansion). This is not efficient and can prevent content indexation. It is strongly recommen...
John Mueller Mar 09, 2023
★★★ Should You Really Disavow Your Backlinks or Are You Sabotaging Your SEO?
Finally, still during his Q&A session, Gary Illyes expressed some frustration regarding the abusive use of the link disavow tool, originally designed to protect sites from toxic links. He added that t...
Gary Illyes Mar 06, 2023
★★ Should You Stop Chasing Backlinks to Rank in 2024?
During his presentation at PubCon, Gary Illuyes also stated that links were not as important as SEOs believe. At least, they have lost weight over the past several years and will continue to lose weig...
Google Mar 06, 2023
★★ Should You Use Noindex and Nofollow on Redirecting URLs?
A few days ago, William Sears asked Gary Illyes the following question: "Will the noindex and nofollow directives on a redirecting URL be respected or ignored?" He then specified that these directives...
Gary Illyes Feb 28, 2023
★★ Are Meta Refresh Redirects Destroying Your SEO Migration Strategy?
Meta refresh redirects are not recommended for site migrations because they can result in PageRank loss. JavaScript redirects may function but are not ideal....
John Mueller Feb 23, 2023
★★★ How does an HTML redesign actually impact your SEO rankings?
Gary Illyes explained on LinkedIn that when launching a website redesign that affects the HTML code of pages, this will certainly have an influence on the site's rankings in search engines afterwards....
Gary Illyes Feb 13, 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
★★★ 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
★★★ 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
★★★ 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
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