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.
Quick SEO Quiz

Test your SEO knowledge in 5 questions

Less than a minute. Find out how much you really know about Google search.

🕒 ~1 min 🎯 5 questions
★★★ How can you effectively fix a security issue detected in Search Console without hurting your SEO?
To resolve a security issue, Google recommends: 1) Reading the problem details and following the provided information links, 2) Using the examples of affected pages to diagnose the issue, 3) Fixing th...
Daniel Waisberg May 05, 2020
★★★ Are JavaScript links really crawlable by Google if the code is clean?
Client-side generated links with JavaScript are crawlable by Google as long as they are <a> tags with an href attribute containing a crawlable URL. Client-side rendering is not an issue as long as the...
Martin Splitt May 05, 2020
★★★ How can you monitor and fix security vulnerabilities that are hurting your SEO?
Search Console provides a Security Issues report that alerts site owners when Google detects that their site may have been hacked or used in a way that could potentially harm visitors or their devices...
Daniel Waisberg May 05, 2020
★★★ How does Google detect pirated content obscured by cloaking?
If pirated content is not visible on the URLs provided in Search Console, this could be an example of cloaking. Cloaking shows different content to users and search engines, complicating the cleaning ...
Daniel Waisberg May 05, 2020
★★★ Why Does Google Detect So Many Soft 404s in Search Console and How Can You Fix Them?
John Mueller explained on Twitter that if, in the Search Console ("Coverage" report), you have many "Soft 404s" (pages generating a 200 code but with 404 behavior), it's because you may have an intern...
John Mueller May 04, 2020
★★ Does the text surrounding an internal link matter as much as the anchor itself for Google?
Google understands the context of internal links through both anchor text and surrounding text. Whether a link is within the text or directly after a block of text does not alter anything; the context...
John Mueller May 01, 2020
★★★ Do external links really harm your pages' rankings?
Google does not consider natural, non-paid external links to harm a page's ranking. They help Google understand the context and position of a page relative to the rest of the web....
John Mueller May 01, 2020
★★ Should you really be concerned about internal PageRank on noindex pages?
On a normal e-commerce site, there’s no need to worry about the flow of PageRank between listed pages and noindex pages. Google systems handle this well. The major impact is on crawling (filtered URLs...
John Mueller May 01, 2020
★★★ Do old backlinks really lose their SEO value over time?
The value of a link does not depreciate with age per se. It’s the position of the link in the source site that evolves: an article on the homepage becomes archived, losing relevance. It’s not the link...
John Mueller May 01, 2020
★★★ Does Google really forget your past SEO mistakes?
Google typically focuses on the current state of a site. Corrected past errors have no lasting effect, except in rare cases: external links (slow reprocessing), geo-targeting (slow change), heavily sp...
John Mueller May 01, 2020
★★★ Should you really choose between a fresh start and redirections during a partial migration?
To migrate the best content to a new domain without transferring bad signals, you must choose: either start completely fresh (no redirects/links/reused content) or redirect (and accept the transfer of...
John Mueller May 01, 2020
★ Does the target="_blank" attribute affect SEO rankings?
The fact that a link opens in a new tab or in the same tab has no SEO impact. It is an editorial decision without consequences for SEO....
John Mueller May 01, 2020
★★★ Is Pagerank still enough to rank in SEO?
Pagerank is used internally by Google, but it is only part of the many signals considered for website ranking. Therefore, it is more beneficial to focus on multiple quality signals rather than just Pa...
John Mueller May 01, 2020
★★★ Should you index the internal search pages of your site?
If internal search pages resemble categories, indexing them can make sense. If they consist of random user searches, it’s better to use noindex or robots.txt. Mueller prefers noindex because robots.tx...
John Mueller May 01, 2020
★★ Does duplicating a link on the same page really enhance its SEO value?
Having the same link twice on a page (navigation + content) changes nothing in terms of SEO. The second link adds no extra value. However, it can improve user experience....
John Mueller May 01, 2020
★★★ How do internal links really shape the topical relevance of your pages?
Links allow crawlers to explore the pages of your website and understand the structure and architecture of information. They are essential for search engines to determine which pages are relevant to a...
Martin Splitt Apr 29, 2020
★★★ Does Googlebot really follow all the JavaScript links on your site?
Googlebot can follow links produced by JavaScript, provided they are generated with appropriate anchor tags. Non-standard elements, such as spans with onclick, will not be followed....
Martin Splitt Apr 29, 2020
★★★ Are Your JavaScript Links Wrecking Your Crawl Budget, and How Can You Fix It?
Use semantic HTML markup for links and ensure your links point to a correct URL. Avoid using pseudo-protocol URLs like 'javascript:' because they are not followed by crawlers. Make sure that links inc...
Martin Splitt Apr 29, 2020
★★★ Do complex JavaScript menus really block the indexing of your navigation?
As long as the navigation uses appropriate links with anchor tags and hrefs, it will be correctly followed and indexed by Google. Avoid complex interactions, such as dropdowns that are not traditional...
Martin Splitt Apr 29, 2020
★★★ Is it true that URL fragments (#) are killing your crawl budget and how can you fix it?
Avoid using URL fragments if you want crawlers to discover and follow your links. Fragment identifiers are not designed to point to different content and are ignored by crawlers....
Martin Splitt Apr 29, 2020
🔔

Get real-time analysis of the latest Google SEO declarations

Be the first to know every time a new official Google statement drops — with full expert analysis.

No spam. Unsubscribe in one click.