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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★★★ Does Google Actually Recognize Data-href Attributes for SEO?
John Mueller indicated on Twitter that link tags with a "data-href" attribute (<a data-ref="URL">) are not recognized as links (not followed, no PageRank transmission). Only tags with an "href" attrib...
John Mueller Jun 25, 2018
★★★ Do Forum Backlinks Still Work for SEO?
John Mueller explained in a Reddit discussion that including links (backlinks) in forum posts worked "very badly" for SEO....
John Mueller Jun 18, 2018
★★ How Do EAT Criteria Actually Influence Your Chances of Winning Featured Snippets?
John Mueller also indicated during a hangout that, to appear in a featured snippet, a website must meet "EAT" criteria (Expertise, Authority and Trustworthiness). In short, everything will depend prim...
John Mueller May 21, 2018
★★ Why Does Googlebot Still Refuse to Follow Certain Types of Links in 2024?
Let's wrap up with, once again, the Google I/O event and a presentation by a Google engineer outlining which types of links are followed by Googlebot on a web page. The following links will be followe...
Google May 14, 2018
Should You Avoid Internal Links to Noindex Pages?
John Mueller explained on Twitter that there's no problem if a website creates many internal links to pages that are deindexed from the search engine......
John Mueller May 02, 2018
★★★ Where Should Pagination Tags Be Placed for Google to Recognize Them?
John Mueller reminded that pagination tags (rel=next and rel=prev) must be in the "Head" section of the source code for paginated content. If these indications are found in links (A tag) and therefore...
John Mueller May 02, 2018
★★ Does Google Really Count JavaScript Links for SEO?
John Mueller also indicated on Twitter that some JavaScript links, particularly those using "onclick" directives, could be poorly analyzed by Google and the link not taken into account....
John Mueller Apr 23, 2018
Should You Use Canonical Tags or Noindex to Handle Duplicate Content?
John Mueller indicated that Google only uses the pages it has in its index for a given site to establish an overall quality score for the information source (which seems quite logical). He also explai...
John Mueller Apr 23, 2018
★★★ Are Complex Tables Really Killing Your Featured Snippet Chances?
John Mueller indicated during a hangout that content displayed in the form of a large table or a long series of links was not optimized to appear as a featured snippet and, therefore, in the context o...
John Mueller Apr 16, 2018
★★★ Should You Really Worry About 404 Errors in Search Console?
John Mueller released a new "SEO Snippets" video in which he answers a question about 404 errors that may appear in Search Console and correspond to an old version of a website. John explains that the...
John Mueller Mar 26, 2018
★★★ Does Google Really Penalize Backlinks from Adult Websites?
Still at the SMX West conference, the same Nathan Johns explained that aside from the SafeSearch filter, no other treatment is applied to so-called "adult" sites and that the links they create or poin...
Google Mar 26, 2018
★★★ Does Google's Nofollow Attribute Really Still Work the Same Way Since 2005?
At the SMX West conference, Googler Nathan Johns recently stated that "the functioning of the nofollow attribute has never been modified since its creation" in 2005. 13 years later, therefore, it stil...
Google Mar 26, 2018
★★★ Does Google's Algorithm Really Ignore Affiliate Links?
John Mueller indicated on Twitter that Google's algorithm does not take into account in its relevance and PageRank calculations a certain number of links of all kinds and that "he would not be surpris...
John Mueller Mar 19, 2018
★★★ Is the Meta Refresh Tag Really Effective for SEO Redirects?
Google has indicated several times in the past that redirections using the "meta refresh" tag should not be used. However, John Mueller mentioned on Twitter last week that it does work anyway, but is ...
John Mueller Mar 05, 2018
★★★ Should You Really Stop Buying Links in 2024 to Avoid Google Penalties?
John Mueller reminded on Twitter that selling and buying links was against Google's recommendations (and therefore subject to penalties), whether the buying and selling sites are small or large....
John Mueller Feb 12, 2018
★★★ Why Does a Noindex,Follow Page Eventually Become Noindex,Nofollow?
John Mueller indicated in a hangout that a "noindex,follow" directive in the meta "robots" tag will eventually be considered as "noindex,nofollow" because the links on the page will no longer be follo...
John Mueller Jan 08, 2018
Should You Really Mark All Guest Blogging Links as Nofollow?
John Mueller also indicated in a hangout that, in his opinion, all links from guest blogging practices should be nofollow, which wouldn't prevent users reading the articles from clicking on the links ...
John Mueller Dec 27, 2017
★★ Should You Really Ignore Spammy Links in 2024?
Still in a hangout, John Mueller explains that today, Google tends to ignore spammy links rather than penalize sites that use them. And that it is now impossible to know whether, precisely, such and s...
John Mueller Dec 27, 2017
★★ Should You Use Generic Disavow Files Containing Lists of Toxic Sites?
Some webmasters use "standard" disavow files containing numerous toxic sites, even when these sites don't necessarily link to their website. However, John Mueller has indicated that Google does not en...
John Mueller Dec 18, 2017
★★★ Can You Really Rank on Google Without Any Link Building?
A user asked John Mueller the following question on Twitter: can a website rank on Google without implementing a "link building" strategy? John's answer was, of course: "yes" 🙂...
John Mueller Nov 27, 2017
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