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
★★★ Should you really disavow low-quality links if faced with a negative SEO attack?
In the case of negative SEO attacks with low-quality links, use a disavow file to instruct Google to disregard these links....
John Mueller Aug 11, 2017
★★★ Should you really avoid using nofollow on your internal links?
It is generally not necessary to use the 'nofollow' attribute on internal links pointing to reliable and relevant pages within the context of your website....
Google Aug 08, 2017
★ Do Google's Quality Raters Really Influence Your Site's Rankings?
John Mueller indicated in a hangout that quality raters were there primarily to evaluate and even help correct Google's algorithms, but that their purpose was not to assess the sites appearing in sear...
John Mueller Aug 07, 2017
★★★ Do social signals really influence Google rankings?
Shares and likes on social media do not have a direct impact on Google rankings, as they are often nofollow or invisible to Google....
John Mueller Aug 02, 2017
★★ Does duplicate content really ruin your Google ranking?
Duplicate content does not necessarily indicate poor site quality, but sites that heavily reuse content without offering added value are often perceived as lower quality....
John Mueller Aug 02, 2017
★ Should You Nofollow Links to Legal Pages and Terms & Conditions?
John Mueller indicated during a hangout that links to pages such as "About", "Terms and Conditions" or "Legal Notices" can be set to dofollow. For our part, we recommend nofollow (especially for large...
John Mueller Jul 17, 2017
★★ Does the Position of Internal Links Really Affect Their SEO Weight?
John Mueller reminded in a hangout that the position of an internal link on a web page doesn't matter in terms of indexation: top of page, footer, sidebar, etc. In all cases, the link will be detected...
John Mueller Jul 17, 2017
★★ Does the position of an internal link on the page really affect its SEO weight?
The position of internal links on a page (header, footer, main content) is of little relevance for SEO. It is essential that image links have alternative text to serve as anchor text....
John Mueller Jul 07, 2017
★★★ Why does Google ignore your deep links if the app and web content don't match?
To properly link a web page to an app page, the content must match; otherwise, Google will not be able to establish this link and utilize the deep link....
John Mueller Jul 07, 2017
★★★ How does Google really choose which canonical URL to index?
Google uses several signals to determine which URL is canonical, including redirects, meta rel=canonical tags, internal links, XML sitemaps, and external links. It is important that this information i...
John Mueller Jun 30, 2017
★★★ Should you limit the number of internal links displayed simultaneously on a page?
When using sliders with numerous links, ensure that you do not include all of them at once to avoid complicating Google's understanding of the context. Study how users interact with various navigation...
John Mueller Jun 29, 2017
★★★ Should you really set all widget links to nofollow?
It is recommended to use the 'nofollow' attribute on links embedded through widgets, especially if they are widely distributed, to avoid indicating an artificial link between sites....
John Mueller Jun 29, 2017
★★★ Do canonical tags and nofollow really protect your distributed content?
Google advises the use of the 'canonical' tag to indicate the original URL of content when it is distributed across multiple sites. This allows Google to recognize the source URL. Meanwhile, the 'nofo...
Google Jun 28, 2017
★★★ Can Google really automatically filter out all bad backlinks?
Google uses algorithms to automatically ignore suspicious or low-quality links that could harm a site's ranking if they were not created by the site owner....
Google Jun 28, 2017
★★★ Should All Sponsored Links Really Be NoFollow?
When publishing articles as part of large content campaigns, it is crucial to ensure that embedded links are not intended to manipulate search rankings. Google stresses the importance of using 'nofoll...
Google Jun 28, 2017
★★★ When does Google take action against violations of optimized anchor texts in backlinks?
The abusive use of keyword-rich anchor texts through external backlinks can constitute a violation of Google's guidelines. Google notes that merely reporting these practices does not ensure their imme...
Google Jun 28, 2017
★★★ Should you link your AMP pages together or redirect to the standard mobile versions?
For AMP pages, it's up to you to decide whether to link AMP pages to each other or redirect to your site's normal mobile version. The important thing is to ensure that navigation links point to someth...
John Mueller Jun 27, 2017
★★★ Should you really use rel-alternate to link your AMP pages to their canonical version?
For AMP pages, it is necessary to use the rel-alternate tag so that we can establish the link between the AMP page and the canonical version of the page....
John Mueller Jun 27, 2017
★★ Are links in dropdown menus really crawled by Google?
Google finds and processes links in dropdown menus as long as they are present in the HTML when the page loads....
John Mueller Jun 26, 2017
★★★ Does Google really merge HTTP and HTTPS into a single canonical URL?
When HTTP and HTTPS point to the same content, Google tends to merge them into a unique canonical URL, ensuring that all links contribute to the ranking of that version. However, it is recommended to ...
John Mueller Jun 26, 2017
🔔

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.