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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★★ How Can You Effectively Optimize Your Images for Google Images in 2024?
John Mueller also reminded us this week of the various criteria taken into account by the Google Images algorithm: image file name, Alt attribute, Title attribute of a link pointing to the image, capt...
John Mueller Mar 06, 2017
★★ How does internal link architecture truly influence the crawl of very large websites?
For very large sites, the efficiency of the internal link structure must be optimized for crawling and discovery. However, this optimization depends on the specific case and is not necessary for all s...
Google Mar 02, 2017
★★ Should You Really Avoid Participating in SEO Contests?
John Mueller indicated in a hangout that one should be wary of SEO contests and the links they could generate because these could prove harmful and contrary to the search engine's recommendations. An ...
John Mueller Feb 27, 2017
★★ Should You Really Link to Wikipedia or Authority Sites to Improve Your SEO?
The same John Mueller indicated on Twitter that creating an external link on a page to very high authority sites like Wikipedia, Le Monde or... Google 🙂 doesn't play a role in SEO. Our experience (and...
John Mueller Feb 27, 2017
★★★ Should you really keep nofollow attributes on your outbound links?
Removing nofollow attributes from natural outbound links to secondary resources will not negatively impact your site. These links contribute to your page if you are certain of their relevance....
John Mueller Feb 24, 2017
★★ Do spam comments really damage your SEO?
Spam comments on your site will not negatively affect the main content of your site as long as they are properly moderated and the 'nofollow' is applied. However, this can impact user experience if th...
Google Feb 23, 2017
★★★ Should you really put nofollow on all comment links?
In your blog comments, using 'nofollow' is a common practice for links in order to prevent them from being considered by Google. This helps ignore spam links. It is also important to moderate comments...
Google Feb 23, 2017
★★★ Is disavowing links completely useless for SEO now?
Links entered into the disavow file are treated as if they are NoFollow and do not affect ranking. Drops in visibility are probably due to other factors than these disavowed links....
John Mueller Feb 23, 2017
★★★ Do external links really influence your site's ranking?
External links can be beneficial for SEO if you cite relevant and authoritative sources. Conversely, if you link to low-quality or spam content just for the sake of link exchanges, it can negatively a...
Google Feb 23, 2017
★★★ Should you really clean up dead links in your disavow file?
It is not necessary to clean up dead links in the disavow file, but if you want to ensure that certain problematic links are disregarded, you can add them to the file....
John Mueller Feb 21, 2017
★★ Should You Use Google's URL Inspection Tool to Speed Up Page Indexing?
John Mueller provided an interesting insight during a hangout about how Google indexes web pages on a site. In fact, there are two possibilities for this: the "classic" method (Googlebot finds a link ...
John Mueller Feb 20, 2017
★★ How can you prioritize technical points in an SEO audit?
During a technical audit by an SEO, it is important to prioritize improvements to be made, such as optimizing internal linking, managing URL parameters, and ensuring server connectivity....
Maile Ohye Feb 14, 2017
★★★ Should SEO prioritize user experience or search engines first?
Good SEO aims to improve the searcher’s experience from the search results right through to eventual conversion on your site. Optimization should allow your site to better represent its quality to pot...
Maile Ohye Feb 14, 2017
★★★ Is user experience really enough to ensure good SEO?
In most cases, what is good for SEO is also good for your online customers, such as having a mobile-friendly site, good navigation, and building a strong brand....
Maile Ohye Feb 14, 2017
★★★ Why should you require an official Google source before applying an SEO recommendation?
It is advised to request that the SEO optimizer supports their recommendations with documentation from Google, such as a help article or a video, to avoid unnecessary or harmful practices like link bu...
Maile Ohye Feb 14, 2017
★★ Is PageRank Still a Key Ranking Factor in Google's Algorithm in 2024?
Gary Illyes reminded us on Twitter that, almost 20 years after Google's creation, the search engine still uses PageRank as a relevance criterion. Thankfully... 🙂 And he shared the link to the document...
Gary Illyes Feb 13, 2017
★ Why Does Google Refuse to Display Backlink Types in Search Console?
The "Links to your site" section of Search Console displays a large number of backlinks pointing to your site, but without specific mention of those that are dofollow, nofollow or disavowed, for examp...
Gary Illyes Feb 13, 2017
★★★ Do hamburger menus really harm your internal link SEO?
Hamburger menus that conceal links until clicked are perfectly acceptable as long as the links are not dynamically loaded after the click but are available upon page loading....
John Mueller Feb 09, 2017
★★★ Do backlinks pointing to an AMP page really benefit its canonical HTML version?
AMP pages generally include a 'rel=canonical' tag pointing to the standard HTML version, allowing the benefits of backlinks from the AMP page to be transferred to the normal page....
John Mueller Feb 09, 2017
★★★ Does hreflang really enhance your international visibility or is it just a technical crutch?
Google recommends using hreflang tags to link similar pages in different languages so that users are correctly targeted based on their country and language. This way, users will see the appropriate ve...
John Mueller Feb 08, 2017
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