What does Google say about SEO? /
This category compiles all official Google statements regarding the impact of social media on search engine optimization. It covers Google's positions on major platforms including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and their influence on search rankings. SEO professionals will find essential clarifications about the role of social signals, shares, and social engagement within Google's algorithms. The documentation also includes official recommendations for implementing Open Graph tags and other social metadata to optimize content display when shared across networks. Google has regularly clarified its stance on using social media data, particularly regarding social profile indexation, treatment of shared links, and the indirect impact of social traffic on organic visibility. Understanding these official statements enables search marketers to develop coherent digital strategies, dispel persistent myths about social signals as direct ranking factors, and properly leverage the social ecosystem to improve website discoverability and authority. This knowledge proves crucial for implementing comprehensive SEO approaches that effectively integrate social media presence while maintaining realistic expectations about their direct influence on search performance and organic traffic generation.
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★★★ Should You Change Your Dedicated Mobile Site's Technical Configuration When Moving to Mobile-First Indexing?
John Mueller reminded us on Twitter that when a website is not responsive and has a dedicated mobile version (two different URLs for the desktop site and the mobile site), nothing special needs to be ...
John Mueller Jan 25, 2021
★★★ Why Does Google Flag a Redirected URL as Blocked by Robots.txt When It Actually Isn't?
SEO expert Glenn Gabe indicated on Twitter that, in Search Console, if URL A redirects to URL B which is blocked by robots.txt, URL A will be marked as also blocked by this file, even though, in reali...
John Mueller Jan 18, 2021
★★★ Should You Really Worry About the Page Experience Badge in Search Results?
Martin Splitt explained on Twitter that the badge Google plans to display in the SERPs as part of the launch of its Page Experience and Core Web Vitals projects next May might not see the light of day...
Martin Splitt Jan 18, 2021
★★★ Can the nosnippet Tag Actually Block Google's Passage Indexing?
Danny Sullivan indicated on Twitter that using the "meta robots nosnippet" tag on your pages will not prevent the "Passage Indexing" system from being implemented by the search engine and therefore th...
Danny Sullivan Jan 04, 2021
★★★ Can You Actually Spot Passage Indexing Results in Google's SERPs?
Danny Sullivan also explained on Twitter that results displayed through "Passage Indexing" (when this system is implemented, which is not yet the case) will not appear as featured snippets, in any for...
Danny Sullivan Jan 04, 2021
★★ Is Google's Passage Indexing Really Live or Still Being Tested?
Danny Sullivan indicated on Twitter that the Passage Indexing system (analysis of specific content within a page potentially dealing with another topic), logically expected to be launched before the e...
Danny Sullivan Dec 28, 2020
★★ Why does Google place such high importance on SEO community feedback to enhance Search Console?
The Search Console team is constantly seeking feedback from the SEO community. Users are a valuable source of information to help guide the product strategy and improve Search Console. Feedback can be...
Hillel Maoz Dec 28, 2020
★★★ Do Google Core Updates Actually Incorporate the BERT Algorithm?
Danny Sullivan also explained on Twitter that Google's latest core update had no direct connection with the BERT algorithm....
Danny Sullivan Dec 28, 2020
★★★ How does Google really create its Search Console reports?
The development of reporting tools follows three stages: defining what can help a page succeed in search by checking crawling and content, building a pipeline to periodically review all pages in the i...
Daniel Waisberg Dec 28, 2020
★★ What new Search Console features will transform your SEO monitoring?
The team is continuing to work on Search Console with several features in the works based on community feedback from Twitter. These launches take time between the receipt of feedback and the actual de...
John Mueller Dec 22, 2020
★★ Why did Google migrate its own podcast to HTTPS after public criticism?
After community comments on Twitter regarding the podcast being hosted in HTTP, Google migrated the hosting to HTTPS, in line with the security recommendations the company promotes....
Gary Illyes Dec 22, 2020
★★★ How Does Google Actually Handle Misinformation in Search Results?
Danny Sullivan explained on Twitter that, most of the time, Google considers misinformation, particularly in the health sector (anti-vaccine content, etc.) as spam and, just like "low-quality" content...
Danny Sullivan Dec 21, 2020
★★★ Do Structured Data Tags Really Make a Difference for SEO Rankings?
John Mueller explained on Twitter that the reading of structured data tags on a page is considered in the search engine's relevance algorithm only in an "extremely weak" way because, most of the time,...
John Mueller Dec 14, 2020
★★ Does Google really pay attention to your feedback on its SEO documentation?
User feedback on Google documentation (via the feedback button, Twitter, and forums) is indeed read and processed by the documentation team. Specific and detailed feedback is most helpful for improvin...
Lizzi Harvey Dec 10, 2020
★★★ Why does Google refuse to answer your SEO questions in private?
Google cannot answer SEO questions in private (email, DM) because it would create an unfair advantage. Questions must be asked publicly on Twitter, in webmaster help forums, or during public office ho...
Gary Illyes Dec 09, 2020
★★★ Should you really rely on Google’s public channels to solve your SEO issues?
To get help with search issues, use public channels: John Mueller’s Office Hours (weekly, announced on YouTube), Webmaster Help forums, or public questions on Twitter. These channels ensure fair acces...
Gary Illyes Dec 09, 2020
★★★ Why does Google refuse to answer your SEO questions privately?
Google generally does not respond to private emails or direct messages regarding SEO in order to respect the policy of fair outcomes. Questions must be asked publicly (Twitter, Webmaster forums, offic...
Gary Illyes Dec 09, 2020
★★★ Has Twitter become Google's internal monitoring tool for detecting search outages?
Google utilizes Twitter reports to detect search outages. If many tweets per hour indicate a problem, the team escalates internally to check with monitoring teams. Twitter is surprisingly accurate in ...
Gary Illyes Dec 08, 2020
★★ Why should you care about the Google Search podcast if you're not looking for official documentation?
This podcast aims to provide an insight into the behind-the-scenes of Google Search and the communication surrounding search. The objective is not to be an additional documentation source but rather t...
John Mueller Dec 07, 2020
★★★ Does Google Really Index Hidden CSS Content (display:none and visibility:hidden)?
Martin Splitt (Google Zurich) explained on Twitter that Google treats the Visibility:Hidden and Display:None codes in the same way: text "hidden" in this manner will be read, analyzed by the algorithm...
Martin Splitt Dec 07, 2020
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