What does Google say about SEO? /
Google Search Console stands as the essential tool for SEO professionals seeking to optimize their website's organic visibility. This free platform delivers invaluable data on organic performance, indexation status, technical errors, and user behavior in search results. Official Google statements regarding Search Console are critical for properly interpreting coverage reports, performance data, URL inspection tools, and sitemap management features. SEO practitioners rely on these official positions to diagnose indexation issues, identify optimization opportunities, and monitor organic traffic evolution. Mastering functionalities like Core Web Vitals reports, structured data validation, internal and external link analysis, and page experience signals has become essential for modern SEO strategies. Understanding official recommendations helps avoid metric misinterpretation, optimize crawl budget efficiently, and make strategic decisions based on reliable data to sustainably improve SERP rankings. Whether troubleshooting mobile usability issues, monitoring manual actions, or analyzing search queries that drive traffic, Search Console insights combined with Google's official guidance provide the foundation for data-driven SEO decision-making and continuous performance improvement in an ever-evolving search landscape.
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★★★ Should you still use the Fetch as Google tool to index your pages?
To submit URLs for Google's index, it is recommended to use the 'Fetch as Google' tool in Search Console, especially following the removal of public submission tools....
John Mueller Jul 27, 2018
★★ Is your server holding back Google’s crawl more than you realize?
Our crawl speed is limited by your server's ability to handle traffic. You can set your own limits in Search Console....
John Mueller Jul 27, 2018
★★★ Does your server's IP address still impact your local SEO?
The server's IP address is no longer an important factor for geotargeting. Instead, use ccTLDs, Search Console settings, and the hreflang tag to indicate your location....
John Mueller Jul 27, 2018
★★ Why do HTTP and HTTPS create two distinct indexes in Search Console?
In Search Console, it is important to verify the correct HTTP or HTTPS versions of a site as indexations can vary between them after a migration....
John Mueller Jul 27, 2018
★★★ Why Hasn't Google's Mobile First Index Been Fully Rolled Out After All These Years?
Again John Mueller, on Twitter, explained that the Mobile First Index was still being rolled out (we periodically see messages about this appearing in Search Console) and that there was still a lot of...
John Mueller Jul 23, 2018
★★ Should You Really Worry About Pages That Are Crawled but Not Indexed?
Having pages listed as 'Crawled but Not Indexed' in Search Console can be normal. It may also indicate that these pages are deemed to be of low value. Improving their quality can encourage indexing....
John Mueller Jul 20, 2018
★★★ Should you really optimize loading speed for SEO, or is it just a myth?
Google uses a variety of factors to assess speed, including calculated metrics and real-time data from users. Instead of focusing on a single number, utilize tools to identify and fix performance issu...
John Mueller Jul 20, 2018
★★ Why don't Google's live testing tools always reflect actual indexing?
Testing tools like Fetch and Render are more patient and reliable for seeing how Google views a page compared to live testing tools that have strict time limits to obtain quick results....
John Mueller Jul 20, 2018
★★★ Should you fix all the 404 and 500 errors flagged in Search Console?
The performance reports in the new Search Console show site performance, while the Crawl Errors section displays errors encountered while attempting to crawl your site. Errors like 500 and 404 can be ...
John Mueller Jul 20, 2018
★★ Do UTM parameters really harm your crawl budget?
Links containing UTM parameters are generally ignored when indexing main URLs, but Google treats them as regular links and can manage them through the parameter management tool in Search Console....
John Mueller Jul 20, 2018
★★ Does duplicate navigation really harm the crawl budget?
Having duplicate navigation for responsive and mobile versions of a site does not affect the crawl budget or search performance....
John Mueller Jun 29, 2018
★★★ Is it true that Google really ignores blackhat SEO techniques or does it still penalize them?
Google is actively working to ignore observed blackhat SEO techniques. Reports to the spam detection team help identify large problematic patterns, even though each report does not lead to an immediat...
John Mueller Jun 29, 2018
★★★ How Long Does It Really Take to Deindex a Page Through Search Console?
Google indicated on Twitter that the deindexing of a page, when requested through Search Console, is completed in less than a day....
Google Jun 25, 2018
★★★ Should You Really Geolocate Your Subdomains and Subdirectories in Search Console?
Google enables the geolocation of subdomains or subdirectories separately via Search Console. This serves as an indication, not a strict limitation, for targeting users in a specific country....
Google Jun 19, 2018
★ Does the Order of URLs in an XML Sitemap Actually Affect Google's Crawling?
Once again, it's John Mueller (since Gary Illyes no longer seems to talk about SEO online at all, which, let's be honest, is no great loss...) who explains that the order of URLs provided in an XML Si...
John Mueller Jun 18, 2018
★★★ Should You Use HTML or XML Sitemap for Hreflang Tags?
John Mueller indicated on Twitter that Hreflang tags are processed in the same way, whether they are integrated into the source code of pages or in XML Sitemap files....
John Mueller Jun 18, 2018
★ Do Customer Reviews and Surveys Really Impact Google's Ranking Algorithm?
John Mueller (yes, him again) explained in a hangout that Google's algorithm doesn't use data such as survey results, reviews, ratings, critiques, etc. to assess a page's relevance for a given query....
John Mueller Jun 18, 2018
★★★ Why don't monthly search volumes reflect the reality of your impressions?
Average monthly search volumes can vary and should be approached with caution. Search Console shows the actual number of impressions in the results....
John Mueller Jun 15, 2018
★★★ Does temporarily removing a URL really protect your Google rankings?
Temporarily removing a site from search results using the URL removal tool in Search Console does not erase indexing. Ranking signals are retained....
John Mueller Jun 15, 2018
★★ Why do your rankings fluctuate even without a confirmed algorithm update?
Ranking fluctuations can occur and indicate that our algorithms are reevaluating the relevance of content relative to certain queries. It is often linked to the adjustment of our systems to achieve be...
Johannes Mueller Jun 14, 2018
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