Danny Sullivan

★★ Should You Use Recipe Structured Data on Collection Pages?

On Mastodon, Anastasiia Bondarenko pointed out that Collection pages were using "Recipe" structured data, even though it's intended for individual recipes. She wondered whether doing the same thing go...

Jan 30, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does Your Social Media Follower Count Really Affect Your Google Rankings?

On X (Twitter), a user asked Danny Sullivan whether follower count was a ranking factor for social media profiles on Google, since the search engine now displays follower counts on SERPs. Sullivan res...

Nov 28, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How is Google Tackling the Problem of Fake Obituaries in Search Results?

Google is encountering some issues with fake obituaries, to which the Mountain View firm is still struggling to provide solutions. In response to an internet user who shared the depressing dimension o...

Nov 21, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should You Really Stop Thinking About Google When Creating SEO Content?

On X/Twitter, Danny Sullivan from the Search Liaison team invited bloggers and other content creators not to focus on Google when writing content: "I encourage you (or anyone) to stop thinking – what ...

Nov 07, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ How Can You Avoid Keyword Stuffing Without Becoming Paranoid About Repetition?

On X/Twitter, Danny Sullivan provided some clarifications regarding Keyword Stuffing. According to him, the problem is less related to the number of times a word is repeated on a page than to the way ...

Nov 07, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Will Changing a Date or Minor Detail Help You Escape the Helpful Content Filter?

Danny Sullivan reminded us that the Helpful Content System is an algorithm that applies to an entire site. Therefore, changing a single character on one page has no impact: "If the Helpful Content sys...

Nov 07, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should You Really Shorten Your Recipe Pages to Rank Better on Google?

On X, a user complained about recipe sites that publish overly long recipes where information is difficult to find, solely to rank well. In response, Danny Sullivan stated that he is well aware of thi...

Oct 31, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do Structured Data Really Boost Your Site's SEO Rankings?

Nothing particularly new, but since Danny Sullivan spoke at length on this subject: a reminder! He stated that structured data markup has nothing to do with rankings, and therefore will not improve yo...

Oct 31, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does Google Really Replace Your Search Queries to Boost Ad Revenue?

In a recent article, since removed, Wired claimed that Google was deleting queries to replace them with other, more profitable queries. These rather serious allegations did not go unnoticed by Danny S...

Oct 10, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How Does Google Handle Fake Obituary Spam and What SEO Lessons Can We Learn?

On X, SEO Chris Silver Smith pointed out the alarming increase in automated fake obituaries in search engines redirecting to inappropriate content, using the example of his brother-in-law who passed a...

Oct 10, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Google really use just one algorithm to rank websites?

Google doesn't have one giant algorithm, but instead uses multiple ranking systems that work together. This official documentation lists the main systems to help creators understand how ranking works....

Aug 22, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why is Google now officially differentiating between ranking systems and updates?

Google now differentiates between ranking systems and updates. A system is a permanent component, while an update means that an existing system has been reworked or improved....

Aug 22, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do you really need to overhaul your entire site after every Google update?

Contrary to popular belief, when a new ranking update rolls out, you don't need to start from scratch. The changes required are generally minor if your content was already aligned with Google's princi...

Aug 22, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is Google finally consolidating the documentation of its ranking systems in one place?

Google is creating dedicated pages to explain key systems like product reviews or helpful content. These pages give concrete advice to creators on what each system looks for and how to align with it....

Aug 22, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really wait for a Google system to impact your traffic before taking action?

If you notice a performance drop after the launch or update of a system, it signals that your content may not be aligned with what that system is looking for. In this case, review the official advice ...

Aug 22, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Is Google really rolling out more updates or just communicating about them better?

The number of updates hasn't increased, but Google is communicating more about them. Notable updates communicated publicly are those that merit particular attention....

Aug 22, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Will Google finally document all of its ranking systems?

Google plans to progressively enrich its documentation with more ranking systems, such as recently with the thematic authority system shared by the news team....

Aug 22, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Google really limit search results to just two pages per domain?

Google uses a diversity system that generally limits to a maximum of two pages from the same website in the top search results, except for brand-specific searches where more results from the same doma...

Aug 22, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you ditch the technical SEO checklist and focus solely on user experience instead?

Google is evolving from an approach based on specific signals to a holistic approach centered on overall mindset. Rather than checking off technical boxes, you need to adopt a comprehensive vision of ...

Aug 22, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is Page Experience optimization becoming impossible by focusing on individual signals?

Page Experience is no longer a specific system but a general concept. It's not enough to optimize Core Web Vitals or HTTPS separately: you must provide a globally positive page experience including fo...

Aug 22, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available