SEO statements by Gary Illyes

★★ Are host groups really a sign of cannibalization you need to fix?

When two results from the same domain appear with the second slightly indented, these are host groups. This indicates that you have multiple pages that can rank well for a query. You might consider co...

Jun 07, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★ Can you really disavow toxic backlinks by targeting their IP address in Google's tool?

There is no way to disavow links using IP addresses rather than domain names in Google's disavow tool....

Jun 07, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How do you get a video thumbnail in Google search results: what does Google really mean by 'main content'?

For a video to get a thumbnail in search results, it must be the main content of the page, meaning it's immediately visible to the user without them having to actively search for it. Take inspiration ...

Jun 07, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does Google really treat 429, 503, and 500 status codes the same way?

HTTP status codes 429 (too many requests) and 503 (service unavailable) are treated similarly by Google, and probably also with code 500. Search Console groups them in the same way as well....

May 30, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can Invalid Schema.org Markup Penalize Your Organic Rankings?

In the SEO Office Hours video, Gary Illyes stated that invalid Schema markup does not harm your site or your rankings. In the worst case scenario, if Google cannot parse your markup, it simply won't u...

May 23, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really abandon directories and social bookmarking for your SEO strategy once and for all?

Submissions to directories and social bookmarking sites are a waste of time and provide no SEO benefit whatsoever. Google recommends that you stop investing effort in these outdated practices....

May 04, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you really use Google's link disavow tool, or is it just wasting your time?

Google has been managing spam links for 25 years and knows how to ignore them well. The disavow tool in Search Console should only be used if links really bother you; otherwise, it's enough to simply ...

May 04, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Do you really need to optimize image file names for SEO?

Descriptive file names for images are somewhat useful. For a few images, it's recommended, but if you have millions of images, you need to evaluate whether the benefit is worth the effort required....

May 04, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does invalid schema markup really hurt your search rankings?

Invalid schema markup doesn't harm your site. If Google can't parse the schema, it simply won't use it. This means you could miss out on search features like rich snippets....

May 04, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does extended boilerplate content really hurt your SEO rankings?

Extended boilerplate content should generally not have any effect on your site's presence in search results. Instead, you should think about how users perceive it, as they might not appreciate it....

May 04, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can a domain migration really happen without losing your SEO rankings?

A well-executed website move, including a domain change, should not result in lasting traffic loss. There is a method to change domains without losing rankings by following official documentation....

May 04, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should You Be Worried About the New GoogleOther Crawler?

Gary Illyes announced on LinkedIn that a new crawler, GoogleOther, has been added to the list of crawlers that relieve Googlebot. According to him, it doesn't change much but it's interesting to know....

Apr 25, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why Does Your Website Suddenly Disappear for a Keyword It Once Ranked #1 For?

During the latest edition of SEO Office Hours, Gary Illyes provided an answer to website owners who notice their site disappearing for certain specific keywords, even though they were sometimes ranked...

Apr 18, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why doesn't Google index every single URL on your site?

Google does not index every URL on the internet—it's simply not feasible. The URLs that Google indexes are those considered to be high quality. You need to verify URL accessibility via Search Console ...