SEO statements by Gary Illyes

★★★ Does HTTPS and page speed really matter for Google indexing, or is it just hype?

HTTPS and loading speed are not part of the basic requirements for indexing in Google Search. These elements should not appear in the Webmaster Guidelines that define minimum prerequisites....

Jan 20, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is Google finally fixing its confusing Webmaster Guidelines—and what does it mean for your SEO?

Google plans to restructure its Webmaster Guidelines by separating technical directives from quality directives, clarifying language, adding concrete examples, and removing outdated content dating bac...

Jan 20, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Google really tolerate geographic cloaking without penalties?

Serving different content to Googlebot and users for legal or compliance reasons (such as geographic restrictions) is technically cloaking, but Google will very likely not penalize this practice if th...

Jan 20, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Are multi-location websites doorway pages or a legitimate SEO strategy?

Having one website per US state because you own physical stores there can technically match the definition of doorway pages, but isn't necessarily a violation if the intent isn't to manipulate search ...

Jan 20, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Are Google's core updates really just reminders about the guidelines?

Google's core updates focus on the guidelines that Google has been publishing for 20 years: write good content, don't buy links. These updates optimize relevance and quality algorithms without penaliz...

Jan 11, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Are core updates really neutral, or do they hide disguised penalties?

Core updates are not punitive actions against websites. Google is optimizing its relevance and quality algorithms. A site may lose positions not because it has done something wrong, but because the al...

Jan 11, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Core Update: Does Google Really Refuse to Provide Specific Details?

Google's official advice for websites affected by a core update is to follow the Webmaster Guidelines. Google cannot provide more specific details about what is affected in each update....

Jan 11, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Are Google’s core updates really designed to enhance user experience or to reshuffle rankings?

The goal of core updates is to deliver better results to users by optimizing relevance and quality algorithms. When one site moves up in rankings, another must necessarily move down within the 10 disp...

Jan 11, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Why does Google refuse to reveal what core updates really involve?

The Google team understands what core updates do and comprehends the changes, but cannot share more details than the general recommendation to follow the guidelines. This frustrating limitation preven...

Jan 11, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★ Who really created Google's robots.txt parser?

Google's original robots.txt parser was written by Jeff Dean in 1998-1999, after Matt Cutts proposed the idea of supporting the protocol. It was very basic at first, with only a few lines of code....