Gary Illyes

★★★ Is HTTPS just a simple tiebreaker between equivalent sites?

Google specifically designed the HTTPS ranking signal to act as a tiebreaker, ensuring that the quality and relevance of search results are not compromised while giving a slight advantage to HTTPS sit...

May 06, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Is it true that HTTPS is merely a 'tie-breaker' in Google rankings?

Google had to go back and adjust the weight of the HTTPS signal about 4 to 5 times, gradually decreasing it on the recommendation of the ranking managers, until it reached its current level where it a...

May 06, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How does Google really determine the weight of each ranking signal?

To determine the weight of a ranking signal, Google uses data from experiments and human evaluators (raters) that reflect how users interact with search results. These metrics help decide whether or n...

May 06, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why does Google sometimes measure the impact of an update with negative metrics?

There are two main categories of ranking changes: 1) changes to correct a persistent problem (like fake news), which may appear negative in initial metrics because users click more on clickbait conten...

May 06, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Is your site truly global or just multilingual?

The reality is that there aren't that many truly global sites compared to the entirety of the Internet. This has been explored by Google's country and language promotion/demotion team....

May 06, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you really invest in speed optimization to combat spam?

Unlike traditional web spam, which can be created for free, spamming speed signals would require so much investment in equipment and infrastructure that it might not be feasible. This issue may thus b...

May 06, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does ranking really happen at the moment of serving?

The ranking of search results occurs during the serving phase, when Google receives a query and returns results from its index. It's at this time that relevance signals, content quality, and hundreds ...

Apr 13, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ How does Google process a query in mere milliseconds?

The serving system processes queries in two directions: downward (parsing the request, routing to various indexes) and upward (retrieving results, ranking, assembling). This entire process takes place...

Apr 13, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Why does Google display incomplete SERPs when some indexes don’t respond?

Google queries multiple indexes (web, images, videos, news, maps) simultaneously. If some indexes do not respond quickly enough, Google still displays the available web results without waiting for the...

Apr 13, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Are your SEO changes truly reflected instantly by Google?

For frequent queries in a geographical area, Google utilizes a caching system that returns cached results for several minutes. Users in the same region are generally routed to the same data center, wh...

Apr 13, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you really implement hreflang for languages with different alphabets?

It is recommended to use hreflang even between pages of completely different languages (German/Chinese, English/Japanese), as Google can identify similar concepts and make result exchanges. For exampl...

Apr 13, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ How does Google automatically swap out results in the wrong language using hreflang?

Google uses a swapping mechanism: if a result in the wrong language would normally show up, Google automatically replaces it with the appropriate language version through hreflang annotations. This sy...

Apr 13, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Why do all alternatives to hreflang ultimately fail?

Any alternative solution to hreflang must work for all types of implementations: sites with URL parameters changing the language, completely different sites by country, various template systems. Propo...

Apr 13, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Google really adjust its algorithms against SEOs?

Google does not adjust its algorithms specifically against SEOs. The goal is to improve the quality of results. If a systemic issue is observed with the results, we look for a solution to enhance qual...

Mar 25, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does PageRank really work the same way as it did in 1998?

Google still uses PageRank the same way it did in the beginning. The system has not changed in its fundamental use....

Mar 25, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ What sets manual penalties apart from algorithmic downgrades for your website?

A manual action specifically targets a site attempting to manipulate rankings. An algorithmic downgrade is not targeted—it corrects a systemic issue, and your site simply contributes to this problem. ...

Mar 25, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does duplicate content really kill your SEO, or is it enough to add a few unique paragraphs?

When different sites have exactly the same product descriptions, Google doesn't need to show all the copies. It's not spam. To solve this issue, add substantial, quality content to your page to stand ...

Mar 25, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you really optimize the length of title tags for Google?

There is value in having title tags longer than the displayable space in search snippets. Keep the title relevant to the page, but don't worry too much about the exact length. If it fills your screen,...

Mar 25, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is quality content really enough to rank locally?

To launch a new local business website, the number one priority is to have good content. You need to clearly indicate where you are located, your opening hours, and what services or products you offer...

Mar 25, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should You Really Limit Your Title Tags to 70 Characters for SEO?

Gary Illyes indicated during the Search Central online event that having Title tags longer than the number of characters displayed in SERPs was a good practice, which brought a "plus" in SEO, because ...

Mar 01, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available