SEO statements by Gary Illyes

★★★ How Will the New Search Console Transform Your SEO Data Analysis?

Gary Illyes confirmed from Japan that the new version of Search Console will be arriving soon with an extended data period (beyond the current 90 days for search analysis in particular). But no furthe...

Aug 28, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★ Does disavowing poor-quality backlinks really carry a negative impact?

Gary Illyes indicated on Twitter that a disavowed site, therefore designated as providing low-quality links, was not negatively impacted subsequently by Google's algorithm. The links it provides are s...

Aug 14, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should You Really Place Optimized Text Below Your Footer to Boost SEO?

An internet user pointed out to Gary Illyes - with examples - that certain "SEO experts" were placing several sentences (clearly intended for Google optimization) below the footer of their pages and a...

Aug 07, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Google Really Consider a Disavow File as a Spam Signal?

In the series of odd questions, another internet user asked Gary Illyes whether submitting a disavow file to Google for a site was a spam signal for the search engine. Gary naturally replied that it w...

Aug 07, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is Google's SEO Guide from 2010 Still Relevant Today?

Gary Illyes indicated on Twitter that the SEO starter guide published and offered (in PDF format) by Google was still current and relevant, even though it hasn't been updated since 2010 (as clearly sh...

Aug 07, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do Sticky Footers Actually Harm Your Site's SEO Performance?

Gary Illyes responded on Twitter to a webmaster asking about "sticky footers" - the page footer that remains displayed on screen even when users scroll up or down through the content. In short, the fo...

Jul 31, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should You Really Abandon the Meta Keywords Tag for SEO?

Some webmasters/SEOs sometimes ask Google's officials questions from another era. For instance, Gary Illyes was asked on Twitter whether the search engine penalized websites that "stuffed" their meta ...

Jul 24, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do Trust Badges and Seals Really Influence Google Rankings?

The same Gary Illyes indicated on Twitter that obtaining a "trust badge or seal" for your site (trust seal: BBB, Norton, McAfee or other) had no impact on Google rankings. This makes perfect sense sin...

Jul 24, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does Google Analytics Really Impact Your Website's Rankings?

Gary Illyes explained on Twitter that Google's relevance algorithm doesn't use any information from Google Analytics to measure the relevance of a page. Why would it anyway, since Chrome provides all ...

Jul 10, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How Long Does It Really Take for Google to Process a Site Migration?

Gary Illyes explained at the SMX Advanced conference that processing a site migration (domain name change and/or URL structure change) by Google can take 3 months, depending on the site's size, and no...

Jun 26, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do Breadcrumbs Really Pass PageRank Just Like Other Internal Links?

Gary Illyes explained that Google particularly appreciates breadcrumbs and that these links are treated like any other internal links on the page for internal PageRank distribution......

Jun 26, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should You Really Use URL Parameters in Search Console?

Gary Illyes explained on Twitter that the indications provided by webmasters in the "URL Parameters" section of Search Console were directives followed by the search engine's algorithms, and that you ...

Jun 26, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★★ How Does Google Actually Distinguish Near Duplicate Content from Pure Duplicate Content?

Gary Illyes explained on Twitter his vision of "near duplicate content": he sees it in two forms: either it's slightly modified content on another page, or the same content, but in a different environ...