John Mueller

★★★ Is it true that content hidden behind a 'Read More' button is actually indexed by Google?

If all content is loaded initially in the DOM and only the display is controlled by Read More/Read Less, Google can index this content even if it’s not immediately visible. For structured FAQs, questi...

Feb 26, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does CSS font size really impact your positions on Google?

The variation in font size (14px vs 12px) on a page does not affect ranking. The only important consideration is mobile compatibility, which remains a ranking factor. The rest pertains to user experie...

Feb 26, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can you really force Google to recrawl immediately after a price change?

It is not possible to force Google to immediately recrawl pages when prices change. To facilitate quick detection of modifications, use the sitemap with the last updated date and ensure that important...

Feb 26, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Is it true that the length of the title really impacts Google rankings?

There is no perfect title length (e.g. 72 characters). Google uses the full content of the title for ranking, even if everything isn't displayed with ellipses. Google sometimes shows titles across 2-3...

Feb 26, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is it really necessary to duplicate all country codes in hreflang for targeting multiple regions?

To target multiple Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, all relevant country codes must be added in hreflang, even if they all point to the same page. Without these links, Google does not real...

Feb 26, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does Google really rewrite your titles to help you out?

Google sometimes rewrites titles to make them more understandable for users, particularly by reversing the brand name and the page title. This does not cause any issues. Titles with keyword stuffing o...

Feb 26, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does content relevance truly outweigh Core Web Vitals in Google rankings?

Core Web Vitals became a ranking signal in May 2021, but relevance is still far more important. A fast site does not guarantee the top position. A completely empty site may be very fast but utterly us...

Feb 26, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does the traffic volume of your site affect your Core Web Vitals score?

For Core Web Vitals, traffic volume is not important as long as there is enough data in the Chrome User Experience Report. Data from millions of users or thousands does not have a different impact....

Feb 26, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is it true that word count doesn't matter for ranking on Google?

The word count on a page is neither a quality factor nor a ranking factor. Blindly adding text does not make a page better. What’s important is providing the necessary information for users and Google...

Feb 26, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do Invisible Breadcrumbs Really Block Your Rich Results on Google?

For breadcrumbs to appear in search results, the structured markup must be valid, and the breadcrumbs must be visible on the page. The overall quality of the site affects the display of rich results....

Feb 26, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you really use hreflang when targeting multiple countries with the same language?

For equivalent content in the same language but targeting different countries, the use of hreflang is recommended alongside geographic targeting in Search Console....

Feb 26, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How can you effectively target multiple countries with a single domain without losing your local SEO?

You can target different countries with a generic domain (non ccTLD): the homepage for one country and a subfolder for another. Google uses the most specific targeting. Incompatible with ccTLDs....

Feb 26, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really be worried about having 30% of URLs as 404s on your site?

Having 30% of URLs as 404s is perfectly normal, especially for sites with a lot of content turnover. It's not a quality signal. It's only problematic if the homepage returns 404s, as Google might thin...

Feb 26, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does internal linking truly overshadow the sitemap in signaling your strategic pages to Google?

To indicate to Google which pages are the most important, use internal linking instead of the sitemap. Pages linked from the homepage are considered more important than those situated 5-6 levels deep....

Feb 26, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is it true that content concealed behind a Read More button is actually indexed by Google?

If all the content is loaded when the page is rendered, Google can index it even if it is not immediately visible (e.g., Read More/Read Less buttons). For FAQ markup, the questions must be visible, wh...

Feb 26, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does font size really influence Google rankings?

Font size (14px vs 12px) does not affect rankings. The important factor is mobile compatibility, which remains a ranking factor. The rest falls under user experience....

Feb 26, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do sitemaps really trigger a quick recrawl of your modified pages?

To enable Google to recrawl a page quickly after a modification (e.g., a price change), use the sitemap to indicate that the page has changed, notably through the last update date. Also, link importan...

Feb 26, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Google Really Consider the Total Number of Backlinks a Ranking Factor?

John Mueller explained during a webmaster hangout that the total number of backlinks a page receives is not a relevant criterion for measuring its popularity: "From my point of view, I would tend not ...

Feb 22, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Adding an Audio Version to Your Article Actually Boost SEO?

John Mueller explained during a webmaster hangout that offering an audio version of an article initially displayed in text format does not provide any SEO bonus to the latter. He also added that the a...

Feb 22, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can a Site Penalized by Google Ever Really Get Reindexed?

John Mueller indicated on Reddit that Google never permanently deindexes a site guilty of methods that don't follow its guidelines: "Sites are not permanently removed from Google - there is always a w...

Feb 22, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available