John Mueller

★★★ Should you really use cross-domain canonicals to consolidate multiple thematic sites?

Using canonical tags across multiple domains (e.g., 25 thematic stores pointing to a main store) is technically correct. It avoids duplicate content but may redistribute SEO strength among the domains...

Oct 29, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do 302 redirects really turn into 301s over time?

Google eventually treats 302 redirects as permanent redirects (301) when they persist over time. This is considered a 'soft 301' from Google's perspective....

Oct 29, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do 302 redirects really pass as much PageRank as 301s?

Both 301 and 302 redirects pass exactly the same signals, including PageRank. The difference is solely in canonicalization: Google may index the original URL with a 302, but signals are never lost wit...

Oct 29, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Why does Google keep crawling your old 404 URLs?

Google continues to occasionally crawl old URLs that return 404, particularly if they had backlinks or were significant. This crawl is done at very low priority and does not block the crawl of new pag...

Oct 29, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you really differentiate between the visible date and the structured data date?

The visible date on the page should reflect substantial changes to the main content. For structured data (sitemaps, headers), you can include minor changes like new comments or sidebar adjustments, bu...

Oct 29, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really return a 404 for products that are permanently unavailable?

For temporarily unavailable products, displaying a 200 page is acceptable. But for products that are permanently unavailable, using a 404 (or soft 404) status allows Google to crawl more efficiently b...

Oct 29, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Why does Google still display old content in your meta descriptions?

Google adapts the snippets and descriptions based on the user's query, even if the content is no longer present on the page. This adaptation can persist for a few weeks after a content change before i...

Oct 29, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you really show cookie banners to Googlebot?

Googlebot should ideally see what a normal user would see from the same location. Since Googlebot mainly crawls from the USA, if American users do not see a cookie banner, Googlebot does not need to s...

Oct 29, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really block cookie banners for Googlebot?

Blocking cookie banners for Googlebot is not considered cloaking and will not result in a manual penalty. In most cases, these banners are implemented in JavaScript or HTML, and Google can index the m...

Oct 29, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is alt text truly crucial for your visibility in Google Images?

The alt text (alt tag) is primarily used for Google Image search. It should describe what is visible in the image rather than simply copy the product description. It's an important factor for SEO if i...

Oct 29, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do PageSpeed tests really mislead you about your Core Web Vitals?

Google uses real-world data from the Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX) to evaluate Core Web Vitals, not lab tests. What actual users see matters more than synthetic tests....

Oct 29, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Are Core Web Vitals really the only speed criterion that counts for ranking?

For 'page experience' ranking, Google will rely solely on Core Web Vitals as the speed factor. Other performance metrics may be important for user experience but are not direct ranking factors....

Oct 29, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does Google's URL Parameters tool still work even when its interface is broken?

The URL parameters management tool in Search Console is still functional on Google's side, even though the display of statistics is faulty. A replacement tool is being developed, but no confirmed rele...

Oct 29, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you really avoid putting all your outbound links in nofollow?

Putting all outbound links in nofollow does not violate guidelines, but it can have a slight negative impact. Google uses links to understand how a site fits into the web. If all links are nofollow, i...

Oct 29, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does the canonical tag really transfer 100% of PageRank without any loss?

When Google follows a canonical tag, all SEO signals including PageRank are transferred to the canonical URL. There is no loss of value when the canonical is used correctly....

Oct 29, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do 302 redirects really pass PageRank like 301 redirects?

Google treats both 301 and 302 redirects similarly when it comes to the transmission of SEO signals. Both types of redirects pass PageRank and other signals. The difference mainly lies in the choice o...

Oct 29, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Can 307 HSTS redirects really harm your site's SEO?

Googlebot does not see the 307 HSTS redirects that you would see in a browser, and this poses no issue for SEO. 307 HSTS redirects do not affect Google's crawling....

Oct 28, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does Googlebot really follow HTTP redirects to HTTPS like a regular browser?

When Googlebot accesses an HTTP URL that redirects to HTTPS (which is typically the case for a site with both HTTP and HTTPS), it will follow this actual server-side redirect normally....

Oct 28, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Googlebot actually ignore your forced HTTPS redirects?

Googlebot attempts to crawl URLs with a clean slate and doesn’t retain any HSTS list. It accesses HTTP URLs directly without applying the browser's HSTS rules....

Oct 28, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Are 307 HSTS redirections really invisible to SEO?

The 307 redirections you see in Chrome with HSTS aren't actually present on the server. Chrome displays a 307 result code to clearly indicate that an HSTS redirection has occurred, but this is just a ...

Oct 28, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available