John Mueller

★★★ Can Google really tell the difference between your multilingual pages, or is it at risk of mistakenly canonicalizing them?

Google typically does not confuse pages in different languages (Japanese vs Portuguese, for example) and does not consider them duplicates to be canonicalized together. Translated content is considere...

Aug 11, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★ Why should WebPageTest be your go-to tool for web performance diagnostics?

The webpagetest.org tool provides a neutral waterfall chart (independent of your computer or connection) that analyzes loading times and the loading order of resources. It allows testing on different ...

Aug 11, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Why does the mobile-friendly test produce conflicting results on the same page?

The mobile-friendly test can yield varying results (partially loaded, not mobile-friendly, mobile-friendly with missing resources) for the same page tested at different times. This happens because Goo...

Aug 11, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why is Google showing fewer FAQs in rich results now?

Google is showing fewer rich FAQ results than before because nearly all websites have added this markup. Google cannot display FAQs for every result and must balance which queries and pages justify th...

Aug 11, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Is it true that your validated FAQ markup might be invisible in Search Console?

When FAQ markup is present in the source code, validated by testing tools (Rich Results Test, live URL test in Search Console) but missing from the Search Console report, it is often a reporting updat...

Aug 11, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you modify the lastmod date in the sitemap after simply correcting a meta title or description?

Updating the lastmod date in the sitemap after correcting missing titles and meta descriptions is exactly what you should do. Adding a title or description constitutes a page modification, just like a...

Aug 11, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★ Why does Search Console show indexed URLs that are missing from the sitemap?

Google does not always immediately process all the content of all sitemap files. Therefore, Search Console can indicate that an URL is indexed but not submitted via sitemap if Google has not yet had t...

Aug 11, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why do your rich snippets vanish even when your markup is technically correct?

When rich snippets suddenly disappear without any changes to Google's technical requirements, it is generally due to an algorithmic reevaluation of the overall quality of the site. If the markup is te...

Aug 11, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Why does Google aggressively recrawl your site after a migration?

When Google detects significant changes on a site (URL structure change, domain migration), it may trigger an accelerated recrawl to quickly obtain an updated image. The site is neither paused nor rem...

Aug 11, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you manually code your structured data or opt for a WordPress plugin?

Both approaches work perfectly. Google accepts structured data whether it comes from a plugin, a theme, a manual addition, or JavaScript after page load. From a practical standpoint, using a plugin al...

Aug 11, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Are H1 titles really essential for ranking your pages?

A page without an H1 title can indeed rank for keywords present in an H2 title. Headings assist Google in better understanding the content but are not the only ranking factor. Google also analyzes the...

Aug 11, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Google really ignore non-essential URL parameters on your site?

Google's systems can automatically recognize sites generating many parameterized URLs pointing to very similar content (filters, categories). Google identifies non-essential parameters and focuses on ...

Aug 11, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ How does Google decide which images to display in search results?

Google attempts to display an image for certain pages but must maintain balance in the results. For some queries, images are shown for certain pages and not for others. To facilitate the selection of ...

Aug 11, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does submitting multiple Google reconsideration requests really speed up the review of your site?

Submitting multiple reconsideration requests for the same site does not speed up the processing. When Google receives a new request while an earlier one is pending, the team first processes the oldest...

Aug 11, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you really set all your outbound links to nofollow to protect your PageRank?

Setting all outbound links on a site to nofollow does not lower the site's relevance. It is recommended to create links naturally on the web. Systematic nofollow is unnecessary and counterproductive c...

Aug 11, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do manual actions for unnatural outbound links really affect a site's ranking?

A manual action for unnatural outbound links only devalues the outbound links of the site, not the site's ranking itself. If Google cannot identify which links are legitimate, it may go into safe mode...

Aug 11, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really prefer a soft 404 over a 405 error for removed Flash content?

To massively replace Flash content with an identical HTML page explaining the removal, Google will treat these pages as soft 404s, which functionally equates to 404 errors. The pages will gradually be...

Aug 11, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can a 503 error truly harm your site's SEO?

A short-term 503 error (20 minutes or even a few hours) does not result in any penalties or ranking drops. Google views the 503 as a correct signal indicating temporary unavailability and does not mod...

Aug 11, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you index a new URL before redirecting an old one in a 301?

There is no need to pre-index a new URL before redirecting the old one via 301. Google will recognize the new URL at the time of the redirection and will focus on it. You can redirect to a completely ...

Aug 11, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can a bug restoring your old URLs kill your SEO?

When a site changes its URL structure with 301 redirects and then temporarily reverts to the old structure due to a bug, Google can handle this situation. If the redirects disappear and the site retur...

Aug 11, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available