John Mueller

★★★ Should you really redirect all your ccTLDs to a single domain?

If all versions of ccTLDs contain the same content in English and are maintained solely for historical reasons, it may be wise to redirect them to a single site to avoid duplication and simplify manag...

Apr 28, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does Googlebot really submit your forms and is it something to worry about?

It is extremely rare for Googlebot to submit forms unless it is the only way to access content (such as on some government websites). Googlebot avoids this to prevent generating unwanted actions like ...

Apr 28, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you block URL parameters in robots.txt to save your crawl budget?

For managing large structures with parameters in URLs, do not block in robots.txt but rather use techniques like canonicalization or noindex removal, as this can initially influence crawl priorities....

Apr 28, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Are your internal links sabotaging Google’s canonical choice?

Google selects a canonical URL by using various factors, such as rel=canonical, internal and external links, as well as redirects. If the internal links point to non-canonical URLs, it can complicate ...

Apr 28, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really block tracking parameters for Googlebot through cloaking?

Adding tracking parameters for users while blocking them for bots via cloaking is allowed, but it's not a good SEO practice as it complicates the analysis of your traffic and site navigation. It is pr...

Apr 28, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can Googlebot really execute your AJAX requests and index the JavaScript-loaded content?

Googlebot can execute AJAX requests when rendering a page, particularly to load additional content displayed with JavaScript. Therefore, it is crucial not to block these requests in the robots.txt fil...

Apr 28, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do Google's Internal SEO Teams Really Have Access to Privileged Algorithm Information?

John Mueller explained in one of his "Ask Google Webmasters" video series that Google's SEO spokespeople and, more generally, the team managing the search engine don't provide any information to Googl...

Apr 27, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does the URL inspection tool really solve your canonicalization issues?

With the URL inspection tool in Search Console, you can check which URL Google has selected as canonical. If it’s not the desired page, search for and correct the signals pointing to the old URL....

Apr 22, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really clean up all internal links after a 301 redirect?

To help Google focus on the new URL after a 301 redirect, it is advisable to update internal links, sitemap files, and any other references pointing to the original page so that they point to the new ...

Apr 22, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do 301 redirects really ensure your canonical is recognized by Google?

301 redirects are regarded by Google as a canonicalization signal indicating that you prefer the destination page to be indexed instead of the original page. However, Google employs many other factors...

Apr 22, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why Has Differentiation Become Essential for Ranking Well on Google?

John Mueller indicated in a hangout that it was very difficult to "stand out from the crowd" when you offer the same information on your site as dozens of other information sources on the Web (he was ...

Apr 20, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How Does Google Handle Sudden Search Spikes and Fleeting Trends?

John Mueller explained during a hangout that Google's algorithm does not currently take into account changes in internet user behavior due to the coronavirus, for example: searches to buy toilet paper...

Apr 20, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why Does Google Sometimes Ignore Your Meta Description in Search Results?

John Mueller indicated in a webmaster hangout the various reasons why Google will not use the content of a page's meta "description" tag in its snippet (page summary in search results): 1. The meta de...

Apr 20, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why does Google advise against automatic redirection for multilingual homepages?

Automatically redirecting users to a specific language version can complicate the diagnosis of indexing-related issues....

Apr 19, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Do backlinks from adult sites really penalize your SEO?

Having links from adult sites does not prevent ranking otherwise, but it is possible to use the 'disavow' tool to lessen their impact....

Apr 19, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Why can a Google reconsideration request take two months without a response?

Reconsideration requests can take a significant amount of time, sometimes up to two months, to receive a response....

Apr 19, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Can hreflang enhance the visibility of an international site in local search results?

Using hreflang will not make a site more popular in a country if the site is not already shown in search results....

Apr 19, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you really be worried when you modify the anchor text of your main navigation?

Changing anchor text to be less specific without losing the overall context is feasible, but it may require relearning from Google....

Apr 19, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does duplicate backend code really harm your SEO?

Using the same backend code and site structure generally does not cause duplication if the content and descriptions are different....

Apr 19, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Why are your domain migrations inexplicably killing your visibility?

During frequent domain migrations, it may happen that signals are not transmitted correctly, which affects visibility....

Apr 19, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available