What does Google say about SEO? /
John Mueller is one of Google's most active spokespeople on search engine optimization topics. As a Search Advocate, he regularly answers the SEO community's questions during Google Search Central sessions and on social media. His statements are a prime source of information for understanding how Google Search works and the best practices to follow.
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🕒 ~1 min 🎯 5 questions
★★★ Should you really nofollow links between your branch pages?
There is no need to mark links between branches as nofollow. These links are considered natural and will not harm your rankings....
Apr 03, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Do duplicate mobile/desktop menus really hurt your SEO?
Duplicate menus for mobile and desktop in HTML code do not have a negative impact on SEO. Google understands mobile and desktop menus as long as the links point to the same places....
Apr 03, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Does the disavow file really work link by link as Google crawls?
The disavow file works incrementally on an individual link basis, and links will be ignored as they are crawled....
Apr 03, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Should you ditch Data Highlighter for JSON-LD?
Google advises implementing JSON-LD or schema.org markup directly on the site for the long term to enable better understanding and usage by various search engines, rather than relying on Data Highligh...
Apr 03, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should you really centralize your content to rank on Google?
It is advisable to focus on developing centralized content and to avoid significant overlaps between pages in order to establish a clear hierarchy that enhances the relevance and strength of the pages...
Apr 03, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should you ditch the desktop version to solely optimize the mobile version?
With mobile-first indexing, only the mobile version of the site is used for indexing. Consistency between desktop and mobile versions is preferable, but emphasis can be placed on the mobile version fo...
Apr 03, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Does Google really filter medical sites manually to ensure the quality of results?
Google does not manually filter health sites but strives to provide very high-quality search results by using improved algorithms to ensure the relevance and reliability of information....
Apr 03, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Why does Google consider links from image sites, classifieds, and free platforms to be spam?
Link building on image sharing sites, classifieds, and often low-quality free platforms provides no SEO value. Google sees this as spam....
Apr 03, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Is it true that content hidden behind tabs is actually indexed by Google?
With mobile-first indexing, content hidden behind tabs or user interface elements is taken into account for SEO. However, for usability, it's preferable for important content to be immediately visible...
Apr 03, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Does incorrect structured data markup really hurt your SEO rankings?
Incorrect structured data markup does not lower the overall quality of a website in search results. Google uses the correct structured data while ignoring the erroneous ones....
Apr 03, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should you really place your key pages in the main navigation to rank better?
Placing a product directly in the navigation can increase its visibility in search. It is important to establish a priority and hierarchy of pages to clearly indicate to Google which pages are most im...
Apr 03, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Are nofollow links really ignored by Google for SEO?
According to Google, nofollow links are not completely ignored. They are used as a signal and can be crawled in certain cases, especially when a site is primarily linked with nofollow links....
Apr 03, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Do structured data truly benefit SEO even without visible rich snippets?
Structured data helps Google understand the content of a page, even without an immediate visible effect like rich snippets. This remains beneficial for the overall context of the page....
Mar 31, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Are no-follow links truly ignored by Google when it comes to crawling?
Links with a no-follow attribute can still be followed by Google depending on the case. JavaScript links with on-click handlers are not considered links by Google during JavaScript rendering....
Mar 31, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Is hidden content in mobile-first really taken into account by Google for indexing?
Hidden content behind tabs on mobile is not devalued; Google takes into account all content present in the HTML during indexing in the mobile-first context....
Mar 31, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should you really be concerned about accumulating 404 errors in the Search Console?
Deleted pages on a site should return a 404 error code or redirect to accurately indicate their absence. This is normal and expected in the Search Console and does not negatively impact ranking....
Mar 31, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Does Google really read image content to rank them?
Google primarily uses the context of the HTML page to understand and rank images, based on surrounding text, ALT attributes, and usage in the page. Google does not view the content of images....
Mar 31, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Can JavaScript turn your unique pages into duplicate content in Google's eyes?
Googlebot could interpret pages as duplicate content if JavaScript is not properly processed to provide unique content. Use testing tools to check and resolve these technical issues....
Mar 31, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Do you really need 1200px images to get featured in Google Discover?
Google Discover demands high-quality images that are at least 1200 pixels wide. A max-image-preview large meta tag can be used to allow Google to display large images, even without AMP....
Mar 31, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Should you really place the schema.org publisher markup on every page of your site?
The schema.org publisher tag does not need to be present on every page of a site, only on important pages like the homepage or contact page. For articles, the schema.org article markup should be used ...
Mar 31, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
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