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 disavow all those 'toxic' backlinks?
Inappropriate or excessive use of Disavow files to remove natural backlinks can harm your ranking in search results....
Feb 21, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Do URLs and title tags really need to be chosen separately for effective SEO optimization?
URL structure and title tags impact SEO in different ways. It is advisable to adopt a holistic approach rather than choosing one over the other....
Feb 21, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Can A/B testing really harm your natural search ranking?
A/B tests do not pose a problem for SEO. Googlebot does not use cookies, so it will potentially analyze each version without a pre-existing cookie. Use canonical tags to indicate the main version of a...
Feb 21, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Does Google really replace your meta descriptions with navigation content?
Google can replace the meta description with navigation content if it does not find a relevant match with the user's search. Ensure that your meta description aligns with specific queries....
Feb 21, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Does Hreflang really protect against duplicate content across countries?
If the same content is available in the same language for different countries, Google will often index them together and then attempt to distinguish them in search results for the appropriate audience...
Feb 21, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should you really show Googlebot an ad-free version of your pages?
It is acceptable to treat Googlebot as a premium user who sees ad-free pages if this aligns with the user experience, but it is advisable to limit this to content protected by a paywall....
Feb 21, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should your alt text really describe the image rather than optimize your keywords?
Alt text should describe what the image shows, not include all the site's keywords. This helps users understand the images and does not benefit from merely including keywords....
Feb 21, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Is Long-Term Stable Link Building a Red Flag for Google?
If your 'long-term stable link building' strategy is seen as artificial by Google, it could cause problems with the algorithm....
Feb 21, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Is it really necessary to add structured breadcrumbs on the homepage?
Adding breadcrumb structured data on a homepage does not provide significant benefits as there is no breadcrumb path to a homepage....
Feb 21, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Why does Google crawl your site less after an algorithm update?
Crawl frequency may vary after algorithmic changes if the site is perceived as less relevant, or if the site becomes slower or returns server errors....
Feb 21, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Do e-commerce transactions actually influence Google rankings?
Purchases made by consumers on e-commerce sites are not utilized by Google as a ranking factor in organic search....
Feb 21, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should you really hide navigation links on an e-commerce site?
Rather than hiding links or using only JavaScript techniques to manage extensive catalogs, it's advisable to make some content accessible via 'rel=nofollow' tags or canonical tags, rather than simply ...
Feb 21, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ What happens when you merge two websites: Is cumulative traffic really guaranteed?
Combining two websites can lead to an inevitable ranking adjustment. Google does not guarantee a simple sum of traffic from the old sites due to this merger. The impact can be positive, neutral, or ne...
Feb 21, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Can you really block your site from Google Discover in certain countries?
Google Discover operates algorithmically and organically, and there is no manual method to block a Discover site in a specific country....
Feb 21, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should you really give up national domains for a generic .com in international SEO?
Generic domains (like .com) can be geographically targeted in Search Console, which is not possible with country-specific domains (like .de, for example). To reach multiple countries, it is better to ...
Feb 21, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Why do Search Console and API data differ (and should you be worried)?
Data aggregations in Search Console may slightly differ from the API results due to the distinct aggregation methods used, particularly with privacy filtering....
Feb 18, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Does schema.org markup really enhance natural SEO?
Broader schema.org markup can help understand a page, but only certain properties lead to rich displays in search results. Make sure to use those that are documented and supported by Google....
Feb 18, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ How does the Unavailable After header enhance the de-indexing of perishable content?
For time-limited classified ads, use the "Unavailable After" header to inform Google of the expected expiration date, allowing for more efficient removal of the content from search results....
Feb 18, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should you really recycle exhausted product URLs to maintain PageRank?
For replaced products, use the old URL for the new product and move the old product to an archive section to maintain the authority of the page and its visibility in search results....
Feb 18, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Why do major site migrations always seem to lead to ranking drops?
During major migrations or restructurings, expect significant ranking fluctuations as Google needs to reassess the new structure of the site and its relevance....
Feb 18, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available
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