John Mueller

★★★ Should you really combine 'unavailable_after' with a noindex or a 404?

Google respects the 'unavailable after' attribute to indicate that a page will no longer be available after a certain date. Be sure to accompany this attribute with a 'no index' or a 404 response to c...

Jan 10, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does mobile-first indexing really decrease your website's traffic?

The switch to mobile-first indexing should not affect a site's traffic. A traffic loss may result from other factors like algorithm changes or shifts in user behaviors....

Jan 10, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why do scrapers index faster than your original content?

When an original site is outrun by a scraper, it is often due to technical issues that delay indexing. Ensure that the site is easy to crawl, with a clear structure and quickly updated sitemaps to ass...

Jan 08, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How is the average position in Search Console really calculated?

The average position in Search Console is calculated using a weighted average based on impressions. It’s essential to understand the nuances between positions by query and by URL when interpreting the...

Jan 08, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really redirect after changing your WordPress theme?

Changing a WordPress theme or altering the HTML5 structure can be recognized by Google as a change in similar content, but for clarity and accuracy of discovery, it's advisable to use redirects....

Jan 08, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you really block the indexing of filter and product variation pages?

For large quantities of similar URLs resulting from variations, it may be wiser to concentrate on main category pages for better SEO impact rather than indexing all URLs....

Jan 08, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does hreflang really need to be used exclusively for identical content?

Hreflang tags should only be used for identical content across countries or languages. If the content differs, hreflang is not appropriate. The complexity of this implementation must be weighed agains...

Jan 08, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you disavow backlinks from sites that have lost traffic?

The drop in traffic from a backlink source does not require a disavow. As long as the links are natural, they do not need to be removed, regardless of the current popularity of the source site....

Jan 08, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you really migrate all your nofollow links to sponsored and UGC?

Using rel='sponsored' and rel='ugc' link attributes is not mandatory if nofollow is already in place. They offer more specific information if you choose to implement them, but there is no urgent need ...

Jan 08, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Are blog comment links still effective for SEO?

Leaving legitimate comments on blogs with links to your site is generally acceptable, unless done on a large scale. Google may ignore these links if they all appear to be self-created....

Jan 08, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really maintain 301 redirects indefinitely after a domain change?

301 redirects are permanent and should ideally be maintained indefinitely after a domain change. At a minimum, keep them for one year to ensure that all URLs are properly crawled by Googlebot....

Jan 08, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is it true that hreflang can distinguish between US and UK content for identical pages?

It is possible to use hreflang tags to target English-speaking users in the United States and the United Kingdom with the same content. However, Google may recognize that these pages are identical and...

Jan 08, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should You Stop Over-Optimizing H1-H6 Tags for SEO?

John Mueller indicated in a hangout that for him, the weight of Hn tags (H1-H6) was generally and often quite overestimated in an SEO strategy. He explained that H1-H6 tags are primarily used by Googl...

Jan 06, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do 5xx Errors Really Slow Down Google's Crawling of Your Site?

John Mueller explained on Twitter that if Googlebot encounters a persistent number of 5xx errors (server errors) on a website, the crawl will be slowed down. However, he does not specify at what level...

Jan 06, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should You Really Invest in EAT for an E-commerce Site?

John Mueller indicated in a hangout that the EAT concept is generally less important for e-commerce sites. According to John, EAT carries more weight for sites where "the information provided is criti...

Dec 30, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Buying a Domain Through Google Actually Boost Your SEO Rankings?

John Mueller explained on Reddit that purchasing a domain name through Google's domain registration service does not provide any specific SEO advantage....

Dec 30, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is Google finally able to properly crawl modern JavaScript on your site?

Google Search Console now supports arrow functions in JavaScript. If you're facing errors, try again as the support is now in place....

Dec 30, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can rel=canonical really enhance your visibility if your content exists elsewhere?

Using the rel=canonical attribute can help designate a preferred version of content, thereby enhancing its visibility in search results, especially in cases of content duplication across multiple site...

Dec 27, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really implement a 301 redirect every time you change an URL?

When changing URLs on a website, it is strongly recommended to use 301 redirects to guide users and bots to the new pages, thereby maintaining SEO continuity....

Dec 27, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does Google really interpret the intent behind each query to decide which type of page to rank?

Google can interpret some queries as informational and others as transactional. This affects whether Google suggests blog pages or product pages in the results, based on the perceived orientation of t...

Dec 27, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available