John Mueller

★★★ How Many Redirect Chains Can You Have Before Hurting Your SEO Performance?

John Mueller indicated on Reddit that redirect chains should be avoided, particularly more than 5 successive redirects on a website, as Googlebot will not follow them beyond this number....

Jan 27, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do .gov or .edu Domain Extensions Give You an SEO Advantage?

John Mueller has once again reiterated that having a website with a ".gov" extension is not an SEO bonus. A .gov site will not rank better, all things being equal, than a .com site or any other extens...

Jan 27, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Hidden Text Really Penalize Your Organic Search Rankings?

John Mueller explained on Reddit that "another site is not going to rank better than yours because it has hidden text." Conversely, he also clarified that "simply having hidden text on a page will not...

Jan 27, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How can you effectively optimize your images for SEO?

John Mueller shared some advice on the #AskGoogleWebmasters YouTube channel regarding image optimization. In short: use explicit file names, properly fill in the ALT attribute, provide a caption, offe...

Jan 27, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Will using Google Translate to translate your site harm your SEO?

Pages automatically translated with Google Translate are considered automatically generated content if there is no manual review....

Jan 24, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really worry if your archives are accessible only after 10 clicks?

It’s not a problem if old news is accessible after many clicks from the homepage because important pages are often recrawled....

Jan 24, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really prefer banners over automatic redirects for geographic targeting?

Using a banner is a good way to guide users to the correct language or regional version of the site without automatically redirecting them, which also aids in indexing....

Jan 24, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can HTML comments really harm your site's SEO?

HTML comments do not affect SEO except in extreme cases of excess comments slowing down page load times....

Jan 24, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why do indexing numbers vary between Search Console and mobile reports?

It is normal for total indexing reports and mobile usability reports to show differences, as the latter focuses on a specific part of the total indexed....

Jan 24, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Are automatic translations really penalized by Google?

Google does not consider translations as duplicate content. However, automatic translations without manual review are classified as auto-generated content, which may affect the perceived quality of th...

Jan 24, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do links really point to your canonical URLs instead of your actual pages?

Google sees links as existing between canonical pages. All link signals are combined and associated with the canonical page on both sides....

Jan 24, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is it really necessary to redirect HTTP to HTTPS, or is the preferred domain enough?

Using the preferred domain is sufficient when a website has similar content on HTTP and HTTPS. However, 301 redirects are recommended to ensure that only the correct versions are indexed....

Jan 24, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really replace underscores with dashes in your URLs?

There is no need to change all URLs containing underscores into dashes. The positive effect is minimal compared to the work required and the risks of site re-indexation....

Jan 24, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can fake visits truly harm your organic rankings?

Sending fake traffic from a competitor to a website does not harm SEO or search rankings....

Jan 24, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does mobile-first indexing work without a responsive site?

Transitioning to mobile-first indexing does not require having an adaptive site, yet mobile-friendliness influences mobile ranking. The content must be accessible even if it is not responsive....

Jan 22, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can redirects really be indexed in just a few days?

Redirects can be taken into account within a few days if all SEO signals are aligned. This depends on the frequency of page recrawls....

Jan 22, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ How long does it really take for Google to reassess your brand signals after a merger?

During a brand merger involving multiple sites, it takes time for titles and brand name signals to be properly reassessed. Several months may be necessary....

Jan 22, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does Safe Search really filter out sites without harming their overall ranking?

Safe Search is binary and does not alter the overall ranking quality of a site. No private method to request reconsideration outside of forums....

Jan 22, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does thematic content really help avoid unwanted rankings in SEO?

A page's content influences its ranking in SEO. Focusing on relevant themes is crucial to avoid unnecessary rankings for unrelated terms....

Jan 22, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really implement hreflang on all translated pages of your site?

When several search elements on a site remain the same despite translations, hreflang is appropriate but not always necessary to distinguish language versions....

Jan 22, 2020 ⚡ Analysis available