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.
Quick SEO Quiz

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🕒 ~1 min 🎯 5 questions
★★★ Is internal duplicate content really harmless for your e-commerce?
Internal duplicate content, such as similar product descriptions, is generally not problematic for Google unless it comes from copying other sites....
Oct 17, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should you consolidate product variations onto a single page or spread them out?
It is preferable to group similar product variations on a single page rather than having multiple similar pages, in order to avoid competition between your own pages....
Oct 17, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Can optimizing titles and descriptions really boost your Google ranking?
Changing a title or a description to make the results more appealing doesn’t necessarily improve ranking, as the CTR is not a direct signal for ranking....
Oct 17, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Is Infinite Scrolling a Trap for Google Indexing?
When using infinite scrolling, it is crucial to have accessible paginated versions. Googlebot will index a long version but needs links to the next pages to explore everything....
Oct 17, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Do meta descriptions really influence SEO rankings or just the CTR?
The indirect impact of poor meta descriptions does not affect ranking. However, poor descriptions can influence the number of user clicks on your links....
Oct 17, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should you still optimize your meta descriptions if Google rewrites them?
Meta description tags will remain important, although Google may choose to generate a snippet from the page content if it seems more relevant for a specific search....
Oct 17, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should you really delete large amounts of content to enhance your crawl budget?
There are no downsides to deleting a large number of pages at once. This is not considered problematic and may even improve crawling by reducing the number of pages to explore....
Oct 17, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Does Google always rewrite your meta descriptions?
Google frequently adjusts meta descriptions to better match the user's search. The provided descriptions may not be used if they do not seem relevant according to Google....
Oct 17, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should you really mass delete low-value pages from your website?
Massively deleting pages with little content is not an issue for Google. It is possible to remove numerous low-value pieces of content without negative impact, even in the thousands....
Oct 17, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should you really point hreflang to the canonical version of the page?
It is advised to always point hreflang attributes to the canonical version of the page. This helps Google understand the correct canonical version, especially in cases of pages with tracking parameter...
Oct 17, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Does Google really differentiate between 404 and 410 statuses in the long run?
A long-term perspective sees little difference between 404 and 410 status codes concerning search indexing—404 is often used when content is temporarily removed....
Oct 16, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Can local canonical tags truly enhance your visibility without causing cannibalization?
Using canonical tags to indicate to Google which version of content is most relevant locally can strengthen visibility and reduce internal competition between sites....
Oct 16, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Does Google Discover really prioritize quality over click-through rates?
Google Discover is not solely based on click-through rates but on a combination of signals to encourage a diversity and quality of content that satisfies users....
Oct 16, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ How does Google News display excerpts from French press under the neighboring rights directive?
In France, due to new laws, for sites listed on a press list, no text excerpts are shown by default unless actively chosen....
Oct 16, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should you compartmentalize the editorial sections of a site to boost its visibility in Google?
If your site has well-defined sections, such as coupons and news, organize them in a way that keeps them separate for better algorithmic distinction and presentation in search results....
Oct 16, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Does Google really have a specific YMYL algorithm for health and finance?
Google does not have a specific algorithm for YMYL content such as health or finance, but uses quality rater guidelines....
Oct 16, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Should you use noindex to test content before indexing it?
It is possible to use the noindex tag to manage content that you do not necessarily want to index while monitoring user interaction with that content on your site....
Oct 16, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Does Google really treat user-generated content like editorial content?
Google does not make a major distinction between user-generated content and content created by the site owner. All published content is examined for indexing and ranking....
Oct 16, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should you really monitor all your backlinks, or is Google overstating the risk?
Don't worry excessively about backlinks unless you are aware of link purchases or similar techniques. Check them occasionally and use the disavow file for identified problematic patterns....
Oct 16, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Why do post-Core Update rankings change at different speeds across your tools?
The speed at which rankings change after a Core Update varies. This may be due to how tools measure visibility, which differs from what is seen in Google Search Console or Analytics....
Oct 16, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
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