SEO statements by John Mueller | SEO Declarations

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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★★★ Should you host your images on a CDN subdomain to optimize their indexing?

It is acceptable to use CDNs like Amazon S3 to host images used in sitemaps, but it is advised to employ a subdomain for more flexible URL management in case of a CDN change....

Sep 20, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really avoid double bylines to keep Google happy?

Having two bylines on a page does not trouble Google. However, it is advisable to add schema.org markup in only one place to avoid complications....

Sep 20, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Are hashbang URLs finally crawlable by Google without specific configuration?

Google can now render hashbang URLs directly, without requiring specific setup....

Sep 17, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do you really need to use JavaScript to redirect URLs with fragments (#)?

To change your URL structure, use JavaScript to create client-side redirects because server-side redirects do not work after the hash symbol, which is handled in the browser....

Sep 17, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Where Should You Place JSON-LD in Your HTML Code: Head or Body?

John Mueller, in a new video from his #AskGoogleWebmasters channel, explains that Google accepts several structured data markup formats, such as Microdata, RDFa, or JSON-LD. He answers a user's questi...

Sep 16, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Google Really Count All of Your Website's Backlinks?

John Mueller explained on the Web that "accurately counting links on the web is technically impossible, everyone makes different approximations and assumptions."...

Sep 16, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ What structured data format should you prioritize to boost your chances of appearing in Google's rich results?

Google supports JSON-LD, Microdata, and RDFa for processing structured data on a web page....

Sep 11, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Where should you place JSON-LD in your HTML code: <head> or <body>?

JSON-LD, to be processed by Google, can be inserted in either the <head> or <body> element of a web page....

Sep 11, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can Structured Data Errors Actually Trigger a Manual Penalty from Google?

John Mueller indicated on Twitter that if the implementation of structured data tags generates parsing errors (particularly on Google's testing tool), this cannot lead to a manual action from the sear...

Sep 09, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How Does Google Actually Choose Which Canonical URL to Index When Multiple Versions Exist?

John Mueller, in a new video from his #AskGoogleWebmasters channel, explains how Google selects canonical URLs. Indeed, in many cases, the search engine identifies a page offering given content (or si...

Sep 09, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does hreflang really outperform canonical in search results?

For multi-regional sites with the same content, Google uses hreflang annotations to show the appropriate version in search results based on the user's location, even if a different canonical URL is ch...

Sep 06, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you really implement device-based redirection between mobile and desktop?

For websites using distinct URLs for mobile and desktop versions, Google recommends maintaining a connection between the versions with appropriate device-type based redirections. This ensures better r...

Sep 06, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you choose AMP or PWA to maximize your SEO performance?

Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) and AMP serve different purposes. AMP is ideal for publishing content with fast loading times, while PWAs are better suited for web applications with interactive features a...

Sep 06, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can AI-generated content really face penalties from Google?

Automatically generated content, if it does not provide added value, can be penalized by Google. Practices such as content spinning or excessive use of automated translations are against Google's guid...

Sep 06, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can 404 pages really clutter your Google index?

Pages that return a 404 error code are not indexed by Google. It is crucial to ensure that custom error pages actually return a 404 code and not a 200, as this could lead to poor indexing of those pag...

Sep 06, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can a website migration really happen without any loss in rankings?

Website migrations can be tricky, especially when they involve changes in domains or site structure. If the migration is done well, with appropriate redirects and no significant changes to the content...

Sep 06, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Domain Authority (DA) Really Impact Your Google Rankings?

Google does not take third-party metrics like Domain Authority (DA) into account when ranking websites. These metrics, while informative, do not directly reflect how Google evaluates and ranks sites....

Sep 06, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you choose a subdomain or a subdirectory for SEO?

Google does not specifically favor high-level domains for ranking. Websites can achieve good rankings regardless of whether they are on a subdomain or a subdirectory. What matters is building the repu...

Sep 06, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is it true that mobile-first indexing pushes desktop content out of Google’s spotlight?

Google primarily uses the mobile version of a page for indexing and ranking as part of mobile-first indexing. Content only present on the desktop version will not be indexed, which requires that the m...

Sep 06, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Are H1 tags really unimportant for SEO?

Title tags, such as H1, help Google understand the context of pages but are not a critical ranking factor. It is generally recommended to use title tags to indicate the importance of content, but thei...

Sep 06, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

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