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 use multiple H1 tags on the same page?
It is possible to use multiple H1 tags on a web page. HTML5 allows it without negatively impacting rankings....
Sep 27, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Can product reviews hosted on your site really generate rich snippets?
For product reviews integrated from sources like Google My Business, these rich results will show up while company-owned reviews will not display if hosted on their own site....
Sep 27, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Are timed redirects reliable for SEO?
Googlebot may or may not capture timed redirects, like those that trigger after 30 seconds, which may not be seen as a reliable method....
Sep 27, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Are backlinks to category pages really risk-free for rankings?
Backlinks to specific pages, such as category pages, are not an issue as long as they are obtained naturally....
Sep 27, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ How does the internal linking of categories truly influence their ranking in Google?
Category pages must be well-linked within the site to highlight their importance, which can help Google rank them better....
Sep 27, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should you really limit keywords on category pages to avoid penalties?
Avoid overusing keywords on category pages so that Google's algorithms do not consider it as keyword stuffing, which could negatively affect rankings....
Sep 27, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Is merging multiple pages into one a smart move for SEO?
When merging multiple pages into one, the new content will take time to stabilize regarding ranking. This practice is generally beneficial for creating a strong page on a given topic....
Sep 27, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Do incorrect structured data really penalize your Google ranking?
Incorrect structured data does not affect ranking but can prevent the display of rich results in search. It is advisable to fix errors to improve visibility....
Sep 27, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Do Google Reviews on Your Site Really Influence Your SEO Performance?
Displaying Google reviews on a site will not affect its ranking. Using review markup on a company's homepage will not display rich results unless the content is unique and relevant to other parts of t...
Sep 27, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Can Googlebot really crawl user-initiated events?
Googlebot generally cannot explore user-initiated events such as SQL events or JavaScript events. To show this content to Googlebot, it is recommended to use dynamic rendering or HTML snapshots....
Sep 27, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Are Google’s new meta tags really giving you control over your search previews?
Google has announced new meta tags that allow publishers to define the amount of preview content shown in search results. These tags cover the number of characters, the size of image previews, and the...
Sep 26, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should you really differentiate between rel=sponsored and rel=ugc for your outbound links?
Google has introduced two new attributes for outbound links: rel=sponsored for advertisements and partnerships, and rel=ugc for user-generated content. These attributes are considered hints to help di...
Sep 26, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ How will the new Google Search Console interface impact your SEO strategies?
Google Search Console has recently taken a significant step forward with a new interface, replacing the old homepage and dashboard with new tools. This transition aims to allow the service to focus on...
Sep 26, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Can meta tags really control how snippets appear in Google News?
European news publishers can control the display of text and image snippets in France with meta tags, particularly as a result of European legislative changes....
Sep 26, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Should you really create dedicated pages for each video?
Creating a dedicated video page allows Google to clearly treat it as a video landing page, which can influence its specific display in video search results....
Sep 26, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Does robots.txt really block indexing in Google?
Google can still suggest URLs in search results even if they are blocked by robots.txt, mainly if they are important for users, as illustrated by the AdWords login page....
Sep 26, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should you really include the modification date in your XML sitemap?
Indicating a modification date for each URL in sitemap files allows Google to better understand when to re-scan content. Using a generic date for all URLs is less effective....
Sep 26, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Why does Google take so long to update logos in search results?
Logo changes can take time to be reflected in search results. Google generally takes longer to process these updates....
Sep 26, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Why does Google's removal of self-assessment stars change the game for rich snippets?
Rating stars for organizations evaluating their own sites no longer appear in search results. This policy applies regardless of the method used to integrate these evaluations....
Sep 26, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Are spam backlinks truly ignored by Google?
Links from sites considered spam by Google are generally ignored by its algorithms. The Disavow file can be used to indicate which links should not be taken into account....
Sep 26, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
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