John Mueller

★★★ Should you really treat Googlebot like an American user?

You must treat Googlebot the same way as any other user in the same region. Googlebot mainly crawls from the United States. If your site is in Europe and blocks American users, you will also block Goo...

Aug 09, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is the Search Console API misleading you about your indexed pages?

Since April, the Search Console API has had incorrect indexed count data. Be aware that this information should not be considered valid at this time....

Aug 09, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Are JavaScript redirects really equivalent to server-side 301s for Google?

Google supports JavaScript redirects and follows them similarly to server-side redirects. It is recommended to submit the exact URL you want indexed rather than the one that redirects....

Aug 08, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Googlebot really render pages like Chrome does?

Googlebot uses a recent version of Chrome, called an evergreen browser, to render web pages in a way that reflects what users would see on their own browsers....

Aug 08, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is it really better to prioritize automatic URL discovery over sitemaps?

It's better to ensure that URLs are properly linked within the website so that Googlebot can discover them automatically, and possibly use a sitemap file to accelerate indexing....

Aug 08, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should You Really Nofollow All Your Outbound Links to Protect Your SEO?

In a new video format (#AskGoogleWebmasters) very "MattCutts-esque", John Mueller answers the question: Linking Out: Good for SEO? He explains that "nofollow" links should be used in 3 cases: when the...

Aug 05, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is Voice Search Really Invisible in Search Console?

Second episode of the #AskGoogleWebmasters videos, which this time addresses the question of voice search within Search Console. John Mueller explains on this occasion that questions asked to Google A...

Aug 05, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ What's the Maximum Recommended URL Length for SEO?

The same John Mueller indicated during a hangout that it was rather good that a site's URLs should not exceed a length of 1,000 characters....

Aug 05, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do voice queries really appear in Search Console?

Voice queries used as a method of input via voice typing are recorded in Google Search Console like standard queries. However, queries processed by Google Assistant, which return responses in the form...

Aug 01, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Google Really Treat Redirect Loops as 404 Errors?

John Mueller explained on Twitter that Google ignores links that generate redirect loops (example: URL A redirects to URL B, which itself redirects to URL A, thus creating an infinite loop). These URL...

Jul 29, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why Is Keeping the Same URL as Long as Possible Crucial for Your SEO?

The same John Mueller, always on Twitter, has "really recommended keeping the same URL for a web page for as long as possible."...

Jul 29, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is it true that you don't need special rules for outbound links?

In most cases, if you create links naturally from your content to other sites offering additional value and more context, no special treatment is necessary....

Jul 26, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does display:none really harm your SEO?

Using 'display: none' to hide text specifically for keyword stuffing is not advisable. Legitimate use cases like tabbed interfaces are acceptable if the content is accessible upon interaction....

Jul 26, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Are 404 URLs really harmless for SEO?

It is acceptable for a directory in a URL structure to lack its own content and lead to a 404 page. This does not affect the final page's performance in terms of SEO....

Jul 26, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really extract important text from alt tags to boost your SEO?

John Mueller recommends that important text be visible in the body of the web page rather than only in image alt tags. This ensures better compatibility with rich snippets and good SEO....

Jul 26, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does creating valuable content really attract organic traffic?

Google highlights the importance of creating high-quality content that provides significant value to users. It is crucial for publishers to verify the type of content they wish to provide on the searc...

Jul 26, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really use rel=nofollow on all your sponsored links and comments?

Be cautious with outbound links created as part of an arrangement, advertising, or in the comments on your site if the quality of the links seems uncertain. For these types of links, using the 'rel=no...

Jul 26, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should You Really Abandon Nofollow from Your Editorial Links?

Regular links should be used when you vouch for content. Nofollow is primarily reserved for advertising links or those whose credibility is uncertain....

Jul 26, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is it really necessary to optimize canonical URLs to enhance crawl budget?

To improve crawling efficiency, ensure that canonical URLs are correctly defined, including through redirects, canonical tags, and updating sitemaps to avoid duplication....

Jul 26, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Google really filter your pages for duplicate content like you think?

Google views identical blocks of text on different pages as duplicate content. For searches that include this content, Google will select a few sites to display while filtering those with identical te...

Jul 26, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available