John Mueller

★★ Should you merge or separate pages that are competing for the same keywords?

It is important to consider whether multiple pages are competing for the same keywords. Pages can be merged or individualized depending on external competition and their performance in the SERPs....

Jul 09, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ What does it take to get featured in the Top Stories carousel?

No specific parameters are required to appear in the Top Stories news carousel; it’s an organic and algorithmic feature of search results....

Jul 09, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do DMCA notifications truly penalize a site's overall SEO?

Active DMCA requests lead to the removal of the concerned URLs from search results. However, this does not affect the rest of your content. Two URLs filtered through DMCA typically do not represent a ...

Jul 09, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does lazy loading really block the indexing of your images in Google?

For images deferred via lazy loading, ensure that Googlebot can find the img element during page rendering. Only images that are useful for search traffic should be indexed....

Jul 09, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really banish nofollow from your internal links?

It is not recommended to use nofollow for internal links if you want Google to explore and understand the importance of those pages. Internal links without nofollow help Google recognize the order of ...

Jul 09, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really place hreflang on non-canonical URLs?

There's no need to use HREF lang on non-canonical URLs since they do not show up in search results. Any hreflang annotation associated with a non-canonical URL will not be utilized....

Jul 09, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How Long Does a Successful SEO Migration Actually Take?

John Mueller mentioned during a webmaster hangout that if everything was done properly on a website, a migration could be very quick in terms of SEO, in the order of a few days (a day or two, accordin...

Jul 02, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Do pop-ups really harm your page's SEO?

Adding pop-ups that annoy users can harm the user experience and have an indirect impact on SEO. When they are dominant, they can reduce the perceived relevance of a page for the content above the fol...

Jun 28, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does the mobile version of your site really determine your desktop ranking?

With mobile-first indexing, only the mobile version of the page is indexed and used for search results, both mobile and desktop. This means that content present only on mobile can impact results for b...

Jun 28, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can a domain migration really take place within 48 hours without losing rankings?

When moving a site to a new domain, if everything is set up correctly, it may only take one or two days for the transition to be complete without significant impact on rankings....

Jun 28, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Do author pseudonyms harm your content's SEO?

Using pseudonyms for blog authors is generally acceptable. However, it is essential that readers can trust the author, especially in cases of sensitive content or required expertise, such as in medici...

Jun 28, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really return a 404 or 410 for expired job postings?

For pages of expired job listings, it is appropriate to return a 404 or 410 status. The indexing API can also be used to indicate that a job is no longer available....

Jun 28, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does lazy loading really kill your image indexing?

To use deferred image loading without affecting indexing, adopt research-compatible deferment methods, such as the specific Chrome attribute for lazy loading....

Jun 28, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you still optimize internal PageRank flow in SEO?

It is more effective to naturally improve a site rather than concentrate on how PageRank is distributed among pages. Google uses many signals in addition to links to determine page rankings....

Jun 28, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does structured data really impact Google rankings?

Using structured data helps Google better understand the entities and relationships on a page, thus improving search relevance. Including numerous types of structured data can be beneficial, but it wi...

Jun 28, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can low-quality external links really contaminate your entire site?

If a part of a site contains low-quality external links, it can harm the perceived quality of the entire site. This includes, for example, subdomains or affiliated pages that do not stand out in terms...

Jun 28, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do nofollow links really have zero impact on SEO?

Links with the 'nofollow' attribute are generally not considered for SEO. However, they can still lead to awareness and traffic to a site if users find the content to be of high quality....

Jun 28, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really include external links on your website?

Having links to other websites on your site is beneficial. It helps users by providing sources or options to learn more about a given topic....

Jun 28, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Are new result formats really accessible everywhere?

Some search result formats, such as those for podcasts, may be geographically limited during their initial rollout phase and gradually expand....

Jun 27, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do structured data really guarantee rich snippets for your recipes?

Correctly implementing structured data is essential for the appearance of rich snippets. Google also evaluates the overall quality of the site to determine the ability to display rich snippets....

Jun 27, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available