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John Mueller

Search Advocate at Google
4908 statements Period : 2012 - 2026
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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★★★ Do sitemaps with lastmod really speed up the indexing of your content?
Use the sitemap file with the last modified date indicated to inform Google of changes on a page, in order to achieve a quick update in search results....
May 03, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Does word count really influence the quality of content for Google?
The quality of content is not determined by the number of words or lines. Google evaluates quality based on many different factors....
May 03, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Does the word count of an article really influence its ranking on Google?
Google does not count the number of words in a blog article. There is no minimum, maximum, or optimal word count required. What matters is providing useful information to the user....
May 03, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Could links between the language versions of a site harm regional targeting?
Using links between different language versions of sites is not problematic, but excessive optimization with targeted anchors should be avoided to prevent confusion in Google's regional targeting....
May 02, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Is it true that Google News and Discover operate on the same index or are they two distinct circuits?
Content in Google News must be in the Google News index, while Google Discover can display any page indexed by Google. Both services operate independently, although they may appear related....
May 02, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Does loading speed really affect your Google ranking?
The technical performance of a page, especially its loading speed, influences its ranking in search results, particularly on mobile. Optimizing speed using techniques like lazy loading can enhance SEO...
May 02, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ How does flexible sampling solve the paywall indexing puzzle?
For sites with a paywall, using 'flexible sampling' in the directives allows you to manage how content should be indexed, ensuring that titles and descriptions are correctly understood by Google....
May 02, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Do you really need a specific robots.txt to appear in Google Discover?
No specific directive like a robots.txt is needed for Google Discover. The pages visible in Discover are simply normal pages indexed by Google....
May 02, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Why does Google show backlinks you've disavowed in Search Console?
Even when external links are blocked via the disavow file or robots.txt, they will still appear in Search Console, as they remain identified by Google even if they do not transmit any SEO signals....
May 02, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Do PDFs without internal navigation really harm your indexing?
PDF files lack navigation, which can pose challenges for indexing. For pages without integrated navigation, make sure they are well-linked to other parts of the site to optimize their visibility....
May 02, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Can internal linking really replace an optimized site architecture?
To maximize the indexing of articles, it is advisable to establish relevant cross-links between the articles. This reduces the importance of link depth in the site's structure....
May 02, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should you really leave pagination indexed on large websites?
For sites with numerous articles, it is advised to use a strong internal linking structure or to leave pagination indexed if the articles are not linked elsewhere. This ensures that Google can crawl a...
May 02, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Does Google really follow links on your noindex pages?
Google does not guarantee that links on noindex pages will never be followed. It is possible that Google may temporarily crawl links even if the page is noindexed, especially if the links have a high ...
May 02, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Why Won't Optimizing Just One SEO Factor Improve Your Google Rankings Anymore?
John Mueller indicated, also on Twitter, that it is now impossible to isolate a single relevance criterion of the search engine's algorithm and manipulate it to increase a page's visibility. Everythin...
May 02, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Which Dates Does Google Actually Use to Rank Your Pages?
John Mueller explained on Twitter that Google can take into account two types of dates: the one indicated in the XML Sitemap ("lastmod" field or last modified date) which corresponds to the last modif...
May 02, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Do comments on a page really influence Google rankings?
Comments on a page are considered content that can contribute to rankings in Google. They enrich the content of the page if they are relevant....
May 01, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Should you index your return and payment policy pages?
Return and payment policy pages are important for user transparency, but their visibility in search results depends on specific searches and their perceived relevance....
May 01, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ How does Google decide between a homepage and an internal page in search results?
Google often seeks to strike a balance between displaying the homepage or a more targeted internal page for a specific query. The structure of the page and its integration into the site play a signifi...
May 01, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should You Still Create Video Sitemaps to Index Your Multimedia Content?
Video sitemaps are still recommended to help Google properly recognize and index videos associated with pages....
May 01, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Do old backlinks really lose value over time?
Old links, while still valid, may lose impact proportionally to the evolution of the web and the expansion of new content....
May 01, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available
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