John Mueller

★★★ 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

★★ Is your site experiencing excessive crawling that uncovers structural flaws?

Excessive crawling by Google of non-essential pages may indicate poor site structure. Checking server logs helps diagnose and properly adjust unwanted crawl behaviors....

May 01, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Do nofollow social links really influence Google rankings?

Links from social networks, often nofollow, are not used for ranking but are helpful for traffic diversity and can appear in search results if the profile is public....

May 01, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is your mobile content truly complete, or are you unknowingly sabotaging your desktop rankings?

With the shift to mobile-first indexing, it is crucial that mobile content is complete to avoid negatively impacting the overall ranking, including for desktop searches....

May 01, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Why does Google still show old URLs for image landing pages despite redirects?

Redirects from image landing pages to the images themselves can disrupt temporary search results. Google sometimes continues to display the old URL in response to specific searches, despite an effecti...

May 01, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Do keywords in the URL really still affect your ranking?

Keywords in the URL have minimal impact on ranking. The crucial element is the internal linking structure. Optimizing the readability of URLs is only advised during the creation of a new site....

May 01, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does HTTPS really slow down Googlebot's crawling on your site?

Switching to HTTPS and HTTP/2 is generally seamless for Google’s crawling. However, if an increase in download time is observed, it may indicate an unoptimized server configuration following a server ...

May 01, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is it true that Google doesn’t penalize duplicate content?

Google does not manually penalize sites for duplicate content unless there is a manual action indicated in Search Console. The quality assessment of pages is done algorithmically, and duplicate conten...

May 01, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should You Ditch the Noindex Directive in Robots.txt Before It's Too Late?

John Mueller and Gary Illyes recently discussed on Twitter the use of "Noindex:" in the robots.txt file. Let's remember that as of today, this feature works, but it is not maintained by Google and is ...

Apr 23, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available