John Mueller

★★ What Does "I Don't Know" Really Mean When Google Spokespeople Say It?

John Mueller explained at BrightonSEO that when someone at Google answers a question by saying "I don't know", it doesn't necessarily mean they don't know. It can also mean they don't know how to inco...

Apr 23, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do Blockquote Tags Really Impact SEO Rankings?

John Mueller explained on Reddit that content embedded within a "blockquote" tag (quote element) is not treated in any specific way by search engine algorithms......

Apr 23, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really add outbound links to enhance your SEO?

Not linking to other sites is your choice, but it can affect how other sites choose to link to you. It does not necessarily impact the discovery of new content by Google....

Apr 18, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Which is better for speeding up the deindexing of your pages: 404 or 410?

A 410 page will be removed from the index faster than a 404 page, but beyond that, both error codes are treated the same way by Google once the page is deindexed....

Apr 18, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Are links still a decisive ranking factor for Google?

John Mueller mentions that the signals used by Google for ranking web pages are numerous and varied. Links are just one of many factors taken into account, and their importance can vary depending on t...

Apr 18, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you use Google Tag Manager to inject your structured data?

John Mueller states that Google Tag Manager can be used to add structured data markup, although it is not recommended due to the added complexity and debugging challenges....

Apr 18, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does a link to a 404 page still pass on SEO juice?

If a link points to a page that is now 404, Google will no longer transmit any SEO value from that link. To transfer the value of a link, appropriate redirections must be used....

Apr 18, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Are link directories really useless for SEO?

Rather than submitting a site to business directories, it is more beneficial to create engaging content that naturally invites links....

Apr 18, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really ignore Domain Authority to rank on Google?

John Mueller confirms that metrics such as 'domain authority' are not used by Google for ranking. He encourages focusing on site quality and user experience rather than on these third-party metrics....

Apr 18, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really eliminate 'Read more' buttons to please Google?

It is advisable to include visible text upon page load rather than hiding it behind buttons like 'Read more'. This is primarily recommended to enhance user experience and not solely for search engines...

Apr 18, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Could Noindex Pages Completely Lose Their Value for Crawling and Internal Linking?

Although using noindex tags is possible, John Mueller emphasizes that if these pages are not well linked or are isolated, Google will eventually ignore them entirely, including the links on those page...

Apr 18, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really implement redirects during a content migration?

When migrating pages from one site to another, it is essential to use redirects to pass on the accumulated signals. If the previous URLs are no longer available, continue building the new presence, bu...

Apr 18, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is it really enough to use 301 redirects to preserve your SEO value when changing your domain?

To avoid losing the SEO value history accumulated on an old domain, John Mueller recommends setting up 301 redirects from the old to the new domain during a redesign or rebranding....

Apr 18, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does having a sitemap really ensure your pages are indexed, or do you need true internal navigation?

John Mueller explains that the lack of internal navigation complicates crawling and indexing by Google, even with a sitemap file. He recommends maintaining adequate internal navigation to improve cont...

Apr 18, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you avoid domains with a spam past, or can they be salvaged?

When transferring to a new domain, if its history is linked to spammy activities, it can affect its ranking. An assessment of the history and backlinks, followed by a possible disavowal, is recommende...

Apr 16, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How can you demonstrate your expertise to Google during Core Updates?

Google's Core Updates aim to assess the relevance of pages for user queries. Websites must clarify their expertise to be considered reliable sources on a given topic....

Apr 16, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really eliminate all redirect chains to optimize crawling?

It's best to set up redirects to point directly to the final URL without any intermediaries. Too many steps in a redirect chain can lead to delays in crawling....

Apr 16, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is it really necessary to add self-referential canonicals on every page?

Self-referential canonical tags are useful, especially on static HTML sites to indicate which URL should be primarily indexed, particularly helpful for managing variable URL parameters....

Apr 16, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Are expired domains really useless for SEO?

Google does not favor expired domains. Practices of purchasing expired domains for their backlinks may not provide any advantages, as Google tends to ignore irrelevant links....

Apr 16, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really customize the structured data for each page?

Structured data must be specific to the main subject of each page. Using the same set of structured data for all pages on the site can be incorrect and could lead to the disabling of rich results by t...

Apr 16, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available