John Mueller

★★★ Could UTM parameters be undermining your Google indexing?

If the versions of pages with UTM parameters are predominantly linked internally, this can send mixed signals regarding which version to index. To avoid unnecessary crawling of different paths, it's r...

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you really optimize Lighthouse if users find your site fast?

Lighthouse speed metrics are primarily focused on user experience. For SEO, user experience is what matters most, so if your site seems fast to users, you are probably in good shape....

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does blocking Googlebot by certain ISPs really hurt your search rankings?

If Googlebot is not blocked, the content can be crawled and indexed normally. However, if Googlebot is blocked, for example in the United States, the pages risk disappearing from search results....

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really create a separate site for each country for your international SEO?

Creating a site for each country is not recommended if the content is not unique. Using hreflang does not guarantee a higher rank in the targeted country; it still requires strong and distinct content...

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can Google really ignore your rel=canonical and index a different version of your page?

Google may choose to index different versions of a URL based on available signals, even with a rel=canonical attribute, especially if the pages are not perceived as equivalent....

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Googlebot preload internal links like a modern browser?

Googlebot treats each page visit as an initial visit, without preloading links. Thus, user preloading technologies do not affect Googlebot or rankings....

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does lifting a manual penalty truly erase all negative traces from your rankings?

Once a manual action is resolved, it no longer affects the site. There is no mechanism for keeping the site sidelined after breaking the rules. However, if the site relied on unnatural links and they ...

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Is the Search Console API really slow, or is it a user-side issue?

It has been reported that prolonged wait times are being experienced for the Search Console API. This should not be common, and it is advised to implement user-side retry mechanisms until a resolution...

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How long does a website migration really take in Google's eyes?

A straightforward transfer from one domain to another is generally handled quickly if 301 redirects are correctly set up, but significant changes require a reevaluation of the site, which can take lon...

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How do technical migrations complicate your website's SEO?

Significant changes, such as migrating to a new domain, framework, or platform, can complicate our algorithms' understanding and extend the time required to establish a stable new ranking for the site...

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do X-Robots-Tag headers really prevent Google from following redirects?

X-Robots HTTP headers do not block Google when following 301 or 302 redirects. They only affect links on a page and do not impact server-side redirects....

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you disavow links to boost your Google ranking?

Disavowing links can be beneficial if your site is affected by a manual action due to unnatural links. However, this does not guarantee an improvement in ranking if the site depended on those links fo...

Feb 19, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should You Really Avoid Frequently Switching Pages Between Index and Noindex?

John Mueller explained on Twitter that you shouldn't switch too often, for the same page, from a "noindex" version to an "index" version for the meta robots tag. This can confuse Google's analysis and...

Feb 18, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can You Really Create a Search Console Property for a Non-Indexed Site?

John Mueller indicated on Twitter that, in principle, a website does not need to be indexed on the search engine to create a Search Console property at its address. Theoretically, you can therefore re...

Feb 18, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does the Google Sandbox Really Exist for New Pages?

John Mueller explained on Twitter that there is no "sandbox" on Google that would deprive a newly created page of certain rankings before a certain period of time. On this subject, his response was fa...

Feb 11, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How do hreflang tags slow down the indexing of your international pages?

Hreflang tags allow you to indicate to Google the different language versions of your pages. This process involves several steps: we must first crawl and index the different versions of a page, unders...

Feb 08, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does URL structure really impact SEO rankings?

You can use any URL structure as long as it doesn't lead to infinite spaces. Clear and simple structures favor proper crawling and indexing. Ideally, the URL structure should not change frequently....

Feb 08, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do You Really Need to Add the Schema Organization Tag on Every Single Page of Your Site?

John Mueller recently explained during a hangout that, while a website should contain a properly filled "Organization" structured data tag (Schema.org), it's not necessary to include it on every page....

Feb 04, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ How Will Google Images' Major Upcoming Changes Transform Your Visual SEO Strategy?

John Mueller recently indicated that the Google Images search engine will soon undergo major changes, involving a new way of viewing image optimization. Without saying more. We should therefore expect...

Jan 28, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Could 50% of Websites Lose Traffic Due to Mobile First Indexing?

We know that currently, 50% of Google SERP results come from the Mobile First Index. John Mueller recently indicated that, apparently, the "simple" cases have been processed so far. But the remaining ...

Jan 28, 2019 ⚡ Analysis available