John Mueller

★★ How can massive DMCA removals destroy the ranking of an entire website?

If 80% of a site's content is removed for DMCA reasons, quality algorithms may struggle to accurately assess the rest of the site, potentially harming rankings....

Jul 27, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you duplicate your content for every local establishment or consolidate it on a single page?

It's better to create unique and engaging content for each individual business, even if they are in different locations. Otherwise, gathering information on a single strong page may be more effective ...

Jul 27, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Can you really detect the hidden algorithmic penalties of an expired domain?

There is no way to know if a domain has inherited algorithmic issues; only manual actions can be checked on Search Console with read-only access....

Jul 27, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does a high crawl rate in Search Console really harm your ranking?

High crawl rates in Search Console stats can indicate server problems that slow down indexing, but they do not directly influence ranking....

Jul 27, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Googlebot really handle JavaScript sites as well as static ones?

Googlebot can process sites based on JavaScript frameworks like Angular, but it is recommended to use tools like the mobile compatibility test to ensure these pages are rendered and indexed correctly....

Jul 27, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Why do HTTP and HTTPS create two distinct indexes in Search Console?

In Search Console, it is important to verify the correct HTTP or HTTPS versions of a site as indexations can vary between them after a migration....

Jul 27, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does above-the-fold content really influence your Google ranking?

Google expects to find essential content above the fold on a page. The presence of interstitials that obstruct this visibility can harm user experience and perception of search result relevance....

Jul 27, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Are image sitemaps really beneficial for SEO?

Image sitemaps can help Google discover images, but they do not provide context around those images, which is crucial for proper indexing....

Jul 27, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does lazy-loading images really block Google indexing?

For lazy-loaded images, inserting an image tag within a noscript element allows Google to properly recognize and index them....

Jul 27, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you still use the Fetch as Google tool to index your pages?

To submit URLs for Google's index, it is recommended to use the 'Fetch as Google' tool in Search Console, especially following the removal of public submission tools....

Jul 27, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can a simplified mobile navigation really sabotage your mobile-first indexing?

With mobile-first indexing, if the mobile version of a site has significantly less internal navigation than its desktop version, it could negatively impact the indexing and ranking of pages....

Jul 27, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can Quality Rater Guidelines really penalize your site directly?

Quality Rater Guidelines are used to assess search algorithms, but they are not used directly to penalize or favor specific sites. Raters examine search results to see if our algorithms present releva...

Jul 27, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How does Google really transfer signals during an HTTPS migration?

When transitioning a site from HTTP to HTTPS, if the migration is done correctly, Google can easily transfer all properties from the old site to the new one. In cases of technical errors, such as misc...

Jul 27, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why Hasn't Google's Mobile First Index Been Fully Rolled Out After All These Years?

Again John Mueller, on Twitter, explained that the Mobile First Index was still being rolled out (we periodically see messages about this appearing in Search Console) and that there was still a lot of...

Jul 23, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should You Really Avoid Combining Noindex, Canonical, and Disallow on the Same Page?

John Mueller, on Reddit this time, indicated that Canonical tags and meta robots "noindex" (just like Disallow: in the robots.txt file) should not be used at the same time because they are contradicto...

Jul 23, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should You Notify Google About Site Migrations or Redesigns for Better Crawling?

John Mueller, this time on Twitter, explained that Google does not need a tool allowing webmasters to inform the search engine of major changes to a site, such as during a migration or massive redesig...

Jul 23, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does Pogosticking Really Impact Your Google Rankings?

John Mueller explained in a hangout that pogosticking, or the measurement of user behavior in the SERPs, is not a relevance criterion in terms of page ranking and that the potential back-and-forth mov...

Jul 23, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ How long does it really take for a Google update to fully unfold its effects?

It may take several days for a complete algorithm update to propagate through Google's systems, and for the changes to be fully reflected in the rankings....

Jul 20, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really use 404s instead of redirecting your out-of-stock products?

It is generally better to use a 404 status code for out-of-stock product pages rather than redirecting them to category pages, as redirects do not pass on the relevance of the old content....

Jul 20, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Do JSON-LD structured data really influence how your rich results are displayed?

Google uses data structures like JSON-LD to enrich search results. If this data is complete and well-structured, it can improve the site's representation in rich results....

Jul 20, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available