John Mueller

★★★ How can a new e-commerce site stand out to get indexed and ranked by Google?

For a newly created e-commerce site to compete with existing alternatives, it is crucial that it stands out clearly and significantly, for example, through customer reviews or other unique characteris...

Jun 29, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does using CSS display:none really hurt your SEO?

Google tends not to weigh text that is not visible by default as much, but if the search is relevant and specific, this text can still influence visibility in results....

Jun 29, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why does Google seem to index the wrong version of your URLs?

Ambiguous signals sent by a site can lead Google to index the wrong version of a URL. Clarify the signals (redirects, canonicals, internal links) to indicate your preference....

Jun 29, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does HTTPS really improve Google rankings?

Currently, there is no intention to use HTTPS as a ranking boost in search results, although its visibility in Chrome may prompt more sites to make the transition....

Jun 29, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you index the internal search pages of an e-commerce site?

The indexing of internal search pages on an e-commerce site depends on their usefulness to users and their role in the site's navigation structure. A one-size-fits-all strategy does not apply to all s...

Jun 29, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Do responsive images really boost your SEO?

While responsive images are beneficial for user experience, they will not necessarily guarantee higher SEO traffic if simply indexed as images....

Jun 29, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Google really treat all dynamically generated links in JavaScript the same way?

Google can follow links generated via JavaScript, but it is recommended that JavaScript does not contradict static HTML content, especially for directives like rel='nofollow'....

Jun 29, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Google really follow your canonical tags or does it decide on its own?

When multiple URLs contain the same content, Google tries to understand the site's preferences for the canonical URL through different signals. Clear preferences are more likely to be followed by Goog...

Jun 29, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really block the indexing of your site's automatic translations?

Google discourages allowing indexing of automatically translated content, as it is considered low quality. It is preferable to present the original version to users with an on-demand translation optio...

Jun 29, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can Keyword Stuffing Really Get Your Site Blacklisted by Google?

John Mueller explained on Twitter that "keyword stuffing" techniques do not result in a site being "blacklisted" and that Google now has enough experience in this area to simply ignore texts containin...

Jun 25, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Google Actually Recognize Data-href Attributes for SEO?

John Mueller indicated on Twitter that link tags with a "data-href" attribute (<a data-ref="URL">) are not recognized as links (not followed, no PageRank transmission). Only tags with an "href" attrib...

Jun 25, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★ Do Customer Reviews and Surveys Really Impact Google's Ranking Algorithm?

John Mueller (yes, him again) explained in a hangout that Google's algorithm doesn't use data such as survey results, reviews, ratings, critiques, etc. to assess a page's relevance for a given query....

Jun 18, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do Forum Backlinks Still Work for SEO?

John Mueller explained in a Reddit discussion that including links (backlinks) in forum posts worked "very badly" for SEO....

Jun 18, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★ Does the Order of URLs in an XML Sitemap Actually Affect Google's Crawling?

Once again, it's John Mueller (since Gary Illyes no longer seems to talk about SEO online at all, which, let's be honest, is no great loss...) who explains that the order of URLs provided in an XML Si...

Jun 18, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should You Use HTML or XML Sitemap for Hreflang Tags?

John Mueller indicated on Twitter that Hreflang tags are processed in the same way, whether they are integrated into the source code of pages or in XML Sitemap files....

Jun 18, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Why Doesn't Google Images Crawl Images Embedded with DIV Tags?

John Mueller indicated on Twitter that when an image is embedded in the source code using a DIV tag, it is not, in his opinion, taken into account and crawled by the image search engine robot....

Jun 18, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ What URL structure should you choose for an effective multilingual site in SEO?

Implementing content in different languages can use various URL structures based on preferences since the language is analyzed on a per-URL basis....

Jun 15, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why don't monthly search volumes reflect the reality of your impressions?

Average monthly search volumes can vary and should be approached with caution. Search Console shows the actual number of impressions in the results....

Jun 15, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really canonicalize every duplicate product across multiple landing pages?

For the same product on multiple pages, use the rel=canonical attribute to identify the indexed version and strengthen signals on a single URL....

Jun 15, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really stick to a niche when launching a new website?

For a new site, it is recommended to focus on a niche where the site can be recognized as an expert and grow progressively from there....

Jun 15, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available