John Mueller

★★ Should you really disavow links from suspicious TLDs?

It's not possible to automatically disavow entire domains via their top-level domain (TLD) extension. Google's systems are efficient at ignoring low-value links without intervention....

Mar 06, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can Google ignore your site if your products are already listed elsewhere?

If multiple sites contain the same products and descriptions with no notable differences, Google may choose to index only one. Add unique content to make each site distinct....

Mar 06, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Do special characters in URLs really pose a problem for SEO?

Google can handle most special characters in URLs, but symbols like commas and parentheses could cause issues when sharing links. Avoid using non-standard characters if possible....

Mar 06, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really stop using marketing phrases in title tags to rank on Google?

In title tags, include elements that encourage users to click on your page in search results. Titles should clearly indicate the content of the page instead of using obscure marketing phrases....

Mar 06, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is Aggregate Review Markup really trustworthy when Google demands complete transparency?

Google demands that Aggregate Review Markup reflects the entire set of reviews and not just a selection of them. Personal testimonials should not be marked this way....

Mar 06, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is the Meta Refresh Tag Really Effective for SEO Redirects?

Google has indicated several times in the past that redirections using the "meta refresh" tag should not be used. However, John Mueller mentioned on Twitter last week that it does work anyway, but is ...

Mar 05, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Page Speed Really Impact Google's Mobile First Indexing?

John Mueller explained on Twitter that the Mobile First index and the page loading speed criterion were two separate things. Indexing and page ranking should not be confused, as some believe, especial...

Mar 05, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How Does Googlebot Really Crawl Your Website?

John Mueller published a video last week (the first "SEO Snippet" - videos succeeding those of Matt Cutts - since their launch), explaining how Google crawls a website and the way Googlebot works....

Mar 05, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does Googlebot really adjust its crawl based on your server’s capacity?

Googlebot tries to be courteous by limiting itself to a certain number of pages each day, automatically adjusting this number based on the recognized capacity of a site....

Feb 28, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Googlebot really crawl your important pages every few days?

Googlebot attempts to crawl important pages more frequently to ensure that the most critical pages are covered, often every few days or more frequently depending on the site....

Feb 28, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★ Should You Worry About Google's Contradictory Statements on Search Console?

As is often the case unfortunately, John Mueller and Gary Illyes contradicted each other last week. John initially indicated that all features from the old Search Console would be transferred to the n...

Feb 26, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Why Are Hreflang Tags Considered the Most Complex Aspect of SEO?

John Mueller indicated on Twitter that "hreflang tags are one of the most complex aspects of SEO, if not the most complex. It seems as simple as a meta tag, but their implementation quickly becomes di...

Feb 26, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does the Top Stories carousel really use the same criteria as organic ranking?

The Top Stories carousel is based on normal organic rankings without manual interference. Performance here depends on the same factors as the general ranking algorithm....

Feb 23, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is the DMCA truly effective against abusive duplicate content?

Google generally manages duplicate content from unauthorized copies well. If affected, using the DMCA process to request the removal of copied content can be considered for obvious violations....

Feb 23, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you include the current URL in the breadcrumb trail to boost your SEO?

Google does not appear to have a strict preference regarding the inclusion of the current URL in breadcrumb elements. It mainly depends on how readable the results are in the SERPs for the user....

Feb 23, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really redirect your outdated AMP pages?

It is not necessary to redirect an AMP page when it is removed because it is already canonicalized to a mobile or desktop page. However, if users still access it, redirecting to the mobile version is ...

Feb 23, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Google really use an SEO sandbox to filter new websites?

Google does not place websites in an SEO 'sandbox.' Ranking fluctuations for new sites result from algorithmic adjustments to evaluate relevance and quality against other sites. Manual actions are vis...

Feb 23, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can you really display a radically different mobile navigation from desktop without risking your SEO?

It is entirely acceptable to have a different navigation bar for mobile users while hiding the desktop version. This aligns with typical responsive design practices....

Feb 23, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can using local characters in URLs harm your SEO performance?

Google has no preference when it comes to using local or Latin characters in URLs. URLs should be in UTF-8 and can contain characters from any alphabet, which does not affect a page’s ranking....

Feb 23, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Do you really need a sitemap for a small, stable site?

Sitemaps are especially useful for large sites that change frequently, but they are not essential for small, stable sites. Nevertheless, using one remains a good practice to indicate important URLs to...

Feb 23, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available