John Mueller

★★★ Does Google truly consider hidden mobile content in its indexing?

In mobile-first indexing, hidden content for UX reasons is fully counted. Google deploys algorithms to differentiate between abusive practices and normal uses of hidden content....

Feb 23, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do old 301 redirects really hurt your SEO?

Inherited 301 redirects, even if they are several years old, do not negatively affect a site's SEO as long as they still exist in Google's index. Google's systems may have a long memory, but this gene...

Feb 23, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why does Google classify some pages as soft 404 when they return a 200 status?

A soft 404 error occurs when Google perceives a page as lacking useful content or redirecting to a generic page like the homepage. It is crucial to ensure that pages are generating the correct HTTP st...

Feb 23, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Could technical problems truly explain why you're not ranking?

Technical problems, such as the non-indexation of recent content, can be reasons why a site is not ranking well. It is advisable to check if web scraping is occurring correctly and if the content is s...

Feb 23, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Are 301 redirects and canonical tags truly equivalent methods for consolidating your SEO signals?

In SEO, redirecting multiple pages to a single URL can be helpful for concentrating SEO signals. A 301 redirect is similar to using a canonical tag in terms of how Google processes the URL, but each m...

Feb 23, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really merge similar pages to avoid a doorway penalty?

Creating multiple pages with similar content on closely related topics can be seen as doorway pages. It is better to consolidate the content into one strong page to avoid dilution and improve ranking ...

Feb 23, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does duplicate content really harm organic search rankings?

Duplicate content across sites does not cause ranking penalties, but Google tries to display the most relevant site in search results. It is advisable to provide unique descriptions or additional info...

Feb 23, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Is it true that Google collaborates with WordPress to boost your SEO?

Google strives to collaborate with WordPress to enhance the optimization of content generated by this CMS, thus facilitating the implementation of good SEO practices such as HTTPS....

Feb 22, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How will mobile-first indexing truly affect your SEO strategy?

Google plans to inform webmasters through Search Console when their site switches to mobile-first indexing. It is vital for sites with separate mobile versions to understand how this will impact them....

Feb 22, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is it true that Google really indexes what your users see with JavaScript?

Google constantly improves its ability to render and index pages using JavaScript. However, it is essential to ensure that the rendered version accurately reflects the content visible to users....

Feb 22, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why is Googlebot struggling to interpret your structured data through Data Highlighter?

Googlebot may face difficulties with Data Highlighter if pages are modified. It is preferable to implement structured data directly in the HTML code of the pages to ensure better interpretation....

Feb 22, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Has PageRank truly become negligible for your Google rankings?

PageRank is still used internally by Google among a set of over 200 factors to determine page rankings, but it is no longer as critical as it once was....

Feb 22, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Are Umlauts and special characters in URLs really safe for SEO?

Special characters like Umlauts are well managed in URLs by Google. In theory, they do not pose a problem for indexing and ranking, but users may process them differently in searches....

Feb 22, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really exclude noindex pages from your XML sitemaps?

It is advised not to include pages with noindex in the sitemap files, as this creates confusion regarding indexing intent. Use noindex to quickly remove URLs from unwanted content....

Feb 22, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does HTTP/2 really enhance Googlebot's crawling capabilities?

Googlebot could operate independently with HTTP/2, but it hasn't been prioritized because it doesn't offer significant advantages for crawling, which is still limited by the server's capacity....

Feb 22, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is your mobile site truly in sync with your desktop version?

Google recommends ensuring that mobile and desktop versions of sites are correctly synchronized to avoid indexing problems. With the shift to mobile-first indexing, it is crucial to provide complete m...

Feb 22, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does the choice between placing hreflang in the sitemap or on the page really impact processing speed?

Using hreflang tags in the sitemap and on the page is equivalent in terms of processing speed by Google. Choose the option that is most convenient based on your CMS and the structure of your site....

Feb 22, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is the Speed Update really targeting all sites, or just specific categories?

The Speed Update is set to launch in July, not January. It aims to evaluate how quickly content becomes visible to users and the server's response speed. This mainly impacts sites with rapidly varying...

Feb 22, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why does Google ignore the last modified date outside of the Sitemap?

Google uses the last modified date in the Sitemap file to facilitate crawling but does not utilize this information from the HTTP header or the page itself....

Feb 20, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can hreflang really fail to target the right language version?

Hreflang is a signal to indicate language or geographic versions but will not prevent a page from displaying if another version is deemed more relevant. A fallback solution like a redirection banner s...

Feb 20, 2018 ⚡ Analysis available