John Mueller

★★★ Should you really verify a domain's history before SEO migration?

Before migrating to a new domain, you must verify its history using tools like archive.org. A domain with a problematic past (spam, inappropriate content) can affect SEO even after migration....

Feb 23, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Have EMD Domain Names Become a Liability for Your SEO?

John Mueller confesses: he's not really a fan of EMDs (Exact Match Domains) which, according to him, can potentially compromise a site's sustainability. In addition to appearing as a spammer in everyo...

Feb 20, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should You Use Product or LocalBusiness Structured Data for a Service-Based Website?

John Mueller answered a question about which structured data to implement on a website offering services whose prices may vary depending on the quote. Google's emblematic figure recommends not using s...

Feb 20, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should You Still Calculate Keyword Density to Optimize Your SEO in 2024?

John Mueller explained once again in a webmaster hangout that Google's algorithm does not use a notion of "keyword density index" in content to assign a relevance score to a page for that query: "Keyw...

Feb 06, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you update your sitemap's lastmod date every time you make a minor change?

The lastmod date in an XML sitemap file should indicate when content has changed enough to justify a new crawl. If comments are critical to the page, their date can be used....

Jan 31, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Google really require identical content on mobile and desktop for mobile-first indexing to work?

For mobile-first indexing, you must provide the same content on both mobile and desktop versions of your site, and ensure that both users and Google can access both versions....

Jan 31, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why do 301 redirects remain absolutely critical when migrating to a new domain?

When changing a company name that modifies URLs, the most important thing is to ensure that old URLs redirect to new ones with 301 redirects. You then need to verify the new domain in Search Console....

Jan 31, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does disavowing toxic backlinks really help you recover your lost rankings after a penalty?

Disavowing spammed links you created can help algorithms trust your site again, but it will not reposition your site as it was before. You need to work to rebuild your reputation from the ground up....

Jan 31, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Are image EXIF data really useless for SEO?

Google does not use image EXIF data for SEO. The only image metadata currently used is IPTC....

Jan 31, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Do you really need to request removal of redirected URLs from Google's index?

After moving content with 301 redirects, there is no need to request the removal of old URLs from the index. This happens automatically over time. If old URLs appear in specific searches, this is norm...

Jan 31, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is Google really ignoring your carefully crafted meta description in favor of something else?

Google does not guarantee the use of the meta description you write. Snippets are auto-generated and can vary depending on the user's search query. Google uses different parts of the page according to...

Jan 31, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Are 'Made by X' footer links really safe for your SEO?

Footer links like 'made by Squarespace' that come with the theme are not problematic. If you control the link, it is recommended to add nofollow and verify that the anchor text is reasonable....

Jan 31, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How should you properly set up canonical and alternate tags for an m-dot architecture?

For a site with desktop and m-dot versions: the desktop version is always the canonical URL. On desktop, place a rel canonical pointing to itself and a rel alternate pointing to m-dot. On m-dot, place...

Jan 31, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you really separate news sitemaps and general sitemaps to avoid duplicate URLs?

Including the same URLs in both a news sitemap and a general sitemap causes no problems, although it's not ideal. It's generally simpler to have separate sitemaps....

Jan 31, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you still optimize keyword density for SEO in 2025?

Google does not use optimal keyword density. Its systems recognize a page's topic even without mentioning keywords. However, it is preferable to be explicit and use the same terminology as your users....

Jan 31, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does verifying your site in Search Console really improve your SEO rankings?

Having a verified site in Search Console or changing the verification code and method has no effect on indexation or ranking. Search Console provides data to improve your site....

Jan 31, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why does Google refuse to index dynamic multilingual content on a single URL?

To add a language to a site, you must create separate URLs for each language version. Automatically swapping content on the same URL doesn't work for search engines. You also need to create internal l...

Jan 31, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can a 404 code targeting Googlebot block the indexing of your pages?

If your server returns a 404 code only to the Googlebot user agent while users can see the page normally, Google considers that the page does not exist and cannot index it. It's a server configuration...

Jan 31, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really waste time cleaning up spammy backlinks from your link profile?

Google's systems are becoming better at identifying spammed links automatically. It's not necessary to prioritize their cleanup unless you receive a manual action. The disavow tool can be used if nece...

Jan 31, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ What happens when your hreflang links fail to validate completely?

Hreflang clusters are formed with validated links. If an hreflang link cannot be validated, it will not appear in the cluster, but the cluster will be created with the other valid links. Pages marked ...

Jan 31, 2023 ⚡ Analysis available