John Mueller

★★ Is PageRank still relevant for ranking your new pages?

We use PageRank internally, but it matters less for webmasters today. New pages are evaluated based on the perceived quality of the overall site....

Aug 11, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Why doesn't Search Console show you all of your queries?

The differences between filtered and total data in Search Console can be attributed to the filtering of queries with very few impressions, primarily for privacy reasons....

Aug 11, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ What really happens when noindex and canonical contradict each other on the same page?

The simultaneous use of a rel=canonical and a noindex tag can cause confusion for our algorithms. However, we generally try to follow the rel=canonical, assuming that it is an error or an attempt to e...

Aug 11, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why does Google suddenly reevaluate the perceived quality of your site?

If your site is experiencing changes in visibility, it may indicate that our quality algorithms are reevaluating your site based on new perceived quality criteria....

Aug 11, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Are Google’s quality updates truly unpredictable?

Quality updates, sometimes referred to as 'Fred' by outside sources, are not specific changes designated by Google. They represent general improvements aimed at enhancing the quality of search results...

Aug 11, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is First Click Free still a viable strategy for indexing paid content?

The 'First Click Free' model allows users to access the first part of a page's content before a paywall appears. This is permitted by Google as long as the initial content is visible unconditionally....

Aug 10, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you still use rel=prev/next tags for paginated content?

For paginated content, it is advisable to provide clear pagination indicators such as rel=prev/next tags, allowing Google to better understand the relationships between pages....

Aug 10, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does the page load speed actually depend on third-party resources?

Page load speed is measured by Google regardless of the resources loaded, including those from Google like Analytics. The evaluation is based on the overall user experience....

Aug 10, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Google rewrite your titles and meta descriptions without your permission?

Titles and snippets can be adjusted by Google to better match the queries and devices used. Variations are normal and cannot be blocked by webmasters....

Aug 10, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Do subdomains really pass their authority to the main domain?

Subdomains can be considered as either part of or separate from the overall main domain. Google tries to understand the context to determine how subdomains and root domains interact....

Aug 10, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is it possible to hide H2 headings for screen readers without SEO risks?

The use of hidden content for screen readers is not problematic for SEO as long as the content is relevant to the page. Abuses in hiding unrelated content to manipulate rankings could be problematic....

Aug 10, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How does Google really determine the crawling frequency of your site?

The frequency of crawling by Google depends on factors such as server speed, content quality, and changes made to the site. Google adapts its resources accordingly to maximize the efficiency of crawli...

Aug 10, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should your mobile structure dictate your choice between www and non-www domains?

Google considers that organization and structural clarity are essential for effective crawling. The mobile representation must account for limited space, but that should not alter the domain strategy ...

Aug 10, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How long should you really keep your 301 redirects active?

It is advisable to keep 301 redirects for at least one year to ensure proper transfer of SEO signals. After this period, if the old URLs are hardly visited, you may consider removing them....

Aug 10, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really mark 404 errors as resolved in Search Console?

Marking 404 errors as resolved in Search Console does not affect crawling or indexing; it merely removes these errors from the interface display....

Aug 10, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do 404 and Soft 404 errors really harm your site's SEO?

404 or Soft 404 errors do not imply that the quality of a site is poor. They merely indicate that these URLs are removed from the index, and Google aims to focus on the rest of the site....

Aug 10, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really count words to rank on Google?

Google does not recommend counting the maximum number of words on a page. The file size could technically limit indexing, but it does not significantly affect a page unless a script produces an infini...

Aug 10, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★ Do Google's Quality Raters Really Influence Your Site's Rankings?

John Mueller indicated in a hangout that quality raters were there primarily to evaluate and even help correct Google's algorithms, but that their purpose was not to assess the sites appearing in sear...

Aug 07, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do Commas in Title Tags Actually Hurt Your SEO Rankings?

A user asked John Mueller on Twitter whether using commas as separators in Title tags posed a problem. Unsurprisingly, John replied that he could do as he pleased in this regard....

Aug 07, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does the Order of URLs in an XML Sitemap File Actually Matter to Google?

John Mueller explained on Twitter that you can structure your XML Sitemap file absolutely however you want in terms of field order, and this won't cause any problems for Google. The file is read autom...

Aug 07, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available