John Mueller

★★★ Does rel=next/prev still work with noindex pages?

The rel=next and rel=prev tags are useful for paginated content, but they are not always taken into account if the pages are set to noindex....

Jun 26, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Google really index the content of your iframes?

Google can index the content of iframes when pages are rendered, which can potentially lead the iframe to appear in search results....

Jun 26, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Do low-quality featured snippets expose a flaw in Google's algorithms?

Choosing featured snippets with low-quality content can happen. Google is continuously working to improve search systems to prevent this. The algorithm is never finished....

Jun 26, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do relative links hurt SEO compared to absolute links?

There is no negative impact from using relative links instead of absolute links. Both types are acceptable to Google....

Jun 26, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do site-wide links really penalize your SEO?

Site-wide links are not bad in themselves. Their impact depends on their naturalness. If these links are natural, they do not pose any specific problem....

Jun 26, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Are links in dropdown menus really crawled by Google?

Google finds and processes links in dropdown menus as long as they are present in the HTML when the page loads....

Jun 26, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why do rel='next' and rel='prev' tags fail on noindex pages?

Using rel='next' and rel='prev' tags does not affect noindex pages. Google relies on these contents for proper page indexing....

Jun 26, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does Google really use your meta descriptions in search snippets?

Google tries to use meta descriptions in search snippets as long as they are relevant to the search query. Otherwise, Google can take the content from the page....

Jun 26, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Google really handle duplicate content when HTTP and HTTPS don't redirect?

In the absence of redirection between HTTP and HTTPS, Google considers the HTTP and HTTPS versions of a URL as duplicates. Google combines the links and selects a canonical URL for them....

Jun 26, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How does Googlebot actually calculate your crawl budget?

Googlebot counts every request made to the server, including images, JavaScript, and CSS files for the crawl budget calculation. However, Google uses aggressive caching to reduce repetitive requests....

Jun 26, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Why doesn't Google guarantee an increase in featured snippets?

There is no guarantee that Google will quickly increase the number of featured snippets in search results. This is an area the team is working on, but it depends on many factors, including language....

Jun 26, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ How Is Google Rolling Out Mobile First Indexing Site by Site?

John Mueller indicated on Twitter that Google was considering launching the Mobile First index site by site, as soon as the algorithm determines that the site in question will be ready for it. Therefo...

Jun 26, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Can Repetitive URLs Actually Harm Your Site's Search Rankings?

John Mueller indicated in a Google webmaster forum that the search engine could ignore certain URLs if they repeat identical patterns or titles too many (excessively many) times. In short, when implem...

Jun 26, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ How Does Google Use Machine Learning to Assess Website Quality?

John Mueller explained in a hangout that machine learning algorithms were primarily used by Google to understand whether a site is generally of good or poor quality, but not in the context of a specif...

Jun 19, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you sacrifice content to improve loading speed?

Making a page faster by removing important content is not a good strategy for ranking. A fast page without relevant content will underperform in the rankings....

Jun 16, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ How can sitemaps speed up the indexing of your expired content?

The ideal solution for regular updates and expired content is to automate the generation and submission of sitemap files so that Google can quickly update its indexes....

Jun 16, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really redirect your mobile site to a responsive one before the mobile-first indexing?

Redirecting mobile versions to a responsive version is the right choice and is simpler before the transition to mobile-first indexing, as it avoids additional ranking fluctuations....

Jun 16, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you really update your disavow file regularly?

If you are not actively building artificial links, it is generally unnecessary to update your disavow file frequently. Focus your energy on improving your site....

Jun 16, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does mobile experience really affect desktop ranking in a mobile-first world?

Even though user experience is not directly taken into account for ranking, the shift to a mobile-first index means that the mobile versions of these pages will be used for ranking on both mobile and ...

Jun 16, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is it essential to use the address change tool in Search Console during a domain migration?

The address change tool in Search Console helps better understand and manage site migrations by indicating to Google that an entire domain should be transferred to a new one....

Jun 16, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available