John Mueller

★★★ Do robots.txt redirections really create issues for crawling?

Google follows the redirects of robots.txt files, so even if the file redirects, GoogleBot will continue to follow it according to their documentation....

Jun 16, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you still disavow your spammy backlinks, or does Google really handle it for you?

While Google automatically handles many spammy links, the disavow tool allows webmasters to regain control by removing questionable links from the equation....

Jun 16, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is schema markup truly unnecessary for SEO ranking?

Schema markup is not a direct ranking factor, but it helps Google better understand your pages and display them in rich formats in search results, which can indirectly improve visibility....

Jun 16, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is it really necessary to include external links for product comparisons on an affiliate site?

For affiliate sites, it is not mandatory to show product comparisons in the form of external links. The important thing is to provide unique and relevant value to rank well in search results....

Jun 16, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does user experience really influence Google's ranking?

Google does not consider user experience as a direct ranking factor, but an improvement in this experience can have a positive indirect effect by encouraging more positive interactions like recommenda...

Jun 16, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can Google really display as many results as it wants from the same domain in SERPs?

Google can display multiple results from the same domain in search result pages if it seems relevant to the user's query. There is no strict limit and it depends on the algorithm's perception of relev...

Jun 16, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does a shift in infrastructure really slow down crawling without affecting rankings?

When an infrastructure changes, such as a server change, Google adjusts crawling accordingly. Rankings are not affected, but the infrastructure change can temporarily slow down crawling....

Jun 12, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is it true that Google completely ignores all links from guest posts?

Google is aware of link schemes like paid guest posts and tends to ignore these links to avoid impacting rankings....

Jun 12, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Are forum links really treated like traditional backlinks by Google?

Links from forums are considered regular links by Google, as long as they are not nofollow....

Jun 12, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How does the update frequency of Search Console transform your SEO monitoring?

Data in Search Console, such as crawl errors, are updated several times a week....

Jun 12, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is it really necessary to submit all domain variations in Search Console?

Submitting all variations of a domain in Search Console allows you to receive notifications in case of issues with any of the versions....

Jun 12, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Why do Search Console thumbnails get stuck on old versions?

There is no method to force the update of thumbnails in Search Console. They update automatically over time....

Jun 12, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How can you manage low-quality user content without hurting your marketplace?

In a marketplace, the quality of the pages depends on internal content management policies. Use canonicals or noindex to manage low-quality user-submitted content....

Jun 12, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is duplicate content really safe for your SEO?

There is no penalty for duplicate content, but if multiple versions of the same page are available, Google will display only one version in search results....

Jun 12, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ What could cause your page to lose positions suddenly without any apparent reason?

A sudden ranking drop of a page can be attributed to technical problems, algorithm changes, or shifts in competition and user expectations....

Jun 12, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why is Google ignoring your hreflang canonical, and how can you fix it?

If an incorrect version of a page with hreflang appears in search results, check that the specified canonical is the same as the one Google is using for indexing....

Jun 12, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How Long Can You Use a 503 Code Before Risking Deindexation?

John Mueller reminded us on Twitter that using a 503 code (Service Unavailable) is not a problem if it's implemented for a few hours (for a quick maintenance operation, for example), but it should not...

Jun 12, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Do You Really Need Hreflang Tags on a Monolingual Website?

Still on the subject of Hreflang tags, John Mueller indicated, also on Twitter, that if your site is published in a single language, you are not obligated to use Hreflang tags. Logical there too. Howe...

Jun 12, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does the Order of Hreflang Tags Really Matter for SEO?

John Mueller indicated on Twitter that hreflang tags in a page's source code could be listed in any order, it didn't matter at all. Makes sense......

Jun 12, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Google Really Perform a Seasonal Spring Cleaning of Its Index?

John Mueller indicated in a hangout that Google does not perform a "spring cleaning" of its index by removing, at that time of year, more low-quality pages. One might wonder why it would do that, anyw...

Jun 12, 2017 ⚡ Analysis available