John Mueller

★★★ Should You Really Abandon HTML Sitemaps for Users?

John Mueller, on Mastodon this time, explained that, in his opinion, HTML Sitemaps or site maps for users should never be necessary: "Sites, small and large, should always have a clear navigation stru...

Dec 12, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should You Migrate Your Site to HTTP/3 to Improve SEO and Core Web Vitals?

John Mueller indicated during a webmaster hangout that the new version of the web protocol, HTTP/3, should not help websites in terms of SEO or even Core Web Vitals. And the use of this protocol on a ...

Dec 05, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should You Worry About Google's Latest Mobile First Index Migration?

John Mueller announced on Twitter that a final batch of websites still listed in Search Console as being crawled by the Googlebot for desktop would be moved to the Mobile First Index and therefore see...

Nov 28, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should You Change the Author Name When Updating an Article?

John Mueller explained on Mastodon (for a change from Twitter) that if an article's author name changes, it would be interesting to mention the previous author in addition to the current one, but that...

Nov 22, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Are geographic redirects really preventing your European content from being indexed?

Forced redirects based on geolocation can prevent indexation because Googlebot primarily crawls from the United States for Europe. If content is inaccessible from the US, it won't be indexed....

Nov 17, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why do domain mergers and divisions trigger extended SEO ranking swings?

During domain mergers or divisions, Google must reevaluate page importance and internal linking structure, which leads to long-term ranking fluctuations. These changes are more complex than a simple d...

Nov 17, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you really ditch meta refresh redirects, or does Google actually handle them just fine?

Google treats meta refresh (HTML tag with refresh timing) as redirects during page rendering. However, they are discouraged for accessibility reasons and considered a workaround solution....

Nov 17, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Are 307 and 308 redirects really pointless for classic SEO?

HTTP codes 307 and 308 also transfer POST requests, unlike 301 and 302 which only transfer GET requests. Useful for APIs but with no direct SEO impact since APIs are generally not indexed....

Nov 17, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you really be using 302 redirects between mobile and desktop versions?

For redirects between mobile and desktop versions of a website, use 302 redirects (temporary) because the appropriate version depends on the user's device on each visit....

Nov 17, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Google really follow JavaScript redirects the same way as server-side redirects?

JavaScript redirects are detected and followed by Google during page rendering. They constitute a valid alternative when you don't have access to server configuration....

Nov 17, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does a 302 redirect really cause you to lose PageRank compared to a 301?

A 301 redirect is permanent and transfers SEO signals (PageRank, canonicalization) to the new URL. A 302 is temporary and preserves signals on the original URL. Choosing one type does not cause signal...

Nov 17, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Why does the URL Inspection Tool show a 200 status code even after a redirect?

The URL Inspection Tool in Search Console displays a 200 status code for the final URL after redirect, because it shows what will be indexed. It automatically follows HTTP and JavaScript redirects to ...

Nov 17, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Are interstitials with redirects really blocking Googlebot from indexing your content?

Interstitials (age verification, country verification) implemented as redirects block Googlebot, which cannot fill out forms. Using a CSS div overlay on top of the content instead allows Google to see...

Nov 17, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do you really need to redirect every single URL individually during a domain migration?

To migrate a domain, you must redirect all pages one by one (1:1 mapping) to the new domain. This allows you to transfer the signals and trust associated with the old URLs to the new ones....

Nov 17, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Are geographic redirects killing your crawl budget? Here's what Google recommends instead

Instead of forced geographic redirects, use banners or menus that allow users to change countries. This prevents Googlebot from being blocked while still informing users about regional restrictions....

Nov 17, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do you really need bidirectional redirects between mobile and desktop versions to avoid indexing issues?

For sites with separate mobile and desktop versions, you must implement redirects in both directions: mobile to m.domain.com AND desktop to www.domain.com. Without this, Google assumes everything is o...

Nov 17, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How Should You Really Optimize ALT Attributes for Logos and Buttons?

In a Search Off the Record podcast, John Mueller explains that the ALT attribute on a website's logo image (repeated across all pages) should define the site name and where you'll go if you click on i...

Nov 14, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should You Really Exclude All Duplicate Pages from Your XML Sitemap?

John Mueller explained on Twitter that having URLs with duplicate content in your XML Sitemap will not create problems in terms of potential ranking for these pages....

Nov 14, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does the Visual Size of Hn Tags Actually Influence Google Rankings?

John Mueller indicated on Twitter that the size (basically the height, in pixels) of the fonts used for Hn tags (H1 to H6) is not taken into account when analyzing the content of a web page....

Nov 07, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Creating a Search Console Property Really Improve Your Site's Crawl?

John Mueller explained on Twitter that creating and verifying/validating a Search Console property for a site has no impact whatsoever on the crawling of that particular site. Google's crawling system...

Nov 07, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available