John Mueller

★★ Should you really redirect brands without products using a 302, or is a 404 a better choice?

You can temporarily redirect users with a 302 redirect for a brand without products to another category instead of showing a 404 page....

Nov 01, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why does Googlebot keep crawling your noindex pages, and how can you stop it?

Googlebot can still crawl pages marked as noindex/nofollow. If this overloads the server, you can block these pages in the robots.txt file....

Nov 01, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Are keywords in URLs really a negligible ranking factor?

Using keywords in URLs is merely a minor factor for Google. It is more relevant to choose easy-to-remember URLs for users rather than trying to stuff URLs with keywords for SEO....

Nov 01, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why does changing the URL structure during an HTTPS migration break your SEO?

When migrating to HTTPS along with a URL structure change, Google has to relearn what the site is. It is recommended to choose a time with low dependence on search traffic to avoid marked fluctuations...

Nov 01, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really use a 302 before a 301 during an HTTPS migration?

When migrating to HTTPS, it is possible to start with a 302 redirect for testing, then move to a 301 once committed. This allows for a smooth transition and prevents client-side caching....

Nov 01, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★ Does Google Really Use a Global Authority Score to Rank Websites?

John Mueller also explained during a hangout that Google doesn't use a relevance criterion resembling a "global authority score for a website". Google may use global scores associated with a website, ...

Oct 24, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why Does Google Prefer JSON-LD for Structured Data?

John Mueller indicated that the JSON-LD format was Google's favorite for implementing structured data markup. While it certainly accepts all other formats, he recommends JSON-LD....

Oct 24, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Google Really Penalize Sitewide Links and Blogrolls?

John Mueller indicated that "sitewide" backlinks (for example, links placed in the footers of all pages of a website, identically) or in blogrolls (to the right or left of the editorial area, in the f...

Oct 24, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How Long Should You Really Keep a 301 Redirect Active?

John Mueller said it last year: a 301 redirect should be kept in place for at least a year, if not longer. In fact, the idea is primarily to measure traffic to the old URL. As soon as it becomes zero ...

Oct 24, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do You Really Need a Dedicated XML Sitemap for Your AMP Pages?

John Mueller indicated on Twitter that using the AMP standard on your site does not require creating a specific XML Sitemap for this format. A "classic" Sitemap is sufficient and Google will find the ...

Oct 24, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Can legal interstitials really escape indexing penalties?

Websites can include legal interstitials, such as age selectors, without negatively affecting indexing if done correctly. Google is working on official recommendations regarding this issue....

Oct 21, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Is crawl budget really rigid per server or does Google adjust it in real time?

Google's crawl limitation is not rigid and can depend on server configuration. The crawl volume is adjusted to avoid overloading the underlying infrastructure....

Oct 21, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Do CDNs really create risk-free duplication for SEO?

Google does not penalize sites for duplicate content hosted by a CDN. However, using a 'rel=canonical' allows you to direct Google's choice regarding which URL to display in search results....

Oct 21, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Are Manufacturer PDFs Enough to Rank Your Product Listings?

Having manufacturer instructions, even in PDF format, can enhance the quality of product pages, but without additional unique content, it may not sufficiently distinguish the page in search results....

Oct 21, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is it still necessary to wait for months to see the effects of a link cleanup with real-time Penguin?

Once the new Penguin algorithm is fully deployed, it responds more quickly to changes made to sites, unlike previous iterations where one had to wait for major updates....

Oct 21, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Do external videos on product pages really enhance SEO?

Videos or any additional content on a product page, even if sourced from other sites, can enhance the perceived quality of the pages as long as they add value for users....

Oct 21, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you really update your old content to keep it ranking well?

Older content, like a research article that remains relevant, does not need to be frequently updated to stay pertinent in Google's eyes. However, adding context or new information when it is relevant ...

Oct 21, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does a website's quality history really influence its ranking in Google?

Google primarily evaluates a site based on its current state. However, a history of quality content and good practices builds positive signals that benefit the site in search rankings over the long te...

Oct 21, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is it true that real-time Penguin instantly wipes out link penalties?

With the real-time version of the Penguin algorithm, all old signals have been eliminated. Problematic links are now addressed in real-time, which lessens the negative impact on sites....

Oct 21, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why doesn't an exact search in quotes reflect Google's real ranking?

Exact searches with a phrase in quotes do not necessarily reflect the normal ranking of Google's algorithms. The search engine may omit results it considers duplicates in this type of artificial query...

Oct 21, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available