John Mueller

★★★ Should you redirect your old versions of CSS and JS for Googlebot?

When JavaScript or CSS files change, it is advisable to set up redirects from old versions to new ones to ensure that Googlebot can still properly access the resources needed for rendering pages....

Aug 11, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you ignore the PageSpeed Insights score for SEO?

PageSpeed Insights recommendations should be viewed as optimization advice rather than direct ranking factors. Google does not use these scores directly in its search algorithms....

Aug 11, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does AdWords really enhance your organic search ranking?

Google does not directly use AdWords signals or other paid advertisements to influence rankings in organic search results. However, these channels can be useful for testing user reactions to your cont...

Aug 11, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is it true that a 301 redirect to the old domain is necessary to regain indexing?

A 301 redirect from a new domain to an old version essentially reinstates the previous state of the site in terms of indexing. It will not solve issues related to content perceived as similar or dupli...

Aug 11, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really create different content during a domain migration to avoid penalties?

In the case of a domain migration, if a site's content is simply duplicated on the new domain, Google will detect the similarity and may transfer some signals, including negative ones, between the two...

Aug 11, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ What really happens to your hreflang if a URL encounters a 404 error?

If a hreflang URL is inaccessible during crawling, it is simply removed from the associated set of pages without breaking the overall hreflang logic for other pages....

Aug 09, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you disavow spammy TLDs, or is Google already handling it?

Top-level domains used for spam are often ignored by Google's algorithms. Generally, it is not necessary to disavow TLDs as a whole, as this might impact legitimate sites....

Aug 09, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How can you effectively report spam and poor results to Google?

Reports of poor results pages can be made through the feedback link at the bottom of the search page. Otherwise, use the spam report form to flag suspicious tactics....

Aug 09, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really align the language of your meta tags with the page content?

Meta tags in a language different from that of the page can create an inconsistent user experience. Use the same language as your page content for meta tags....

Aug 09, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Are low-quality backlinks still hurting your Google ranking?

Backlinks are taken into account in rankings, but many low-quality links are already ignored. For previous unnatural links, using the disavow file is recommended....

Aug 09, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Mobile-First Really Apply Page by Page or Across the Entire Site?

Changes to pages towards adaptive or responsive versions can be made by section or by page. The ranking benefit related to mobile usability is evaluated on a page-by-page basis....

Aug 09, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How can you successfully migrate a website without losing your SEO rankings?

During a website migration, link new URLs through redirects and canonical tags, register them separately in Search Console, and consider migrating to HTTPS at the time of migration instead of deferrin...

Aug 09, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does crawl rate truly impact your organic ranking?

Crawl rate and search traffic are not directly related. A low crawl rate does not necessarily indicate a ranking problem unless important content is not being crawled....

Aug 09, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Rel canonical + 301: Why is Google so insistent about the consistency of internal signals?

The rel canonical tags and 301 redirects can be used together to signal to Google which version of a page you want to see indexed. Both are strong signals, but their consistency with internal links an...

Aug 09, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really fix all crawl errors in Search Console?

Not all crawl errors in Search Console need to be fixed. They are a tool to alert you if you think a URL should work. If the URL was never meant to exist, the error is valid....

Aug 09, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really host your SEO blog on a subdomain instead of the main site?

It is possible to create a blog on a subdomain if technical reasons prevent its direct integration into the main site. This is acceptable and not considered spam if it is clearly associated with the m...

Jul 29, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does footer text really help your SEO or does Google ignore it?

Footer text added to try to optimize SEO is often ignored by Google, especially if it is of low quality or stuffed with keywords....

Jul 29, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why does your indexed page count never match your total URLs?

It is normal for the number of indexed URLs not to always match the total number of pages on a site. A substantial difference may indicate issues with duplication or mismanaged parameterized URLs....

Jul 29, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really use rel=canonical during an A/B test?

During A/B testing, use rel=canonical to indicate the preferred URL version. It may take time for Google to index the correct versions, but generally, this isn’t a problem....

Jul 29, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is it really necessary to apply nofollow to all affiliate links?

For affiliate links, Google recommends using the rel=nofollow attribute to avoid webspam issues....

Jul 29, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available