John Mueller

★★★ Should you really worry about the www vs non-www redirect for SEO?

Conflicting signals regarding the preference for www or non-www can lead Google to choose one version to index, but this does not affect overall rankings....

May 06, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does Search Console really hide data that Google Search relies on?

The data in Search Console comes from the same sources as those used by Google Search, but some minor details may be omitted to simplify the presentation of the data....

May 06, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ How is Google planning to consolidate your Search Console properties and why does it matter?

We are working on grouping properties to facilitate tracking of the same sites under different URLs, but there is nothing to announce at this time....

May 06, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Could massive redirects to the homepage during a site merger be an SEO trap?

It is advisable to redirect old articles to the merged domain to maintain contextual continuity, but be cautious of massive redirects to the homepage that may be treated as soft 404s....

May 06, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does reorganizing the words in a title tag really change the ranking?

Rearranging a title tag by changing the order of words will not affect the ranking unless the new version looks like keyword stuffing....

May 06, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ How does Google handle the indexing of URLs from PWAs added to the home screen?

Incorrect or misinterpreted canonical tagging by Google can lead to unwanted indexing. Specify examples to help Google teams better understand and correct the issues....

May 06, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is Republishing Content for Backlinks a Smart SEO Strategy or a Tactic to Avoid?

Publishing your content on other sites for backlinks can be seen as an artificial link. Backlinks should not pass PageRank....

May 06, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Do Ripoff Report links really hurt your SEO?

Being mentioned on Ripoff Report generally does not negatively affect your ranking unless it impacts public perception of your site....

May 06, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Google really rewrite your title tags based on queries?

Google can rewrite title tags and descriptions based on user queries, especially if they seem cluttered with keywords or repetitive....

May 06, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you still worry about author markup for SEO?

Google no longer uses the rel author tag in its search results. Expertise develops through user recognition and not by specific markup....

May 06, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really apply nofollow to all links from local sponsorships?

When you sponsor a local team and a link to your site appears, it is recommended to use nofollow, even if this is not always a cause for concern for isolated links....

May 06, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really apply nofollow to all affiliate links?

Affiliate links resulting from monetary transactions must be marked as nofollow. If JavaScript is used to add affiliates, you can also add nofollow to them....

May 06, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really clean your link profile, or is there a risk of losing rankings?

Removing or disavowing links takes away their influence on your site. If these links added value, their removal could affect your rankings, but eliminating problematic links remains essential to avoid...

May 06, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is it true that rendering JavaScript is still lagging behind static HTML for Google?

Google can extract more content from JavaScript-powered sites than before, yet it is not yet on par with static HTML. Ensure that Search Console can properly render your pages to guarantee their index...

May 06, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How can you optimize internal linking to maximize PageRank distribution?

Linking new pages from the homepage or high-level category pages is beneficial for facilitating PageRank distribution and improving discovery by users and search engines....

May 03, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Google really maintain fixed proportions between on-page and off-page signals?

Google combines a multitude of ranking signals without fixed proportions between on-page and off-page factors to provide relevant results that vary based on numerous criteria....

May 03, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Are H1 tags really unnecessary for Google ranking?

While H1 tags are not a guarantee of better ranking, it is important to have a clear semantic structure that accurately describes the content of the page....

May 03, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can you change a website theme without losing SEO rankings?

It is natural for a website to change its theme or to expand its topics over time. Google views these changes as normal developments of websites....

May 03, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does the homepage really serve a specific SEO role or is it just a myth?

The homepage of a site is viewed as the central point. It should inform about what the site offers and be useful for directing attention towards new pages....

May 03, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really submit every URL version in the Search Console?

It is not necessary to submit the same URL under all its versions (desktop, mobile) in the Search Console. A single submission is enough for Google to infer mobile versions from the indexing....

May 03, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available