John Mueller

★★★ Does Google Analytics really affect your page rankings?

Google Analytics is not used in Google's search algorithm. Since not all sites use Analytics, it is impossible to accurately balance signals between sites....

Jan 29, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is it really necessary to adopt AMP to enhance your mobile SEO?

AMP is a priority for Google, especially for content articles such as news. However, it is currently not advised to completely replace a site with AMP pages. The impact of AMP on mobile SEO is still n...

Jan 29, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does infinite scrolling really kill your content's indexation?

For pages with infinite scrolling, it is important to have direct links to the content through unique URLs. Googlebot does not trigger scrolling events, so items depending on these risks not being ind...

Jan 29, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Can app indexing thrive without a web equivalent?

Currently, app indexing is primarily connected to original content found on the web, although the project of independent indexing is being explored at Google....

Jan 26, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Can your hosting IP address hurt your SEO performance?

The fact that multiple sites share the same C block of IP addresses is not a problem for Google SEO. There is no need to artificially diversify IP addresses....

Jan 26, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you limit the number of outbound links to optimize internal linking?

Google takes into account the links in the main content of pages for internal linking. Make sure that your internal linking structure is coherent so that all your content is discovered and well-indexe...

Jan 26, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Short URLs or Long URLs: Does Google really have a preference for what's shown in the SERPs?

Google prefers short URLs when there are duplicates with the same semantic relevance. This is not a ranking factor but can influence the selection of which URL is displayed in search results....

Jan 26, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Are HTML titles really valuable for Google ranking?

Titles are a ranking factor, but optimizing them alone will not have a significant impact on ranking. It's best not to focus too much only on this optimization....

Jan 26, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you really fix every structured data error?

Structured data errors are an issue only if you are targeting specific search features like rich snippets or AMP pages. Otherwise, they do not necessarily require immediate correction....

Jan 26, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Are PPC parameters in your backlinks really neutral for your SEO?

If your site receives links with PPC parameters, Google will attempt to crawl them. If a canonical URL is found, these links will be treated as pointing to the canonical URL....

Jan 26, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really reduce the number of crawlable URLs even if they are marked noindex?

If your site generates a large number of new URLs, you should consider optimizing crawlability by reducing those unique URLs, even if they are primarily noindexed. This can help avoid unnecessary load...

Jan 26, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why do the indexing figures from Google Search Console contradict the site: command?

The figures for indexed pages in Google Search Console are straightforward and reflect our index. However, site: queries on Google are optimized for speed and not for accuracy. To get an accurate over...

Jan 26, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why does a domain redirect bring your traffic crashing down for months?

When you redirect one domain to another, for instance, changing a .ca to a subfolder of a .com, this is considered a site merger. Rankings may fluctuate for some time as Google understands the new sit...

Jan 26, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Subdomains or subdirectories: Which URL structure should you choose for effective geographical targeting?

For geographical targeting, Google recommends a clear organization of URLs. You can use subdomains, top-level domains, or subdirectories on a gTLD. The important thing is that the URLs are clearly gro...

Jan 26, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ What screen width does Google actually use to determine mobile-friendliness?

To recognize content as mobile-friendly, Google employs a browser akin to a latest-generation iPhone, meaning the target width should be roughly that of an iPhone 5....

Jan 26, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Is the page title really just a secondary ranking factor?

The page title is taken into account for ranking but is not critical. Google may rewrite titles for different devices or if a title appears over-optimized....

Jan 15, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can you really turn off local personalization in Google results?

Search result personalization is always active to provide more relevant results, even for offline users....

Jan 15, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is hreflang tagging truly essential for geographical targeting?

Using hreflang tagging allows Google to know which page to show based on the targeted country, which may not be the case without this tagging....

Jan 15, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really optimize for exact anchors in internal linking?

It is generally unnecessary to use exact match anchor text in internal links; Google well understands the structure of standard navigation....

Jan 15, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why does a website redesign cause your Google rankings to drop even without any technical errors?

Website redesigns can affect rankings because our systems need to relearn the architecture and internal relationships of pages....

Jan 15, 2016 ⚡ Analysis available