John Mueller

★★★ Why does Google publicly confirm some Core Updates but not others?

Google performs Core Updates several times per year. Google confirms these major updates because they typically produce visible effects and can significantly impact site rankings....

Jun 23, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ How can you survive a Google Core Update without losing all your traffic?

Google launched an algorithmic update called the May Core Update. These Core Updates affect the core of Google's systems and can lead to notable changes in Search and Discover. Some sites may experien...

Jun 23, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Will Google's new video report in Search Console be a game-changer for video SEO?

Google previewed a new video report in Search Console at Google I/O. Although no timeline has been announced yet, this report will enable website owners using videos to obtain detailed information abo...

Jun 23, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Is Google's Ecommerce Essentials series really changing how you approach technical SEO?

Google has launched a new video series called 'Ecommerce Essentials' that covers critical topics such as image optimization, JavaScript management, and mobile adaptation. Although targeting e-commerce...

Jun 23, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Google Really Use Bing's Index as a Backup Database?

Alright, here's a fun one to wrap up this section and start the week on an amusing note: a user asked John Mueller if Google used Bing's index when it couldn't find satisfactory results in its own ind...

Jun 20, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should You Publish Empty Pages While Waiting to Write Their Final Content?

John Mueller explained on Twitter that it's a poor SEO practice to publish pages empty of content (i.e., with only the graphic charter, menus, etc.), for example to get them indexed while waiting for ...

Jun 20, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Google really deploy updates simultaneously across every country and language?

Although Google strives to make everything as global as possible, the deployment of major algorithmic changes can vary by country and language. There is no simple yes or no answer about the simultanei...

Jun 14, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why doesn't Google roll out algorithm updates everywhere at the same time?

Once an algorithm performs as expected in the initial test country or language, it is typically extended progressively to other countries and languages over time....

Jun 14, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does Google really announce all of its progressive rollouts by geographic region?

When Google deploys an algorithmic update in a specific country or language first, this information is mentioned in official announcements when relevant....

Jun 14, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does Google really deploy algorithm updates in English first, or does it depend on the specific language?

During a progressive rollout, Google selects the language or country most relevant to the algorithm in question. It's not always English—the choice depends on the nature of the update....

Jun 14, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Why does Google test algorithm updates in specific countries or languages before rolling them out worldwide?

Sometimes, Google needs to select a specific country or language to focus on first when deploying an algorithmic update. This allows engineers to refine the algorithms before a wider rollout....

Jun 14, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Google Really Use Identical Algorithms Everywhere in the World?

Google aims to make its algorithms as globally valid as possible. Not having to create variations by country or language makes algorithm testing and maintenance much easier....

Jun 14, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should You Really Fill the ALT Attribute of All Your Images with Your Site Name?

John Mueller indicated on Twitter that it was not a good practice to identically repeat a website's name in the ALT attribute of images that had little semantic meaning (bullets, lines, etc.) or simpl...

Jun 13, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should You Block Human Access to Your XML Sitemaps?

John Mueller explained on Twitter that Google accepts the practice of blocking your XML sitemap files from regular users while keeping them visible only to search engine crawlers....

Jun 13, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should You Invest in a CDN to Improve Your Organic Rankings?

John Mueller indicated during a hangout with webmasters that, generally speaking, using a CDN (Content Delivery Network) does not specifically provide an SEO bonus and does not bring a positive effect...

Jun 13, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does Google really crawl URLs found in your structured data?

Google can discover and crawl URLs found in your structured data, but this is not guaranteed. If you want a URL to be crawled, create a real HTML link with anchor text. If you don't want it to be craw...

Jun 08, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Google really favor certain CMS platforms for SEO rankings?

Google gives absolutely no preferential treatment to WordPress, WooCommerce, Shopify, or any other platform. Google's systems do not respond to the site's backend structure. All platforms can achieve ...

Jun 08, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is it really worth blocking or hiding external links to protect your PageRank?

Using complex patterns (like PRG) to mask external links is completely pointless and excessive. A simple rel=nofollow is all you need if necessary. Blocking all external links makes no sense — you nee...

Jun 08, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should you really abandon PDFs and iframes if you want your text content to rank properly?

Google converts PDFs to HTML pages for indexing. Hiding a PDF's OCR text in HTML is not recommended. If you want to index content as a web page, make it visible directly in HTML rather than embedding ...

Jun 08, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Can you really force Google to display sitelinks in search results?

There are no meta tags or structured data that can force sitelink display. Google recommends good site structure, clear internal links, and explicit titles to help systems identify relevant pages to d...

Jun 08, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available