What does Google say about SEO? /
John Mueller is one of Google's most active spokespeople on search engine optimization topics. As a Search Advocate, he regularly answers the SEO community's questions during Google Search Central sessions and on social media. His statements are a prime source of information for understanding how Google Search works and the best practices to follow.
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★★ Do JavaScript vulnerabilities flagged by Lighthouse really affect your SEO?
Security vulnerabilities detected in JavaScript libraries by Lighthouse do not directly impact SEO. However, if they lead to an actual site compromise, then the compromised state will affect search ra...
Oct 23, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ How Does a Link from the Homepage Speed Up Reindexing?
When a product is back in stock, adding a link from the homepage accelerates detection by Google. Pages linked from the homepage are deemed more important and crawled faster. This complements the use ...
Oct 23, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should You Keep URLs Indexable for Temporarily Out of Stock Products?
For products that are temporarily out of stock, it is best to keep the URL indexable and indicate unavailability through structured data. Google regularly refreshes the page to detect when it is back ...
Oct 23, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Does deferred JavaScript really have no impact on SEO?
Deferring the loading of non-critical JavaScript until the first user interaction does not affect SEO, provided that the main content remains visible for indexing. Googlebot does not interact with the...
Oct 23, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Should you rely on a single trust score for SEO?
Google does not have a single trust score or metric to evaluate a site. Trust is not measured with a fixed number and does not solely depend on inbound links. Improving content quality helps, but ther...
Oct 23, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ How long does it really take for Core Web Vitals to impact your rankings?
The Core Web Vitals data used for ranking has about a 28-day delay. Therefore, any significant speed improvement takes about a month to affect search results. Visible changes earlier are not related t...
Oct 23, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Why are Technical SEO and Quality Content Inextricably Linked?
Technical SEO and content quality are equally important. Both need to be good together. Quality isn't just about the text, but the entire site: layout, design, images, speed. One cannot compensate for...
Oct 23, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ How do internal links truly influence your SEO strategy?
Internal links distribute SEO value throughout the site and signal to Google the relative importance of pages. Linking a page from the homepage indicates that it is important or new, which speeds up c...
Oct 23, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Does scraping really distort impressions in Search Console?
Bots and scrapers querying Google results can generate artificial impressions that are visible in Search Console. Google filters these bots at various levels, but some may slip through and distort imp...
Oct 23, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ How does Google leverage URL parameters to determine the canonical version?
The URL parameters tool in Search Console helps Google choose the correct canonical URL and avoid indexing parameter variations. It slows down the crawling of the affected URLs without completely bloc...
Oct 23, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ How does Google actually identify soft 404s?
Soft 404s are identified based on the content detected on pages: mentions of errors, noindex tags, or empty pages. The reports are used to improve the algorithm in future updates, not for immediate ma...
Oct 23, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Why doesn’t the crawl rate bounce back instantly after a technical fix?
When a technical issue (5XX errors, response times) is fixed, the crawl rate gradually recovers over a few days. Adjustments are made daily, so improvements can be seen step by step in the Search Cons...
Oct 23, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Are 5XX errors really more damaging than 404 errors for SEO?
5XX server errors reduce the crawl rate because they indicate a potential problem. In contrast, 404 errors do not hinder crawling: they simply signal that the content does not exist, which is a normal...
Oct 23, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ How does Google determine your daily crawl rate and what does it mean for your SEO?
The crawl rate is re-evaluated daily by Google. It depends on two factors: crawl demand (which remains stable over time) and server capacity (assessed each day). 5XX errors, server speed, and access i...
Oct 23, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Do App Store reviews really impact your web SEO?
Reviews published on Google Play Store or the App Store are not taken into account for the SEO of websites. Google does not have a concept of an overall quality score for sites. These reviews can only...
Oct 23, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Why doesn't the visual quality of images impact traditional SEO?
Google does not assess the visual quality of images (beautiful image vs. gray square) for ranking in traditional web search. Images are analyzed solely for Google Images. In web search, their visual c...
Oct 23, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Does using data-src really enhance your lazy loading images?
Google recognizes lazy loading images even when they use data-src instead of src, as long as the final render properly displays the image element. To ensure indexing, it's recommended to use structure...
Oct 23, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Are Core Web Vitals really a universal ranking factor for every site?
Google does not adjust the weight of the Core Web Vitals factor based on the type of website. Whether it’s an online gaming site or a text-based site, the weight remains the same. What can vary is the...
Oct 23, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★ Should you be using relative URLs to boost your SEO?
A relative URL is defined in relation to the current location on the site. It functions correctly as long as it is implemented appropriately....
Oct 12, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★ How does using absolute URLs impact your SEO?
An absolute URL includes all the elements needed to access a page: protocol, domain, and full path. It's the equivalent of a complete address....
Oct 12, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
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