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 domain extensions really influence SEO?
Google does not differentiate between various generic domain extensions (.com, .net, .club, etc.) for SEO purposes. The only distinction taken into account for geographic targeting is between country-...
Jun 25, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ How Do Core Updates Really Impact Your SEO?
Core Updates are essential updates to the core systems of Google search. Websites may experience changes in how they appear in search results following these updates....
Jun 23, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Is Machine Learning Really the End of SEO?
The announcement of MUM and other machine learning technologies does not mark the end of SEO. These modern tools facilitate the work of SEOs, and specific activities will evolve rather than disappear....
Jun 23, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ How could reevaluating your use of synonyms in SEO transform your current strategy?
With modern machine learning technologies, there will be less or a reduced need to include every possible synonym or words with identical or similar meanings in the content....
Jun 23, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ How do 28 days of CrUX data impact your Core Web Vitals in Search Console?
The data shown in Search Console regarding Core Web Vitals is based on the Chrome User Experience Report and is aggregated over a 28-day period....
Jun 23, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ How will the rollout of Page Experience influence your SEO strategy?
The rollout of the Page Experience ranking change began recently and will be fully deployed for all URLs by the end of August 2021. This phased update means that a site typically won't see its visibil...
Jun 23, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ How can RSS feeds enhance your SEO strategy?
Google utilizes RSS feeds in a manner similar to sitemaps to optimize crawling and ensure that no updates on a website go unnoticed. This usage remains unchanged....
Jun 23, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Why should you link RSS feeds from the head of your pages for better SEO?
RSS feeds should be linked from the head section of the pages. The feed title may be visible to users in certain contexts, so it's advisable to check that it accurately represents the content of the f...
Jun 23, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Can Core Web Vitals Be Improved During the Page Experience Rollout?
The gradual deployment of Page Experience enables work on improving Core Web Vitals metrics to continue even after the deployment starts, especially if the site does not achieve the desired results on...
Jun 23, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ How does the Cumulative Layout Shift change the game?
The announced changes regarding Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) are now active in all testing tools and in Search Console....
Jun 23, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Does WebSub really speed up your SEO updates?
To accelerate the dissemination of updates via RSS, Google recommends using WebSub, which is also supported for Google Search....
Jun 23, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ How Does Overall Website Quality Actually Impact Individual Page Rankings?
John Mueller explained during a webmaster hangout that when Google's algorithms analyze a page, its context (meaning the site it belongs to and the quality of that site) also comes into play: "there a...
Jun 21, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should You Always Place Unique Content Above the Fold for SEO?
John Mueller also explained during a hangout that it was important in terms of SEO for unique, descriptive and original content to be displayed in the "above the fold" content (above the fold line, th...
Jun 21, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Should breadcrumbs really reflect the URL structure?
Structured breadcrumbs do not need to match URL structure. You can have a flat URL structure with hierarchically organized breadcrumbs. If you use structured markup, Google will utilize it instead of ...
Jun 19, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Why does Google insist that reviews be published directly on your site?
Reviews displayed in structured data must be based on feedback that is actually posted on your site. Using selected reviews from third-party sites is against the guidelines and can result in manual ac...
Jun 19, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Why Should Structured Data Focus on the Main Element of a Page?
Structured data should apply to the main element of each page and should not be copied and pasted throughout the site. Using the same structured data on all pages would be incorrect....
Jun 19, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Does noindex really help improve your site's perceived quality?
Using noindex on low-quality pages prevents Google from considering them in the overall site quality assessment. It's a good practice for affiliate sites with variable content not to index pages below...
Jun 19, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ What happens when Core Web Vitals can't be used for certain sites?
If Google does not have enough real user data for a site, Core Web Vitals cannot be used as a ranking factor. However, many sites lack data and this does not prevent their normal ranking....
Jun 19, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Is it true that the disavow file poses no risks for your SEO?
The disavow file is purely technical. It simply instructs Google to disregard certain links. It is not a signal that you are a spammer. You can modify the file as many times as necessary without negat...
Jun 19, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Does the content of 404 pages have any SEO impact at all?
On a page returning a 404 or 410 status code, Google ignores all the content of the page, including robots meta tags and rel canonical links. What you put on a 404 page is completely irrelevant to Goo...
Jun 19, 2021 ⚡ Analysis available
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