What does Google say about SEO? /
Martin Splitt is a Developer Advocate at Google, specializing in JavaScript rendering and modern web application indexing. He created the 'SEO Mythbusting' video series and regularly explains how Googlebot handles JavaScript frameworks. His statements are essential for developers looking to optimize the SEO of their applications.
Quick SEO Quiz

Test your SEO knowledge in 5 questions

Less than a minute. Find out how much you really know about Google search.

🕒 ~1 min 🎯 5 questions
★★★ Does Google really penalize you for publishing video transcriptions as text on your website?
Creating a YouTube video and then placing the exact text on a web page will not result in a duplicate content flag. One is a video, the other is text, which constitutes unique content. It's even recom...
Aug 21, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Are regional subdomains enough to target a specific geographic market?
Having different subdomains for different markets with the same content does not guarantee that these pages will rank specifically for the market mentioned in the subdomain. If the content is identica...
Aug 21, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Does your image CDN speed really penalize your ranking in Google Images?
The response speed of a CDN when downloading an image does not determine whether the image will appear in search results. However, users appreciate images loading quickly, and CDNs offer other advanta...
Aug 21, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Are nofollow links and noindex tags actually hurting your SEO?
Having many internal links with the nofollow attribute or many pages with the noindex tag does not signal to Google that the site contains low-quality pages. It simply indicates that you do not want t...
Aug 21, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Should you really worry about pages Google refuses to index?
Most sites will have pages that won't be indexed, and this is generally acceptable. It's not a problem in itself as long as the pages that matter to you are properly indexed....
Aug 20, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Does internal linking alone really guarantee your undiscovered pages will get indexed?
If you want pages with the status 'Discovered - currently not indexed' to be indexed, you should rework the content to improve its quality and ensure your internal linking connects this content to oth...
Aug 20, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Is Google really ignoring entire sections of your site because of a low-quality pattern?
If Google Search detects a pattern of URLs with low-quality content on your site, it can decide to skip these URLs entirely, leaving them in 'Discovered' status. Googlebot knows these pages exist but ...
Aug 20, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Is Google refusing to index your 'Discovered' pages? Here's why.
The most common reason why pages remain in 'Discovered - currently not indexed' status is content quality. When Google detects a pattern of low-quality or poor content on pages, those pages can be rem...
Aug 20, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Do server problems really only impact massive websites, or can smaller sites suffer too?
Server performance issues that impact crawling generally concern websites with very large quantities of pages (millions or more), but they can also affect smaller sites. It is advisable to consult you...
Aug 20, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ How can you spot the server problems that are slowing down Google's crawl of your site?
It is recommended to check the Crawl Stats report in Google Search Console, particularly the Reply section, to verify whether your server is responding slowly or with HTTP 500 errors when Googlebot at...
Aug 20, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Does Googlebot really slow down when your server struggles, and what does that mean for your indexation?
Googlebot adapts its crawl speed to avoid overwhelming servers. If a server becomes slow or responds with errors during crawling, Googlebot will reduce its pace and crawl fewer pages simultaneously, s...
Aug 20, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Should you really wait for Google to index your pages, or is there a smarter way?
Sometimes, the 'Discovered - currently not indexed' status is simply a matter of patience. Googlebot will eventually crawl the URL when it has the resources, and the page will then move to 'Crawled - ...
Aug 20, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Why are your pages stuck in 'Discovered - currently not indexed' status?
When Googlebot discovers a URL through a sitemap or link, it adds it to a to-do list of URLs to visit and potentially index later. The 'Discovered - currently not indexed' status simply means Googlebo...
Aug 20, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Does Google really fail to index most of your website pages—and is that actually a problem?
Google will almost never index the entire content of a website. This is not an error and it's not necessarily a problem that requires special attention. It's a normal behavior of Google's indexing sys...
Aug 20, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Should You Ditch JavaScript for SEO Because of Google's Rendering Costs?
On LinkedIn, Martin Splitt explained that crawling and rendering, particularly JavaScript pages, represented a potentially significant cost for Google, while specifying that there was no need to worry...
Aug 13, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Is hreflang really enough to handle nearly identical pages that only differ by currency or VAT?
Very similar pages differing only by VAT, currency, or price can be properly managed with hreflang without duplication issues. Google recognizes these variations as legitimate regional versions of the...
Jul 25, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Why does Google keep emphasizing internal links as the backbone of site crawlability and content discovery?
Links are important for users and bots to find related content on a page. They help identify next steps and enable navigation between different sections of a website....
Jul 23, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ How do you strike the right balance with internal linking without overdoing it?
Links help users and bots understand your content structure, so they must be used thoughtfully: neither too sparingly nor excessively. The goal is finding the right equilibrium....
Jul 23, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Is your internal linking strategy hurting your SEO more than it helps?
Don't create links to everything and everywhere on a page. Doing too much doesn't improve things. You need to apply critical judgment and ask yourself what the next logical steps are and how the conte...
Jul 23, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Is meaningful anchor text still a decisive SEO lever in 2024?
Users and bots prefer meaningful anchor text. Each link should have meaningful words as anchor text, making it easy to spot where the link will lead. This improves user experience and helps with SEO....
Jul 23, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
🔔

Get real-time analysis of the latest Google SEO declarations

Be the first to know every time a new official Google statement drops — with full expert analysis.

No spam. Unsubscribe in one click.