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.
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🕒 ~1 min 🎯 5 questions
★★★ Can Googlebot actually index a website that relies on service workers to display its content?
Googlebot cannot register service workers. If a site waits for service worker registration before loading main content via client-side JavaScript, the content will not be indexed and pages will remain...
Nov 01, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Does Googlebot really ignore the service workers on your site?
A service worker can change a site's behavior for a returning visitor versus a new visitor. Google assumes that people coming from search results are new visitors and therefore do not benefit from ser...
Nov 01, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Should you really block JavaScript execution for SPAs with server-side rendering?
For single-page applications with server-side rendering, there is no advantage to preventing Googlebot from executing JavaScript bundles. Doing so would only increase complexity without any real benef...
Oct 21, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Does Google's web cache actually affect your search rankings?
Google's web cache is solely a convenience feature for accessing unavailable pages. The absence of content from the cache is not problematic and has no impact whatsoever on your search engine rankings...
Oct 21, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Do ccTLDs really impose automatic geographic targeting that's impossible to override?
Geographic top-level domains such as .de, .at, .ch automatically set geographic targeting in Google Search Console. It is not possible to make the mistake of misconfiguring geographic targeting on a c...
Oct 18, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should you use HTML or XML sitemap for hreflang? Which method truly matters for international SEO?
Hreflang annotations can be implemented in two ways: directly in the page's HTML code or via an XML sitemap. Both methods are valid and recognized by Google for international SEO....
Oct 18, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Can you really use noscript tags in the <head> without SEO penalties?
Contrary to popular belief, noscript tags are allowed in the head section of an HTML page according to web standards. Google also accepts them, but their content can have unexpected effects on how the...
Oct 18, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Does Google really see your website the same way browsers do?
There is a crucial difference between the HTML source sent by your server and the DOM rendered after processing by the browser. This distinction is important to understand how Google handles pages, es...
Oct 18, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Can iframes in your <head> really break your technical SEO?
An iframe placed within a noscript tag located in the head section can prematurely close the head tag during rendering. This displaces the following elements (including hreflang) into the body, making...
Oct 18, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Why is cross-referencing multiple data sources critical for accurate SEO diagnostics?
It is dangerous to rely on a single data source to diagnose an SEO problem. You must always cross-reference information from Google Search Console with other external tools to avoid false leads and co...
Oct 18, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Does Google Search Console really show impression fluctuations in real time?
Google Search Console allows you to visualize relatively quickly the changes in impressions (impression share) following technical modifications on your site, making it a valuable tool for validating ...
Oct 18, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Can you test the Googlebot user-agent directly in Chrome without third-party extensions?
Chrome's native developer tools now allow you to modify the user-agent directly without external plugins. This feature is useful for testing how Google and other bots see your site....
Oct 18, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Why is Google replacing your title tags with H1 headings?
Having the same title for all pages is problematic because it creates a poor appearance in search results. Google can replace problematic titles with H1 tags....
Oct 05, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Does Google really index titles modified by client-side JavaScript, or does it stick with the default?
When the initial HTML sent by the server contains a default title and JavaScript modifies it after the page loads, Google may index the default title instead of the correct one....
Oct 05, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should you abandon client-side JavaScript rendering to succeed in SEO?
Server-side rendering (SSR) is considered the best practice for SEO because Google may not always correctly retrieve content generated by client-side JavaScript....
Oct 05, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should you abandon dynamic rendering for SEO?
Google considers dynamic rendering obsolete and as a temporary solution only for those who cannot implement server-side rendering. This approach adds complexity and infrastructure costs....
Oct 05, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Does the URL inspection tool really reveal what Google actually sees during JavaScript rendering?
The URL inspection tool in Google Search Console lets you visualize exactly the source code that Google saw during the crawl and rendering of the page, which helps diagnose JavaScript-related issues....
Oct 05, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Does JavaScript-rendered content really impact your Google indexation, and should you worry about it?
Everything that happens after the server sends its initial HTML response is part of JavaScript territory. If the title or content changes after this moment, it can create problems for Google's indexat...
Oct 05, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Is server-side rendering really faster than client-side rendering for SEO?
Server-side rendering has the advantage of generally being faster for the user, provided it is implemented correctly....
Oct 05, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Does Google really master JavaScript, or are there still pitfalls to avoid?
Google has significantly increased its client-side rendering capabilities over the past few years, but problems can still occur depending on specific configuration and infrastructure....
Oct 05, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available
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