Martin Splitt

★★ Why does Google insist so much on real <a href> tags?

Websites should use the HTML anchor tag with an href attribute pointing to an accessible URL, rather than buttons or spans with JavaScript event handlers to simulate links....

Feb 03, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really abandon CSS images in favor of HTML img tags for better SEO?

You must use HTML image tags rather than CSS background images. The alt attribute should be added for images that deliver meaningful content, not for decorative images. This improves accessibility and...

Feb 03, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Google really treat noindex as an absolute rule, or does it bend the rules for exceptional content?

Google strictly respects the noindex directive: if a page contains this tag, it will not be indexed, even if the content seems useful. This is a clear rule and not a recommendation....

Feb 03, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does Google really require HTTPS to index your website?

Using HTTPS is a clear best practice and is recommended, but Google still indexes HTTP sites. It's a best practice, not a blocking requirement for indexation....

Feb 03, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does Google really trigger scroll or click events to crawl your hidden content?

Don't rely on scroll or click events to expand page content (such as scroll-based lazy loading), because Google may not trigger these events and could miss the content entirely....

Feb 03, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Is image alt text really still essential when Google has computer vision to understand images?

Google uses computer vision to analyze images, but the alt attribute remains important because it reinforces Google's confidence in interpreting visual content when both sources align....

Feb 03, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is E-A-T really not a Google ranking factor?

Martin Splitt indirectly confirms that E-A-T is not a ranking factor by mentioning that statements claiming "E-A-T is a ranking factor" are examples of persistent SEO myths that should no longer circu...

Jan 26, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Does having multiple URLs for the same content really trigger a Google penalty?

Martin Splitt indicates that the idea that having multiple URLs pointing to the same content would result in a Google penalty is a myth. He mentions this as an example of unrealistic beliefs that SEO ...

Jan 26, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Why does Google refuse to reveal the complete formula behind its ranking algorithm?

Jenn Mathews and Martin Splitt confirm that Google does not disclose the complete formula of its ranking algorithm. SEOs must work with hypotheses based on experience and adopt a test and learn approa...

Jan 26, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you embrace experimentation to unlock your SEO potential?

Martin Splitt strongly endorses the "test and learn" approach in SEO. He compares this method to software development where engineers build prototypes and experiment when they don't know the exact sol...

Jan 26, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Should SEOs be comfortable admitting when they don't have all the answers?

Martin Splitt encourages SEOs to admit when they don't know an answer, the way developers do. This honest approach followed by a proposal to test is more productive and strengthens credibility with te...

Jan 26, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does eliminating redirect chains really protect your crawl budget from wasting resources?

Jenn Mathews and Martin Splitt confirm that redirect chains are problematic. The example given shows that having 850,000 pages with multiple redirects is not optimal and requires technical corrections...

Jan 26, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Is the impact/effort matrix really the key to prioritizing your SEO tasks effectively?

Martin Splitt recommends that SEOs use an impact/effort matrix to prioritize technical requests. High-impact, low-effort tasks should be prioritized to facilitate collaboration with developers....

Jan 26, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should SEOs dictate technical solutions to developers, or simply expose the SEO problems they've identified?

Martin Splitt advises SEOs to present identified problems to developers rather than imposing technical solutions. This collaborative approach makes it possible to find the best solution adapted to the...

Jan 26, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does choosing between 301 and 302 redirects really impact your Google rankings?

In the example provided, Martin Splitt and Jenn Mathews confirm that the type of redirect (temporary 302 vs permanent 301) is important and must be chosen correctly based on the redirect's intention....

Jan 26, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Is developing content that remains invisible to search engines really worth your time and effort?

Martin Splitt explains that SEO serves to give visibility to developers' work. If no one discovers the software through search engines, the development effort loses a large portion of its potential im...

Jan 26, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★ Does Google really push algorithm updates every single minute?

Jenn Mathews mentions and Martin Splitt confirms that Google deploys algorithm updates very frequently, sometimes every minute, reflecting a modern agile development approach....

Jan 26, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Should you really integrate SEO from the development phase to avoid costly fixes later?

Martin Splitt approves the idea of "mitigation" where technical teams integrate best SEO practices (correct redirects, optimal structure) from the development phase, before launch, thus reducing the n...

Jan 26, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Can SEO pages without real user value still rank in Google?

Jenn Mathews explains and Martin Splitt confirms that pages created for SEO must genuinely serve users, otherwise they won't rank. Google detects pages created purely to manipulate rankings without us...

Jan 26, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available

★★★ Is dynamic rendering really risk-free for Google?

Serving a static version of content to bots and a dynamic JavaScript version to users is not considered manipulative cloaking if the content is identical. This practice will not be penalized....

Jan 20, 2022 ⚡ Analysis available