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 3 questions

Less than 30 seconds. Find out how much you really know about Google search.

🕒 ~30s 🎯 3 questions 📚 SEO Google
★★ Should You Really Worry About Rendering Costs for Google Indexing?
On LinkedIn, Martin Splitt explained to an SEO professional that there's no need to worry too much about aspects related to rendering costs, CPU usage, or server resources when it comes to rendering a...
Nov 26, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Does duplicate content really hurt your Google rankings?
Martin Splitt explains that duplicate content does not negatively affect a site's quality, but it can pose operational problems, particularly slowing down crawling and making performance tracking more...
Nov 19, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Does duplicate content really penalize your site on Google?
Duplicate content does not affect the perceived quality of a site by Google. It is not a negative factor for rankings, but it can cause practical challenges such as difficulty tracking performance and...
Nov 12, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Is duplicate content really slowing down your site's crawl rate?
When duplicate content exists at large scale on a site, it can cause a slowdown in page crawling. This is not something that should keep you awake at night, but it is worth considering for optimizatio...
Nov 12, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should you really worry about duplicate content alerts in Google Search Console?
The statuses 'duplicate without user-selected canonical', 'alternate page with proper canonical tag' or 'duplicate Google chose different canonical than user' in Search Console are not really problems...
Nov 12, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Does Google really ignore your canonical tags? Here's why it happens more often than you think
The canonical tag is treated as a hint by Google Search and not as an absolute directive. Google can choose a different URL than the one specified because this tag is often used incorrectly by site ow...
Nov 12, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should you prioritize the HTML tag or HTTP header to declare a canonical URL?
To tell Google which URL to index among multiple versions of the same content, you can specify the canonical URL either in an HTML tag or in an HTTP header. This helps Google make its decision....
Nov 12, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Is Google ignoring your canonical tag? Here's why your internal links might be to blame
When Google selects a canonical URL different from the one you've declared, it's often because internal links point to a different URL than the one defined as canonical. You need to correct these inte...
Nov 12, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should you really redirect all non-canonical URLs with 301s for SEO?
For external links pointing to non-canonical URLs, configuring a 301 redirect to the canonical URL is recommended. This type of redirect avoids performance impacts because browsers memorize the redire...
Nov 12, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Why does merging similar pages boost your SEO even without duplicate content issues?
Rather than maintaining multiple very similar pages, even if Google doesn't flag them as duplicates, it's advisable to combine them. This makes it easier for users to find information, simplifies repo...
Nov 12, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Should you really merge your pages to boost your SEO performance?
It is advisable to regularly revisit your site's pages to identify opportunities for simplifying and combining similar content. This strategic approach helps maintain an optimized site over time....
Nov 12, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Local domains, subdomains, or subdirectories: which structure should you choose for an international website?
For international websites, Google recommends using either local country-code top-level domains (such as .de or .it), subdomains, or subdirectories. Each approach has its own advantages and disadvanta...
Oct 15, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Are you losing international traffic? Here's how to properly implement hreflang
Hreflang helps Google and other search engines link different versions of a page for different countries and display the correct version to users. It can be implemented via HTML tags, HTTP headers, or...
Oct 15, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Can poorly formatted hreflang codes really damage your international indexation?
Hreflang attributes must be valid. You need to use language-country code variations that comply with standards so Google can correctly identify language versions....
Oct 15, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Does Google really require all your hreflang versions to link to each other bidirectionally?
Each language version of a page must include hreflang links to all other versions. Bidirectional linking between all variations is essential for hreflang to work correctly....
Oct 15, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should you really include a self-referential hreflang link on every page?
Each page should include a hreflang link to itself (self-referential) in addition to links to other language versions. For example, a German page should reference itself along with its English and Jap...
Oct 15, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should you really create visible links between language versions for SEO?
You need to create visible links to different language versions to allow users to choose and help Googlebot discover these versions. Links benefit both users and crawling....
Oct 15, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★★ Should you block automatic language-based redirects on your multilingual website?
Google recommends not automatically redirecting or forcing users toward a specific language version. Users must be given the choice of their preferred version....
Oct 15, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Does limiting the number of language versions on your website really help you rank better?
Don't overdo internationalization. It's better to choose the locales and countries that truly matter and that you're prepared to support properly, rather than creating poorly translated pages....
Oct 15, 2024 ⚡ Analysis available
★★ Should you really create different content for each local market or is translation enough?
Instead of poor translations, you must ensure you have genuinely useful content for different audiences in targeted countries, with excellent user experience for each language variation....
Oct 15, 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.