English Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout

TL;DR

Discussion on webmaster issues, focusing on links and site quality.

Transcript

JOHN MUELLER: OK, welcome, everyone to today's Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout. Today, we're doing a slightly different model in the sense that there was some time for people who signed up ahead of time chat one on one directly with me about questions around their website or about web search, in general, anything, essentially, that th... Read More

Key Insights

• Forum links are considered unnatural if placed solely for promotion, and manual penalties may apply if a site relies heavily on them.
• Google's algorithms assess the overall quality of a site, and having a mix of low and high-quality pages can confuse these algorithms.
• Older pages on a site, if obsolete, may be worth cleaning up to maintain overall site quality.
• Webmaster Tools may show outdated link data, and discrepancies can occur between reported and actual links.
• For paginated content, it's recommended to use one pagination system per page to avoid confusion.
• Duplicate content is seen as a technical issue, not penalized, but should be managed to avoid inefficient crawling.
• Authorship markup can improve content visibility, but Google doesn't guarantee showing author photos.
• Google continuously updates its algorithms, and changes may not always be publicly announced.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does Google view forum links?

Google considers forum links unnatural if they are placed solely for promotional purposes. Such links are viewed as spam, and if a site relies heavily on these, it may face manual penalties. Natural forum links, where users genuinely recommend a site, are not problematic.

Q: Should older, low-traffic pages be removed from a site?

Older pages that are obsolete may be worth cleaning up to maintain the overall quality of a site. However, if these pages serve as an archive and are still relevant, they can be retained. The key is to ensure that low-quality pages do not dilute the overall site quality.

Q: How should pagination be handled on a website?

It is recommended to use one pagination system per page to avoid confusing users and search engines. If a page has multiple types of content that need pagination, consider paginating them together or using a consistent structure to ensure clarity and efficient crawling.

Q: What should be done about duplicate content?

Duplicate content should be managed by consolidating it into one canonical version using redirects or rel=canonical. Blocking duplicates with robots.txt is not advised, as it prevents Google from recognizing them as duplicates. Duplicate content is not penalized but can lead to inefficient crawling.

Q: How does Google handle authorship markup?

Authorship markup can enhance content visibility, but Google does not guarantee showing author photos in search results. The focus should be on creating high-quality content that establishes the author as a credible source. Google evaluates authorship on a per-author basis, not by activity on platforms like Google+.

Q: Why are new links not appearing in Webmaster Tools?

Webmaster Tools may not update link data immediately. If new links were created recently, they might not appear right away. The tool updates data regularly, but not on an hourly or daily basis. It's advisable to use the tool as a general reference rather than for real-time link tracking.

Q: What is the impact of Google's algorithm updates?

Google continuously updates its algorithms, which can lead to shifts in search rankings. Not all updates are publicly announced, and their effects can vary. Webmasters should focus on maintaining high-quality content and not rely solely on understanding specific algorithm changes.

Q: How can vendors' duplicate content be managed on a site?

To manage duplicate content from vendors, consider implementing a review process before content goes live. A reputation system can also be used to ensure only trusted vendors can post immediately. The goal is to maintain high-quality content and prevent duplicate content from degrading site quality.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout addressed various webmaster concerns, focusing on SEO practices like handling forum links, managing duplicate content, and optimizing site quality. The discussion emphasized the importance of maintaining high-quality content to improve search rankings.

• John Mueller explained that forum links should not be used solely for promotion as they are viewed as spam. He also highlighted the significance of cleaning up older, obsolete pages to prevent confusion in Google's quality algorithms.

• The session also covered topics like using pagination effectively, dealing with duplicate content, and understanding the impact of Google's continuous algorithm updates. Participants were encouraged to focus on content quality rather than technicalities like anchor text optimization.