English Google Webmaster Central office-hours from June 9, 2020

TL;DR

Discussion on indexing, core web vitals, and SEO strategies.

Transcript

JOHN MUELLER: All right, welcome, everyone, to today's Webmaster Central Office Hours Hang Out. My name is John Miller. I am a Webmaster Trends Analyst at Google in Switzerland. And part of what we do are these Office Hour Hangouts, where people can jump in and ask any question around their website and web search. A bunch of things were submitted a... Read More

Key Insights

• Indexing issues are not new; Google has always had to prioritize which pages to index due to resource constraints.
• Search Console now provides more visibility into why certain pages are not indexed, which can cause confusion among webmasters.
• Core Web Vitals are part of Google's efforts to improve user experience, but they are not yet a ranking factor.
• PageSpeed Insights and Search Console provide consistent data, but browser extensions may vary due to local network conditions.
• Internal linking and the visibility of pages within a site structure are crucial for determining page importance.
• User-generated content is considered part of a site’s content, and its quality can affect overall site perception.
• Discover traffic is unpredictable, and there are no specific technical requirements to appear in Discover.
• Structured data does not directly affect rankings, but it can influence the display of rich results.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the current status of Google's indexing practices?

Indexing practices have not fundamentally changed, but Google has become more transparent about which pages are not indexed. This change is reflected in Search Console, where webmasters can see which URLs are not indexed and why, though the reasons are not always human-readable.

Q: How do Core Web Vitals impact search rankings?

Core Web Vitals are not yet a ranking factor, but they are part of Google's broader initiative to improve user experience. Google has announced these metrics early to give webmasters time to adapt, with a promise of a six-month notice before they become a ranking factor.

Q: Why might there be discrepancies between PageSpeed Insights and browser extension data?

Discrepancies arise because browser extensions use local network conditions, which can vary significantly from the controlled environments used by PageSpeed Insights and Search Console. These tools provide lab data, which is more consistent for testing and comparison.

Q: What role does internal linking play in SEO?

Internal linking is crucial for SEO as it helps Google understand the importance of different pages on a site. Pages linked prominently from the homepage or with significant anchor text are considered more important, influencing how Google prioritizes crawling and indexing.

Q: How should user-generated content be managed on a site?

User-generated content should be evaluated for quality, as it is considered part of the site's content. Low-quality user-generated content can negatively impact the site's perception and indexing, so it is important to ensure it aligns with the site's standards.

Q: What are the best practices for appearing in Google Discover?

There are no specific technical requirements for Google Discover, but understanding the audience and creating engaging content is key. AMP and proper meta tags can enhance visibility, but there is no guaranteed method to ensure content appears in Discover.

Q: How does structured data affect search visibility?

Structured data does not directly impact rankings but can influence the appearance of rich results in search. Adding structured data provides more information about the page, which can enhance its display in search results, particularly for Google Images.

Q: What should be done if older pages are being crawled more than new ones?

If older pages are being crawled more frequently, consider using the noindex meta tag or unavailable after meta tag to manage their presence in the index. This can help prioritize newer, high-quality pages for crawling and indexing.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The session addressed common webmaster concerns, including indexing issues, where Google now provides more transparency in Search Console about non-indexed pages. This visibility can confuse webmasters, who may think they need to fix something.

• Core Web Vitals were discussed as part of Google's focus on user experience. While not currently a ranking factor, they highlight the importance of speed and other metrics for future algorithm updates.

• The importance of internal linking and site structure was emphasized for SEO. User-generated content should be carefully evaluated for quality, as it reflects on the site and can impact indexing and ranking.