English Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout

TL;DR

John Mueller discusses SEO, indexing, and site management.

Transcript

all right welcome everyone to today's Google webm central office hours Hangouts um my name is John Mueller I am a webmas Trends analyst here at Google in Switzerland and part of what we do is talk with web Masters and Publishers like the ones here in the hangout and the ones that submitted a bunch of questions already um as always I'd like to give ... Read More

Key Insights

• SEO for large news websites involves analyzing content freshness, indexing speed, and technical SEO to ensure high ranking and visibility.
• Rotating headlines for news articles is permissible by Google, but tracking versions in search results can be challenging due to dynamic indexing.
• Hreflang tags should point to canonical URLs to ensure proper indexing and language targeting across different language versions of a site.
• Google Search Console's Fetch and Render tool can help diagnose indexing issues, but not all pages are indexed due to quality and technical reasons.
• Migrating a site to HTTPS or changing architecture can lead to temporary traffic drops; it's crucial to ensure smooth transitions and avoid complex redirect chains.
• Structured data markup is not a ranking factor but helps Google understand page content better, potentially affecting how results are displayed.
• User-generated content in multiple languages on the same domain can lead to complexity in indexing and potential dilution of site authority.
• Crawl errors in Search Console can reflect historical data, and Google is exploring ways to highlight more critical errors for webmasters.

Questions & Answers

Q: How can a news website measure the performance of its daily content?

To measure the performance of daily content on a news website, focus on content freshness, indexing speed, and technical SEO. Analyze how quickly new stories are indexed and rank in search results. Compare performance with competitors and use metrics to optimize content strategies.

Q: Is it acceptable to rotate headlines for news articles in Google's perspective?

Yes, rotating headlines is acceptable from an organic search perspective. However, tracking which version is indexed can be difficult due to dynamic indexing. Google News policies might have additional guidelines, so it's advisable to check with the Google News team.

Q: What are the best practices for using hreflang tags on multilingual sites?

Hreflang tags should point to canonical URLs to ensure proper indexing and language targeting. This helps Google recognize language connections between pages. Avoid linking non-canonical URLs in hreflang tags, as Google might not crawl them frequently, affecting language targeting.

Q: What could cause a page to be out of Google's index despite being crawlable and indexable?

A page might not be indexed due to Google's selective indexing based on quality and technical factors. Use Search Console's Fetch and Render tool to check technical issues. Ensure the site is easily crawlable, content is high-quality, and important pages are well-linked.

Q: How should a site handle HTTPS migration and architecture changes?

During HTTPS migration and architecture changes, maintain clear and simple redirect paths to minimize complexity. Ensure all redirects are properly set up, and try to keep URL structures consistent to facilitate re-indexing. Expect temporary traffic fluctuations during the transition.

Q: Does structured data markup impact a website's ranking?

Structured data markup does not directly affect rankings but helps Google understand page content better for rich snippets. Proper markup can enhance how results are displayed, potentially improving click-through rates, but it won't change the ranking position.

Q: How does Google handle user-generated content in multiple languages on the same domain?

Google can index pages with mixed languages, focusing on the primary language. Use hreflang tags to indicate language versions. However, having too many language versions might dilute site authority, making it harder for Google to determine the most relevant version.

Q: Are there plans to improve how Search Console reports crawl errors?

Google is exploring ways to highlight more critical crawl errors in Search Console. Currently, errors are prioritized based on factors like sitemap presence and traffic. Historical errors may still appear, but Google aims to improve the relevance of reported issues.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• John Mueller answers questions about SEO strategies for large news websites, emphasizing the importance of technical SEO, content freshness, and indexing speed. He advises on using log file analysis and metrics to optimize content performance and discusses the challenges of ranking news articles quickly.

• The hangout covers the use of hreflang tags for multilingual sites, stressing the need to link to canonical URLs for proper indexing. John also addresses issues related to site migrations, explaining that changes in URL structure and architecture can affect traffic and indexing.

• Structured data's role in ranking and the challenges of using dynamic content frameworks like AngularJS are discussed. John highlights the importance of ensuring Google can render content correctly and advises on using tools that support rendering for SEO audits.