English Google Webmaster Central office-hours from September 8, 2020

TL;DR

Google's John Mueller discusses core updates, site ranking, and SEO strategies.

Transcript

JOHN MUELLER: All right. Welcome everyone, again, to today's Webmaster Central Office Hours Hangouts. My name is John Mueller. I am a search advocate at Google. And part of what we do is connect webmasters, site owners, SEOs, with the search teams at Google. We had a bit of technical issues here. Sorry about that. Hopefully this one will be a littl... Read More

Key Insights

• Core updates are significant changes in Google's algorithm affecting website rankings, but improvements can occur between updates.
• Websites impacted by core updates can improve rankings by making changes, without waiting for the next update.
• The structured data on pages and Merchant Center feeds serve different purposes in search results.
• Crawl anomaly reports in Search Console are being reclassified for better clarity in future updates.
• Site speed is a soft ranking factor; significant changes in speed may not drastically affect rankings.
• 404 and 410 status codes serve similar purposes; 410 can expedite removal from search results.
• Footer content is indexed, but excessive content can be seen as keyword stuffing and affect rankings.
• Google Analytics and other non-functional scripts may be skipped during page rendering to optimize speed.

Questions & Answers

Q: How do Google's core updates affect website rankings?

Core updates are significant changes in Google's algorithm that affect how websites are ranked. They involve changes in how Google calculates relevance and quality of websites. Websites impacted by these updates can make improvements and see changes in rankings even before the next core update, as Google's algorithms continuously refresh scores between updates.

Q: What is the role of structured data and Merchant Center feeds?

Structured data on pages and Merchant Center feeds serve different purposes in search results. Structured data is used to enhance search results with rich snippets, while Merchant Center feeds provide data for organic shopping results. Both can be used simultaneously for better visibility, but future updates might streamline the process to avoid redundancy.

Q: How does Google handle crawl anomalies in Search Console?

Crawl anomaly reports in Search Console include various crawl issues that don't fit into specific categories like 404 errors. Google is working on reclassifying these anomalies into clearer categories in future updates to provide webmasters with more actionable insights.

Q: Does site speed significantly impact SEO rankings?

Site speed is considered a soft ranking factor, primarily affecting mobile search. A significant change in speed might not drastically impact rankings, but it's important for user experience. More impactful are changes in internal linking and content presentation, which can influence how Google perceives a site's relevance and quality.

Q: What is the difference between 404 and 410 status codes?

Both 404 and 410 status codes indicate that a page is no longer available, but a 410 status code signals that the page is permanently gone, potentially leading to faster removal from search results. However, over time, both codes achieve the same result in terms of de-indexing.

Q: How should content be balanced on e-commerce category pages?

E-commerce category pages should balance informational content with product listings. Excessive informational content can lead to keyword stuffing and misclassification as informational pages. A moderate amount of relevant content helps clarify the page's purpose without overshadowing the commercial intent.

Q: Does Google skip certain scripts during page rendering?

Yes, Google may skip certain non-functional scripts during page rendering to optimize speed. Commonly skipped scripts include analytics and tracking codes, as they do not impact the visible content or functionality of the page from a user's perspective.

Q: How does Google handle expired domains or 404 pages?

When a domain expires or pages return a 404 status, Google gradually de-indexes them based on crawl frequency. High-traffic pages are re-crawled more frequently, leading to quicker removal. Google also avoids showing expired domains prominently in search results, even if they remain indexed temporarily.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• John Mueller discusses the impact of Google's core updates on website rankings, emphasizing that improvements can be made without waiting for the next update. He clarifies that structured data on pages and Merchant Center feeds serve different purposes in search results.

• Crawl anomaly reports in Search Console are being reclassified to provide clearer insights. Site speed is a soft ranking factor, and while significant changes in speed might not drastically affect rankings, internal linking and content presentation changes can.

• Mueller addresses the use of 404 and 410 status codes, noting that while both serve to remove content from search, 410 can expedite the process. He also highlights the importance of balancing content on e-commerce category pages to avoid keyword stuffing.