English Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout

TL;DR

Discussion on redirects, site moves, and SEO best practices.

Transcript

JOHN MUELLER: All right. Welcome everyone to today's Google Webmasters Central Office Hours Hangouts. My name is John Mueller. I am a webmaster trends analyst and I'm here at Google in Switzerland. And part of what we do is talk with webmasters, publishers, people like the ones here in the Hangouts. As always, I'd like to give a chance to anyone wh... Read More

Key Insights

• Redirect chains can add latency and complexity; it's best to keep redirects direct and simple to improve both user experience and SEO effectiveness.
• Site moves and restructuring can temporarily impact rankings; submitting sitemaps with old and new URLs can help Google process changes faster.
• For affiliate links, using rel=nofollow is recommended to avoid webspam penalties and ensure links are not counted towards SEO.
• Duplicate content should be managed using 301 redirects, rel=canonical, and consistent internal linking to prevent indexing issues.
• Page speed is crucial for user experience but is not directly penalized unless it is extremely slow; focus on optimizing load times for better user engagement.
• Content placement on a page can influence user engagement; important content should be visible and easily accessible to users.
• Subdomains can be used for separate blog sections without impacting SEO negatively, but excessive subdomains should be avoided.
• International SEO requires careful consideration of hreflang tags and localized content to ensure proper targeting and ranking in different regions.

Questions & Answers

Q: How do redirect chains affect SEO?

Redirect chains can add latency and complexity to a website. They can negatively impact user experience, especially on mobile devices, due to increased load times. For SEO, Google recommends keeping redirects simple and direct to ensure efficient crawling and signal forwarding.

Q: What should be done during a site move or restructuring?

During a site move or restructuring, it is crucial to submit sitemaps with both old and new URLs to help Google process the changes faster. Expect temporary fluctuations in rankings as Google re-crawls and re-indexes the site. Ensure that redirects are set up correctly to maintain link equity.

Q: How can affiliate links be managed to avoid penalties?

To avoid penalties, affiliate links should include the rel=nofollow attribute. This tells Google not to pass PageRank through these links, which are often placed due to business relationships. Monitoring and disavowing non-compliant links can further protect against penalties.

Q: What is the best way to handle duplicate content?

Duplicate content should be managed using 301 redirects, rel=canonical tags, and consistent internal linking. Avoid using robots.txt to block duplicate content, as it prevents Google from understanding the relationship between duplicate pages.

Q: Does page speed affect SEO rankings?

Page speed affects user experience rather than directly impacting SEO rankings, unless the site is extremely slow. Faster sites tend to have better user engagement and conversion rates, indirectly benefiting SEO. Focus on optimizing load times, especially on mobile devices.

Q: Where should important content be placed on a webpage?

Important content should be placed where it is easily visible and accessible to users. Content buried at the bottom of the page or in small fonts is less likely to be engaged with by users, potentially reducing its effectiveness in conveying relevance to search engines.

Q: Can a subdomain be used for a blog without SEO issues?

Yes, a subdomain can be used for a blog section without negatively impacting SEO. It is important to maintain a manageable number of subdomains to avoid complicating crawling. Subdomains can help keep the blog structurally separate while still being associated with the main site.

Q: How should international SEO be handled for different regions?

International SEO should use hreflang tags to indicate language and regional targeting. Localized content and links from the target region can enhance relevance and authority. Ensure each region's version of the site builds its own value independently, as hreflang tags only assist in serving the correct version.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The hangout discussed the impact of redirect chains on SEO, emphasizing the importance of direct and simple redirects to reduce latency and complexity. Site owners were advised to use rel=nofollow for affiliate links to avoid penalties.

• Site moves and restructuring can affect rankings temporarily. Submitting sitemaps with old and new URLs is recommended to help Google process changes more efficiently. Duplicate content should be managed with 301 redirects and rel=canonical.

• Page speed is crucial for user experience but not directly penalized unless extremely slow. Content placement on a page influences user engagement, and international SEO requires careful use of hreflang tags and localized content.