English Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout

TL;DR

Discussion on indexing, sitemaps, and SEO strategies.

Transcript

JOHN MUELLER: All right, welcome, everyone, to today's Google Webmaster Central Office Hours Hangout . My name is John. I am a webmaster trends analyst here at Google in Switzerland. And part of what we do are these Webmaster Office Hours Hangouts like these. As always, if you're kind of new these hangouts, feel free to go ahead and ask the first ... Read More

Key Insights

• Indexation issues can arise from inconsistent URL usage in sitemaps, especially when dealing with multilingual redirects. Consistency in URLs across sitemaps, redirects, and canonical tags is crucial.
• Duplicate content warnings in Webmaster Tools may sometimes be incorrect. Providing feedback to Google can help resolve these issues.
• Blank cached pages can be a result of JavaScript not executing properly. Ensuring JavaScript functions across different hostnames can resolve this.
• Low-quality content can be tackled by either improving the content or removing it. Consistency in content quality is essential for better search visibility.
• Disavowing incorrect links can be reversed by updating the Disavow file. However, significant ranking drops are often due to broader issues than just a few disavowed links.
• The rollout of the new Search Console does not have a fixed timeline, but ongoing iterations and testing are expected.
• Voice search data is included in Search Console but not separated. The potential value of separating this data is still under consideration.
• Noindexing a large portion of a website doesn't inherently harm the remaining pages, but it can impact traffic if those noindexed pages were previously ranking.

Questions & Answers

Q: What causes low indexation rates in sitemaps?

Low indexation rates can occur due to inconsistencies in URL usage within sitemaps, particularly when dealing with multilingual sites. Redirects that change the URL language may cause Google not to index the original URL. Ensuring consistency across sitemaps, redirects, and canonical tags can help improve indexation rates.

Q: How should duplicate content warnings in Webmaster Tools be handled?

Duplicate content warnings in Webmaster Tools might sometimes be incorrect. It's advisable to provide feedback to Google with examples, such as screenshots, to help them improve their systems. Ensuring unique and high-quality content can also mitigate issues related to duplicate content.

Q: Why might cached pages appear blank?

Cached pages might appear blank if JavaScript doesn't execute properly, especially if it's dependent on a specific hostname. To resolve this, ensure that JavaScript functions correctly across different hostnames and consider how the page is rendered to ensure all content is visible to Google's crawlers.

Q: What are the best practices for handling low-quality content?

Low-quality content can be addressed by either improving it or removing it. Improving content is preferable as it adds value to the site. However, if improvement is not feasible, using noindex or 404 status codes can help clean up the site. Consistency in content quality is crucial for better search visibility.

Q: How can disavowed links affect website rankings?

If disavowed links are affecting rankings, removing them from the Disavow file can allow Google to count them again. However, significant ranking drops are often due to broader issues than just a few disavowed links. It's crucial to evaluate the overall quality and strategy of the website.

Q: When will the new Search Console be fully rolled out?

There is no fixed timeline for the full rollout of the new Search Console. Google is continuously testing and iterating the tool. Users are advised to stay tuned for updates, as changes can occur quickly at Google.

Q: Is voice search data available in Search Console?

Voice search data is included in Search Console but is not separated from other search data. Google is considering the potential value of separating this data to help site owners better understand and optimize for voice search queries.

Q: Does noindexing a large portion of a website negatively impact the remaining pages?

Noindexing a significant portion of a website does not inherently harm the remaining indexed pages. However, it can impact traffic if the noindexed pages were previously receiving traffic from search results. It's important to evaluate which pages are noindexed and ensure that the remaining pages provide valuable content.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• John Mueller from Google discusses various webmaster concerns, including issues with sitemap indexation due to multilingual redirects. He advises maintaining consistency in URLs across sitemaps, redirects, and canonical tags.

• Duplicate content warnings in Webmaster Tools may sometimes be incorrect. Mueller suggests providing feedback to Google to help resolve these issues and highlights the importance of proper JavaScript execution to avoid blank cached pages.

• The discussion also covers strategies for handling low-quality content, the impact of disavowing links, and the rollout of the new Search Console. Voice search data is included in Search Console but not separated, and the potential value of this separation is under consideration.