What Are Common SEO Issues Discussed in Google Office Hours?

TL;DR

Common SEO issues discussed include how internal links function similarly across page sections and the impact of perceived site quality on crawling and indexing. Duplicate content can complicate indexing for similar franchise sites, and changes in Google's quality perception may lead to fluctuations in indexed pages. Structured data errors typically do not cause de-indexing but are important for identifying potential features in search results.

Transcript

JOHN MUELLER: All right. Welcome, everyone, to today's Google Search Central SEO Office Hours Hangout. My name is John Mueller. I'm a search advocate on the Search Relations team here at Google. And part of what we do are these office hour sessions where people can join in and ask their questions around web search. And we can try to find some answe... Read More

Key Insights

• Internal links across different parts of a page (header, footer, content) are treated similarly by Google's algorithms, focusing more on content uniqueness.
• Paid backlinks can be considered spam, but sites doing other things well might still rank well despite some bad practices.
• Crawling issues might be due to Google's prioritization based on perceived site quality, not necessarily technical errors.
• Structured data errors do not typically result in de-indexing; they are informational for site owners to correct if they want specific search features.
• Duplicate content across franchise sites can lead to indexing issues; solutions include consolidating into one strong site or making content more unique.
• International SEO can be managed by choosing between ccTLDs or subdirectories based on strategic goals, not just technical feasibility.
• Indexing drops might relate to Google's quality perception changes; sample URLs can help diagnose specific issues.
• Technical issues causing temporary site downtime can affect indexing, but pages should recover once the site is stable again.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the impact of internal link placement on SEO?

Internal links are treated similarly regardless of their placement within a page (header, footer, or content). The focus is more on the uniqueness of the content rather than the link placement. Therefore, while link placement might not have a significant impact, ensuring content uniqueness is crucial for SEO.

Q: How does Google handle paid backlinks in terms of ranking?

Google considers paid backlinks as spam. However, if a site is doing other aspects of SEO well, it might still rank well despite having some bad practices like buying links. Google's algorithms try to identify and discount the influence of such links to maintain fair search results.

Q: What could cause inconsistencies in page crawling and indexing?

Inconsistencies in crawling and indexing might not always be due to technical issues. Google prioritizes crawling based on the perceived overall quality of a website. If Google's algorithms are unsure about a site's quality, it might crawl and index pages less frequently.

Q: Does structured data affect page indexing?

Structured data errors do not typically result in de-indexing. These errors are informational, allowing site owners to correct them if they want their pages to benefit from specific search features. Structured data primarily affects how search results are displayed rather than indexing.

Q: How can duplicate content across franchise sites affect SEO?

Duplicate content across franchise sites can lead to indexing issues, as Google may see it as redundant. Solutions include consolidating content into one strong site with location-specific pages or making each site’s content more unique to avoid duplication.

Q: What approach should be taken for international SEO?

For international SEO, choosing between ccTLDs or subdirectories depends on strategic goals rather than just technical feasibility. ccTLDs are straightforward for geotargeting, while subdirectories can consolidate SEO efforts under one domain, potentially strengthening overall site authority.

Q: What could cause a sudden drop in indexed pages?

A sudden drop in indexed pages might relate to changes in Google's perception of site quality. If Google's systems reevaluate the quality and assign a different status, it might affect indexing. Providing sample URLs to Google's team can help diagnose specific issues.

Q: How should technical downtime be handled to minimize SEO impact?

During technical downtime, serving a 503 status code can prevent de-indexing, as it signals a temporary issue to Google. Without it, pages might be dropped, but they should recover once the site is stable. Planning for potential downtime with a 503 response can mitigate SEO impact.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• John Mueller discusses internal linking, emphasizing that links in different page sections are treated similarly, with content uniqueness being more critical. Paid backlinks are considered spam, but sites doing other things well may still rank well.

• Crawling issues may stem from Google's site quality prioritization rather than technical errors. Structured data errors do not de-index pages but inform site owners about potential feature issues in search results.

• Duplicate content across franchise sites can lead to indexing issues, with solutions including consolidating into one strong site or making content more unique. International SEO can use ccTLDs or subdirectories, depending on strategic goals.