English Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout

TL;DR

Discussion on SEO, indexing, and webmaster tools.

Transcript

JOHN MUELLER: All right, welcome everyone to today's Google Webmaster Central office hours again. My name is John Mueller. I'm a webmaster trends analyst here at Google in Switzerland. And part of what I do is talk with webmasters, publishers, like you all. I see some newer faces in the Hangout here. I'd love to give you guys a chance to ask the fi... Read More

Key Insights

• Google often ignores boilerplate text when ranking individual pages, focusing instead on unique content relevant to each page.
• For hreflang issues, canonical tags can sometimes improve ranking consistency across different versions of a site.
• Structured markup spam does not affect site rankings, but it can remove rich snippets until the markup is corrected.
• Websites with duplicate content across different domains may be treated as doorway pages, potentially leading to penalties.
• Crawling frequency is determined by server performance and the freshness of content; using sitemaps effectively can help manage this.
• New TLDs are treated as generic top-level domains, not providing any SEO advantage despite containing keywords.
• A valid SSL certificate, regardless of bit size, provides a small ranking boost, emphasizing the importance of HTTPS.
• Understanding the nuances of internal linking and canonical tags can significantly impact a site's SEO effectiveness.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does Google handle boilerplate text on websites?

Google tends to ignore boilerplate text when ranking individual pages. Instead, it focuses on the unique content that is specific to each page. This means that even if boilerplate text contains keywords, it does not detract from the value of the primary content on the page. Google treats the primary content as any other valuable content on the site.

Q: Can hreflang and canonical tags affect site rankings?

Yes, hreflang and canonical tags can impact site rankings. If hreflang tags are not implemented correctly, they might not swap content between regions as expected. Replacing hreflang with canonical tags can sometimes lead to better ranking consistency across different versions of a site. It is crucial to ensure that these tags are set up correctly to avoid ranking issues.

Q: What is the impact of structured markup spam on site rankings?

Structured markup spam primarily affects the visibility of rich snippets in search results but does not directly impact the overall rankings of a site. When Google detects spammy structured markup, it may disable rich snippets until the markup is corrected. Since rich snippets do not provide a ranking boost, their absence does not demote site rankings.

Q: How does Google treat new TLDs in terms of SEO?

Google treats new TLDs as generic top-level domains, meaning they do not offer any inherent SEO advantage even if they contain keywords. The focus should be on choosing a domain name that is short, memorable, and relevant to the site's content rather than relying on the TLD for SEO benefits.

Q: What role does an SSL certificate play in site rankings?

A valid SSL certificate provides a small ranking boost as Google considers HTTPS a ranking signal. The bit size of the certificate, such as 2048-bit, does not affect the ranking boost, as long as the certificate is valid and recognized by browsers. Adopting HTTPS is encouraged for its security benefits and slight ranking advantage.

Q: How can webmasters manage crawling frequency effectively?

Crawling frequency is influenced by server performance and the freshness of content. Webmasters can manage this by using sitemaps to indicate content updates through the last modification date. Avoid relying on sitemap priority or change frequency, as Google uses the last modification date to prioritize crawling.

Q: How should duplicate content across domains be handled?

Duplicate content across different domains can be treated as doorway pages, which might lead to penalties. It's important to ensure that each domain provides unique value and is not simply swapping out city names or minor details. Each site should be run by a local entity to avoid being flagged as a doorway page.

Q: What are the best practices for internal linking and canonical tags?

Internal links should be natural and relevant, with no need to artificially tweak anchor text for SEO purposes. Canonical tags should be used to indicate the preferred version of a page, avoiding conflicting signals such as redirecting one URL while setting a canonical tag to another. Clear and consistent signals help Google understand the site's structure and content priorities.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• John Mueller addresses various webmaster concerns, including the handling of boilerplate text and the impact of hreflang and canonical tags on site rankings. He emphasizes the importance of unique content and explains that structured markup spam primarily affects rich snippets rather than overall rankings.

• The discussion touches on the treatment of new TLDs, indicating that they are considered generic and do not offer SEO advantages. Mueller advises on the importance of valid SSL certificates and the minor ranking boost HTTPS provides, urging webmasters to adopt it.

• Mueller also clarifies issues related to crawling frequency, internal linking, and the use of canonical tags. He advises on the handling of duplicate content and doorway pages, emphasizing the need for clear, non-conflicting SEO signals to Google.