English Google SEO office-hours from November 27, 2020

TL;DR

Google SEO office hours discuss URL tools, hreflang, and link schemes.

Transcript

JOHN MUELLER: All right, welcome, everyone, to today's Google Search Central office hours hangout. My name is John Mueller. I'm a Search Advocate on the Search Relations team. And part of what we do are these office hour hangouts where people can join in and ask their question around their website, around web search. And we can try to find some ans... Read More

Key Insights

• John Mueller emphasizes the importance of improving website quality for better crawling and indexing instead of relying heavily on manual tools.
• The URL inspection tool is under development, and sites should not depend on it for regular content updates.
• Hreflang conflicts are addressed by combining signals from HTML and sitemaps, with no prioritization between them.
• Canonical tags are recommended for signaling preferred content versions across a network of sites.
• Manual actions are issued for link schemes, and once resolved, the website's status is fully restored.
• Google's crawling may be impacted by JavaScript-based cookie banners, but content should be visible in the HTML.
• Web Stories are a new format for mobile engagement, but their display in search results is limited geographically.
• Google does not prioritize anchor text length but uses it for contextual relevance.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the status of the URL inspection tool?

John Mueller mentioned that the URL inspection tool is under development, and there is no specific timeline for its relaunch. Websites should be able to be crawled and indexed without relying on this tool. Improving overall website quality is recommended to ensure efficient crawling and indexing.

Q: How does Google handle conflicting hreflang signals?

Google combines hreflang signals from both HTML and sitemaps. There is no prioritization between the two, and they are treated as complementary. Conflicts arise when the same country-language version is used for different pages, leading to Google possibly dropping that pair.

Q: What should a publisher do when promoting the same content across multiple sites?

Using rel=canonical is recommended to signal the preferred version of the content. This helps concentrate the value on the chosen version rather than diluting it across multiple sites. The canonical tag indicates which version should be indexed as the primary one.

Q: Can internal link networks pose a problem?

For the most part, Google treats links within a network of sites as normal links. However, if a large network appears to be using links solely for SEO purposes, it could raise issues. Google aims to treat these links as internal links unless they seem manipulative.

Q: What happens if a disavow file is removed after many years?

Removing a disavow file means the links will be treated as normal again. If the links are problematic, a manual action could be issued. It's important to ensure that the links are not manipulative or part of a larger pattern that could trigger a penalty.

Q: How does Google handle JavaScript-based cookie banners?

Google can usually crawl and index content behind JavaScript-based cookie banners if the content is present in the HTML. The Inspect URL tool can be used to verify that content is accessible. Google needs to see the content in the HTML for proper indexing.

Q: Can Web Stories be used alongside traditional blog posts?

Web Stories can be used to build interest and link to more detailed content. They are designed for mobile engagement and should be visually compelling. Traditional blog posts can coexist with Web Stories, but they should not be canonicalized to each other.

Q: Does anchor text length affect its value?

Google does not prioritize anchor text based on length. The value of anchor text lies in the context it provides. Both short and long anchor texts are used to understand the relevance of linked pages, without a preference for shorter phrases.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The office hours session covered several topics including URL inspection tools, hreflang conflicts, and link schemes. John Mueller advised focusing on website quality for better crawling and indexing instead of relying on manual tools. The URL inspection tool is still under development, and sites should not depend on it for regular updates.

• Hreflang conflicts are addressed by combining signals from HTML and sitemaps, with no prioritization between them. Canonical tags are recommended for signaling preferred content versions across a network of sites. Manual actions for link schemes are resolved by neutralizing their effects.

• JavaScript-based cookie banners may impact Google's crawling, but content should be visible in the HTML. Web Stories offer a new format for mobile engagement but are limited to certain regions. Google uses anchor text for contextual relevance, not prioritizing its length.