How to Handle Mobile Interstitial Penalties by Google

TL;DR

Mobile interstitial penalties are updated during page recrawl and reindexing, which can take a week or more. Google does not provide specific percentage guidelines for ad space, but recommends using standard app banner sizes. Removing interstitials can prevent penalties and maintain targeted traffic and conversion rates. Google evaluates penalties on a page-by-page basis rather than across entire domains.

Transcript

All right, welcome everyone to today's Google Web Master Central office hours hangouts. My name is John Mueller. I am a web master trends analyst at Google here in Switzerland. And part of what I do is these web master hangouts with publishers and web masters and SEOs like the ones here. Uh also like the ones that submitted bunch of questions alrea... Read More

Key Insights

• Mobile interstitial penalties are updated in real-time during page recrawl and reindexing.
• Google does not specify exact percentage limits for ad space; standard app banner sizes are recommended.
• Interstitial penalties are assessed on a page-by-page basis, not accumulated across domains.
• Removing interstitials can prevent penalties and help maintain conversions and traffic.
• Google recognizes various types of interstitials, including sneaky attempts to bypass guidelines.
• Improving content is preferred over no-indexing for pages affected by Panda.
• AMP pages should be equivalent to main versions and are used in site quality assessment if canonical.
• HTTPS pages should avoid mixed content to maintain security and potential ranking benefits.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does Google update mobile interstitial penalties?

Mobile interstitial penalties are updated in real-time during the recrawl and reindexing of pages. This process can take about a week or more, depending on how frequently Google recrawls the pages. The penalties are assessed on a page-by-page basis and not accumulated across entire domains.

Q: What ad space guidelines does Google provide for mobile interstitials?

Google does not provide specific percentage guidelines for ad space used by interstitials. However, it recommends using standard app banner sizes, such as those found in Safari, which are typically around 20% of the screen size. The focus is on ensuring a reasonable user experience rather than specific size limits.

Q: How can removing interstitials affect site traffic and conversions?

Removing interstitials can help prevent penalties and maintain targeted traffic and conversion rates. While interstitial penalties may not directly reduce traffic, they can impact conversions if users encounter poor experiences. Ensuring a smooth user experience without intrusive interstitials is key to preserving site performance.

Q: Does Google evaluate interstitial penalties across entire domains?

Google evaluates interstitial penalties on a page-by-page basis rather than across entire domains. This means that penalties are applied to individual pages where interstitials are detected, rather than imposing a cumulative penalty across all pages of a domain. However, Google aims to be as granular as possible in its assessments.

Q: What is Google's stance on content improvement for Panda-affected pages?

Google prefers improving content over no-indexing for pages affected by Panda. The recommendation is to enhance the quality of content rather than removing pages from the index. If content cannot be improved, using no-index can be a temporary measure while planning for future improvements.

Q: Are AMP pages considered in site quality assessments?

AMP pages are considered in site quality assessments if they are the canonical versions of a site. When AMP pages are used as the primary version, Google evaluates them as part of the overall site quality. It's important to ensure AMP pages are equivalent to main versions to avoid poor user experiences.

Q: Why is HTTPS important for websites?

HTTPS is crucial for securing data transmission and preventing content modification. It ensures that information is encrypted and not altered during transmission, such as when using public Wi-Fi. Google also provides a subtle ranking boost for HTTPS pages, making it an important consideration for site security and search visibility.

Q: What should be done about mixed content on HTTPS pages?

Mixed content on HTTPS pages should be avoided to maintain security and the potential ranking benefits of HTTPS. Mixed content occurs when HTTPS pages load resources over HTTP, leading to security warnings in browsers. Ensuring all resources are loaded over HTTPS is essential for maintaining a secure and trusted user experience.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Mobile interstitial penalties are updated during recrawl and reindexing, typically taking about a week. Google recommends using standard app banner sizes but does not specify exact ad space percentages. Removing interstitials is advised to avoid penalties, which are assessed on a page-by-page basis rather than across entire domains.

• Improving content is preferred over no-indexing for pages hit by Panda. Google suggests enhancing content quality rather than removing pages from the index. AMP pages should mirror main versions to avoid poor user experiences and are considered in site quality assessments if canonical.

• HTTPS implementation is crucial for security and potential ranking boosts. Mixed content on HTTPS pages should be avoided to maintain security. Google emphasizes the importance of HTTPS to prevent content modification and secure data transmission.