English Google SEO office-hours from November 12, 2021

TL;DR

John Mueller addresses various SEO queries in a Google Office Hours session.

Transcript

JOHN MUELLER: All right. Welcome, everyone, to today's Google Search Central SEO Office Hours Hangouts. My name is John Mueller. I'm a search advocate here at Google in Switzerland. And part of what we do are these Office Hour Hangouts, where people can join in and ask their questions around their website and web search. Looks like a bunch of thing... Read More

Key Insights

• John Mueller discusses the importance of having a dedicated domain for a Chrome extension to maintain control over content and future growth.
• He advises against splitting backlink efforts across multiple URLs, emphasizing the need to focus on one to maximize link value.
• Mueller suggests using internal linking to highlight important pages and improve crawling frequency, especially after noindex tags are removed.
• He explains the role of canonical tags and alternate hreflang attributes, advising on their proper use in multilingual sites.
• Mueller clarifies that bolding text can help Google understand a page's emphasis but warns against overusing it, as it can dilute its effectiveness.
• The importance of response time in crawling is highlighted, with suggestions to improve server response times for better crawl rates.
• Mueller discusses the variability of Discover traffic and suggests focusing on quality and adherence to Discover policies for better visibility.
• He addresses the potential benefits of updating an old website to a modern framework, such as PWA, for improved SEO and user experience.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• John Mueller answers various SEO questions during a Google Office Hours session, providing insights into crawling, indexing, and site optimization. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining a dedicated domain for extensions and discusses strategies for improving site visibility.

• Mueller advises on the use of canonical tags and hreflang attributes, stressing the need for proper implementation to avoid confusion. He also highlights the role of internal linking in increasing crawl frequency and the significance of response times in determining crawl rates.

• The session covers the impact of website updates on SEO, with Mueller suggesting that modernizing an old site can lead to improved rankings. He also touches on Discover traffic variability, encouraging adherence to quality guidelines for better performance.