English Google Webmaster Central office-hours from March 20, 2020

TL;DR

John Mueller answers diverse webmaster queries in a March 2020 session.

Transcript

JOHN MUELLER: All right, welcome, everyone, to today's Webmaster Central Office Hours Hangouts. My name is John Mueller. I am a Webmaster Trends Analyst at Google in Zurich usually. Now I'm at home like, I guess, most of you. Part of what we do are this Office Hour Hangouts where folks can join in and ask any question around their website and web s... Read More

Key Insights

• John Mueller emphasizes the importance of clear, useful content on category pages, distinguishing between informational and shopping intents.
• Implementing FAQ schema on B2B sites can be advantageous, even if competitors don't use it, as it offers more opportunities.
• Manual action reviews can take longer due to workload, and Google doesn't always send warnings before applying them.
• Google's manual review process remains stable, but the trend is towards more automation in recognizing and ignoring unnatural links.
• International content on a site may not necessarily dilute a site's quality but should be checked for relevance and quality.
• Splitting content into separate domains or subdomains is not inherently beneficial unless content is geographically specific.
• The presence of irrelevant traffic from unrelated search terms doesn't harm a site's SEO, but it can skew analytics.
• Regularly updating and cleaning up site maps can help Google focus on newer, more relevant content.

Questions & Answers

Q: How should content be structured on category pages?

John Mueller advises having some text on category pages to help Google understand them better. It's important to distinguish between informational and shopping intents, ensuring the content aligns with the page's purpose. Background information can be placed on separate pages to avoid confusing Google's intent recognition.

Q: Is it beneficial to implement FAQ schema on a B2B site?

Mueller suggests that implementing FAQ schema can be beneficial, especially if competitors aren't using it. It provides more opportunities to rank for frequently asked questions specific to individual pages. However, ensure the content is genuinely helpful and not just duplicated across the site.

Q: What is the process for manual action reviews?

Manual action reviews can take longer than a few days, especially for link-related issues. Google doesn't always send warnings before applying manual actions, as they aim to resolve issues affecting search results promptly. The process involves a manual review to determine if significant issues persist.

Q: Does international content affect a site's quality?

International content should be evaluated for quality and relevance. If the content is of reasonable quality, it's generally better to keep everything on one domain. Splitting content into separate domains or subdomains is only beneficial if the content is geographically specific.

Q: Can irrelevant traffic harm a site's SEO?

Irrelevant traffic from unrelated search terms doesn't harm a site's SEO but can skew analytics. It's up to the webmaster to decide whether to capitalize on this traffic with affiliate links or remove it to maintain clean analytics.

Q: What are the benefits of cleaning up site maps?

Regularly updating and cleaning up site maps helps Google focus on newer, more relevant content. This can improve crawling efficiency and ensure that important pages are indexed promptly. It's a technical aspect of SEO, not a quality signal.

Q: How does shared hosting affect a site's SEO?

Shared hosting usually doesn't impact SEO unless it's an extreme case where the server hosts a large number of spammy sites. In such cases, a manual action might be applied, but this is rare. Generally, shared hosting is not a concern for SEO.

Q: What should be considered when dealing with manual actions?

When dealing with manual actions, it's crucial to address the root cause of the issue. Fixing link schemes or other violations should be thorough. Once resolved, the site may not return to its previous ranking if it was artificially inflated by the issue. Patience and ongoing quality improvements are key.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• John Mueller hosted a Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout on March 20, 2020, addressing questions on SEO practices and site management. Participants asked about category page content, FAQ schemas, and manual action reviews. Mueller highlighted the importance of clear content intent and the potential advantages of using FAQ schemas.

• Mueller discussed the manual review process, emphasizing that warnings aren't always given before manual actions. He noted that while the process is stable, Google aims to automate more link evaluations. He also advised against splitting international content unless it's geographically specific.

• The session covered topics like irrelevant traffic, site map management, and the impact of shared hosting on SEO. Mueller assured that irrelevant traffic doesn't harm SEO but can affect analytics. He recommended cleaning up site maps for better indexing and clarified that shared hosting rarely affects site rankings unless it's an extreme case.