#1 Google Webmaster Central Office Hours

This Short is a distilled version of Google's Webmaster Office Hours Episode that Google hosts quite frequently on their Youtube channel.

This is a conversation between the SEO Industry Expert John Mueller who is currently Senior Search Analyst @ Google and few of the members of the SEO community.

Question 1: Does it matter what order header tags (h1, h2, h3) are in on a webpage?

Answer: John Mueller stated that the order of header tags (h1, h2, h3) does not matter. Google uses headings to understand the context of the content on a page, and a strict order is not required. Multiple h1 tags or a different order due to templates are acceptable.

Question 2: Is an h1 more important than an h2, and an h2 more important than an h3 in terms of understanding page content?

Answer: John Mueller indicated that while Google might consider h1 tags as primary headings, all header tags contribute to understanding the page's content. There is no significant difference in how each header tag is treated beyond this slight consideration for h1 tags.

Question 3: Should we use the Data Highlighter or normal markup for tagging products with price, review, etc.?

Answer: John Mueller recommended using normal markup on the page rather than restructuring a site to work with the Data Highlighter. Using normal markup directly avoids issues and ensures better control over the markup process.

Question 4: What should be done if a site with millions of pages sees a traffic drop after restructuring pages into a single-page app with AJAX and AMP?

Answer: John Mueller suggested that the issue could be due to splitting a strong page into smaller, less contextually rich parts. He recommended testing changes on a sample of pages before applying them site-wide and ensuring that the primary content is loaded statically. He also advised checking for proper link elements and considering rel next and rel previous for pagination.

Question 5: If the main heading is h2 and all other subheadings are h4, h5, is it fine from Google's view to use tags this way?

Answer: Yes, John Mueller confirmed that using such a heading structure is fine. Google does not penalize or have strict requirements for the order of heading tags. Headings help understand content relationships, but the exact numbers and order are not critical.

Question 6: Does the Panda algorithm use a machine-learning classifier?

Answer: John Mueller was unsure of the specifics but confirmed that Google uses a lot of machine learning to understand and rank pages better. Machine learning has potential but requires significant work to implement effectively.

Question 7: Can AMP increase rankings?

Answer: John Mueller clarified that AMP does not directly increase rankings. AMP makes pages faster and more usable, which can lead to indirect benefits, but there is no automatic ranking boost from implementing AMP.

Question 8: How likely is it for an ugly or difficult-to-use site to cause ranking issues?

Answer: John Mueller explained that indirect effects, such as poor user engagement leading to fewer recommendations and links, might impact rankings. However, there is no specific algorithm that demotes sites for being ugly or difficult to use.

Question 9: Can a desktop-friendly site with good engagement but a non-mobile-friendly version lose rankings?

Answer: John Mueller stated that for mobile-first indexing, Google uses the mobile version for indexing. If the mobile version contains all necessary content, rankings should not be negatively impacted. However, having a bad mobile site might deter mobile users, which could have indirect effects.

Question 10: What could cause Google to show the cached version of a website instead of the live page?

Answer: John Mueller recommended starting a thread in the Webmaster Help Forum with more details, such as screenshots and URLs, to diagnose the issue. It could be related to Google's caching system or how the site is served to users.

Question 11: Are there any special considerations for hreflang in bilingual or multilingual countries like Switzerland?

Answer: John Mueller advised using standard hreflang practices and having a backup mechanism, such as a language detection banner, to guide users to the correct language version. He emphasized ensuring content differences between language versions to avoid Google's systems folding them together.

Question 12: How to address high bounce rates on a blog?

Answer: John Mueller suggested using bounce rates to understand user behavior and improve the site's content or technical aspects. High bounce rates might indicate issues with page content, load times, or user expectations.

Question 13: Should internal search result pages be noindexed?

Answer: John Mueller recommended noindexing low-quality internal search result pages to prevent them from being indexed and to control crawling. High-quality search pages that act more like category pages might be an exception.

Question 14: What can be done if a site has not been indexed after a month?

Answer: John Mueller advised checking for technical issues in Search Console's crawl error section and ensuring the correct version of the site is being checked. He also suggested verifying there are no site removal requests pending.

Question 15: How to handle large amounts of timed content for mobile-first indexing?

Answer: John Mueller suggested keeping the current setup if it already caters to mobile users, as the mobile-first index will prioritize sites with good mobile content. He recommended not reverting to a desktop-like design.

Question 16: What is the impact of blocking images in the robots.txt file?

Answer: John Mueller explained that blocking images in the robots.txt file would prevent them from being indexed in image search. If the site relies on image search or hosts videos with thumbnails, it might affect indexing those elements.

Question 17: How to ensure Google knows a blog belongs to a primary website if hosted on a different domain?

Answer: John Mueller stated that linking between the blog and the primary website helps Google understand their relationship. There is no need for special technical setups beyond this.

Question 18: Do user engagement metrics like bounce rate and page view time affect rankings?

Answer: John Mueller confirmed that these metrics are not used on a page level for rankings but help Google analyze the effectiveness of algorithms across a broad range of searches.

Question 19: Does running PPC campaigns affect organic search rankings?

Answer: John Mueller clarified that there is no direct interaction between paid ads and organic search rankings. Any observed effects are likely due to indirect factors, such as increased user engagement leading to more recommendations.

Question 20: What to do if Google indexes the wrong localized content, such as indexing content intended for California for all users?

Answer: John Mueller explained that Google crawls primarily from the US and might pick up US-specific content. To avoid this, consider using JavaScript for localization and blocking that JavaScript from being crawled. Ensuring that the localization state is maintained in a way that doesn't affect crawling might help.

Question 21: How to handle increased bounce rates due to AMP pages?

Answer: John Mueller suggested that the bounce rate increase from AMP might be due to session tracking issues. He recommended ensuring analytics tracking is set up to connect sessions between AMP and non-AMP pages properly.

Question 22: What is the process for getting a ticket to Google I/O?

Answer: John Mueller mentioned that tickets for Google I/O usually require an application process, and obtaining a ticket closer to the event might be difficult. Those interested should apply early.

This list includes all the questions and answers discussed in the conversation. If you have any more queries or need further assistance, feel free to ask!