4xx errors often point to a problem on a website. For example, if you have a broken link on a page, and visitors click it, they may see a 4xx error. It's important to regularly monitor and fix these errors because they may negatively impact and lower your site's authority in users' eyes.
4xx errors often indicate problems on the website. For example, if you have a broken link on a webpage, and visitors click it, they may encounter a 4xx error. It's important to regularly monitor and fix these errors, as they can have a negative impact and lower your site's authority.
5xx error messages are sent when the server has a problem or error. It's important to regularly monitor these errors and investigate their causes because they may negatively impact and lower the site's authority in search engines' eyes.
5xx error messages are sent when the server encounters an issue or error. Regularly monitoring these errors and investigating their causes is crucial, as they can negatively impact the site's authority in the eyes of search engines.
A custom 404 error page can help you keep users on the website. In a perfect world, it should inform users that the page they are looking for doesn't exist and feature such elements as your HTML sitemap, the navigation bar, and a search field. But more importantly, a 404 error page should return the 404 response code. This may sound obvious, but unfortunately, it's rarely so.
According to Google Search Console: "Returning a code other than 404 or 410 for a non-existent page... can be problematic. Firstly, it tells search engines that there's a real page at that URL. As a result, that URL may be crawled, and its content indexed. Because of the time Googlebot spends on non-existent pages, your unique URLs may not be discovered as quickly or visited as frequently, and your site's crawl coverage may be impacted. We recommend that you always return a 404 (Not Found) or a 410 (Gone) response code in response to a request for a non-existing page."
A custom 404 error page can help keep users on your website. Ideally, it should inform users that the page they are looking for does not exist and include elements such as an HTML sitemap, navigation bar, and search field. More importantly, a 404 error page should return a 404 response code. This may seem obvious, but unfortunately, it is rarely done.
According to Google Search Console: "Returning a code other than 404 or 410 for a non-existent page can be problematic. First, it tells search engines that there is a real page at that URL, which may result in that URL being crawled and its content indexed. Because of the time Googlebot spends on non-existent pages, your unique URLs may not be discovered as quickly or visited as frequently, and your site's crawl coverage may be affected. We recommend that you always return a 404 (Not Found) or a 410 (Gone) response code for non-existing pages."
The robots.txt file is automatically crawled by robots when they arrive at your website. This file should contain commands for robots, such as which pages should or should not be indexed. If you want to disallow indexing of some content (for example, pages with private or duplicate content), just use an appropriate rule in the robots.txt file. For more information on such rules, check out http://www.robotstxt.org/robotstxt.html.
Please note that commands placed in the robots.txt file are more like suggestions rather than absolute rules for robots to follow. There's no guarantee that some robot will not check the content that you have disallowed.
The robots.txt file is automatically crawled by robots when they reach your website. This file should contain instructions for robots about which pages should or should not be indexed. If you want to prevent indexing of certain content (e.g., pages containing private or duplicate content), simply use the appropriate rule in the robots.txt file. For further information about such rules, visit http://www.robotstxt.org/robotstxt.html.
Keep in mind that the commands in the robots.txt file are more like suggestions than hard-and-fast rules that robots must adhere to. There is no guarantee that some robot will not check the content you've restricted.
An XML sitemap should contain all of the website pages that you want to be indexed and should be located on the website one directory structure away from the homepage (e.g., http://www.site.com/sitemap.xml). In general, it serves to aid indexing. You should update it each time you add new pages to your website. Besides, the sitemap should follow a specific syntax.
The sitemap allows you to set the priority of each page, telling search engines which pages they should crawl more often (i.e., those that are updated more frequently). Learn how to create an .xml sitemap at http://www.sitemaps.org/.
An XML sitemap should include all the pages of your website that you wish to be indexed, and it should be placed one directory structure away from your homepage (e.g., http://www.site.com/sitemap.xml). Typically, it is used to assist with indexing. You should update it every time you add new pages to your website. Additionally, the sitemap should adhere to specific syntax.
The sitemap allows you to assign a priority to each page, informing search engines which pages should be crawled more frequently (i.e., those that are updated more often). To learn how to create an .xml sitemap, visit http://www.sitemaps.org/.
A resource can be restricted from indexing in several ways:
- in the robots.txt file;
- by Noindex X-Robots tag;
- by Noindex Meta tag.
Each of these is a line of HTML code that specifies how crawlers should handle certain resources on the site. Specifically, the tag tells crawlers whether they are permitted to index the page or resource, follow its links, and/or archive its contents. Therefore, make sure that all your unique and useful content is available for indexing.
A resource can be restricted from indexing in several ways:
- in the robots.txt file;
- by Noindex X-Robots tag;
- by Noindex Meta tag.
Each of these methods is a line of HTML code that indicates how crawlers should interact with specific resources on the site. The tag specifically informs crawlers whether they are allowed to index the page or resource, follow its links, and/or archive its contents. Therefore, ensure that all your unique and valuable content is available for indexing.
Usually, websites are available with and without "www" in the domain name. Merging both URLs will help you prevent search engines from indexing two versions of a website.
Although the indexing of both versions won't cause a penalty, setting one of them as a priority is a best practice, in part because it helps funnel the SEO value from links to one common version. You can look up or change your current primary version in the .htaccess file. Also, it is recommended to set the preferred domain in Google Search Console.
Typically, websites can be accessed with or without "www" in the domain name. Consolidating both URLs will help prevent search engines from indexing two versions of the same site.
While indexing both versions won’t incur a penalty, designating one as the primary version is a best practice, as it helps consolidate the SEO value from links to a single common version. You can check or change your current primary version in the .htaccess file. It is also advisable to set your preferred domain in Google Search Console.
Using secure encryption is highly recommended for many websites (for instance, those taking transactions and collecting sensitive user information). However, in many cases, webmasters face technical issues when installing SSL certificates and setting up the HTTP/HTTPS versions of the website.
If you are using an invalid SSL certificate (e.g., untrusted or expired one), most web browsers will prevent users from visiting your site by showing them an "insecure connection" notification.
If the HTTP and HTTPS versions of your website are not set properly, both of them can get indexed by search engines and cause duplicate content issues that may undermine your website rankings.
Implementing secure encryption is strongly advised for numerous websites (e.g., those processing transactions and collecting sensitive user information). Nonetheless, webmasters frequently encounter technical challenges while installing SSL certificates and configuring the HTTP/HTTPS site versions.
In case you're using an invalid SSL certificate (for example, one that is untrusted or expired), the majority of web browsers will block users from accessing your site, displaying an "insecure connection" warning.
If the HTTP and HTTPS versions of your site are improperly configured, search engines may index both versions, leading to duplicate content issues that can negatively impact your website's rankings.
302 redirects are temporary, so they don't pass any link juice. If you use them instead of 301s, search engines may continue to index the old URLs and disregard the new ones as duplicates. Or they may divide the link popularity between the two versions, thus hurting search rankings. That's why it is not recommended to use 302 redirects if you are permanently moving a page or a website. Stick to a 301 redirect instead to preserve link juice and avoid duplicate content issues.
302 redirects are temporary and do not pass on any link equity. If you implement them instead of 301s, search engines may continue indexing the old URLs while disregarding the new ones as duplicates. Alternatively, they may split the link popularity between the two versions, negatively affecting search rankings. Thus, using 302 redirects for permanently moving a page or website is not recommended. Use 301 redirects instead to retain link equity and avoid duplicate content problems.
301 redirects are permanent and are usually used to solve problems with duplicate content or to redirect certain URLs that are no longer necessary. The use of 301 redirects is absolutely legitimate, and it's good for SEO because a 301 redirect will funnel link juice from the old page to the new one. Just make sure you redirect old URLs to the most relevant pages.
301 redirects are permanent and typically employed to resolve issues related to duplicate content or to redirect certain URLs that are no longer needed. Utilizing 301 redirects is entirely valid and beneficial for SEO, as they transfer link equity from the old page to the new one. Ensure that you direct old URLs to the most relevant pages.
In certain cases, either due to a poorly configured .htaccess file or deliberate actions, a page may end up with two or more redirects. It is strongly recommended to avoid redirect chains longer than 2 redirects as they can lead to multiple issues:
- There is a high risk that a page will not be indexed, as Google bots do not follow more than 5 redirects.
- Excessive redirects can slow down your page speed. Each additional redirect can add several seconds to the page load time.
- High bounce rate: users are unlikely to stay on a page that takes more than 3 seconds to load.
In some instances, whether due to improper .htaccess file configurations or intentional actions, a page may end up having multiple redirects. It's highly recommended to avoid chains longer than 2 redirects, as they may cause various issues:
- There is a substantial risk that a page may not be indexed since Googlebots do not follow more than 5 redirects.
- Excessive redirects can negatively impact your page speed. Each new redirect could potentially add several seconds to your page load time.
- High bounce rates: users are unlikely to remain on a page that takes longer than 3 seconds to load.
Basically, Meta refresh may be seen as a violation of Google's Quality Guidelines and therefore is not recommended from an SEO standpoint. As one of Google's representatives points out: "In general, we recommend not using meta-refresh type redirects, as this can cause confusion for users (and search engine crawlers, who might mistake that for an attempted redirect)... This is currently not causing any problems with regards to crawling, indexing, or ranking, but it would still be a good idea to remove that." So stick to the permanent 301 redirect instead.
Essentially, meta refresh can be viewed as a breach of Google's Quality Guidelines and is not advisable from an SEO perspective. As one Google representative notes: "In general, we advise against using meta-refresh type redirects, as this can confuse users (and search engine crawlers, who might misinterpret it as a redirect attempt)... Currently, this is not causing any issues regarding crawling, indexing, or ranking, but it's still advisable to remove it." Therefore, stick with the permanent 301 redirect instead.
In most cases, duplicate URLs are handled via 301 redirects. However, sometimes, for example when the same product appears in two categories with two different URLs and both need to be live, you can specify which page should be considered a priority with the help of rel="canonical" tags. It should be correctly implemented within the <head> tag of the page and point to the main page version that you want to rank in search engines. Alternatively, if you can configure your server, you can indicate the canonical URL using rel="canonical" HTTP headers.
Typically, duplicate URLs are addressed through 301 redirects. However, there are instances where the same product may be listed in two categories with distinct URLs that both need to remain live. In such cases, you can use rel="canonical" tags to designate which page should be prioritized. This should be properly placed within the <head> section of the page, directing to the main version you want to rank in search engines. Alternatively, if you have server configuration access, you can specify the canonical URL using rel="canonical" HTTP headers.
Having multiple canonical URLs specified for a page occurs frequently in conjunction with SEO plugins that often insert a default rel="canonical" link, possibly unbeknownst to the webmaster who installed the plugin. Double-checking the page's source code and your server's rel="canonical" HTTP header configurations will help correct the issue.
In the case of multiple rel="canonical" declarations, Google will likely ignore all the rel="canonical" hints, making your efforts to avoid duplicate content issues ineffective.
Specifying multiple canonical URLs for a page often occurs alongside SEO plugins that may insert a default rel="canonical" link, potentially without the knowledge of the webmaster who installed it. Reviewing the page's source code and the configurations of your server's rel="canonical" HTTP headers can help resolve this issue.
If there are multiple rel="canonical" declarations, Google may disregard all of the rel="canonical" hints, rendering your attempts to avoid duplicate content problems futile.
According to Google, the mobile-friendly algorithm affects mobile searches in all languages worldwide and has a significant impact on Google's search results. This algorithm operates on a page-by-page basis; it is not about how mobile-friendly your pages are, but simply whether they are mobile-friendly or not. The algorithm is based on criteria such as small font sizes, tap targets/links, readable content, your viewpoint, etc.
Google states that the mobile-friendly algorithm influences mobile searches in all languages globally and significantly affects Google's search results. This algorithm functions on a page-by-page basis; it does not concern how mobile-friendly your pages are, but rather if they are mobile-friendly or not. The algorithm considers factors such as small font sizes, clickable targets/links, readable content, your perspective, and more.
Frames allow displaying more than one HTML document in the same browser window. As a result, text and hyperlinks (the most important signals for search engines) may appear missing from such documents. If you use frames, search engines may fail to properly index your valuable content.
Frames enable the display of multiple HTML documents within a single browser window. Consequently, text and hyperlinks (which are critical signals for search engines) may seem absent from those documents. If you implement frames, search engines may not adequately index your valuable content.
The validation is typically performed via the W3C Markup Validation Service. While compliance with W3C standards is not mandatory and does not directly affect SEO, poorly written code could be the reason Google is not indexing your important content correctly. It's advisable to fix any broken code on your pages to prevent issues with search engine spiders.
Validation is usually conducted using the W3C Markup Validation Service. Although adhering to W3C standards is not compulsory and will not have a direct SEO effect, faulty code might be why Google is not indexing your important content properly. It is recommended to rectify broken code on your pages to avoid issues with search engine crawlers.
Some pages on your site have errors in CSS markup. Please analyze the CSS issues on the page and fix the most critical ones.
The validation is usually performed via the W3C Markup Validation Service (W3C stands for World Wide Web Consortium).
CSS styles are used to control the design and formatting of the page, and to separate styles from the structure, which ultimately makes the page load faster.
Errors in CSS may not be that important to search engines, but they can lead to your page being displayed incorrectly to visitors, which, in turn, may affect your conversion and bounce rates. So, make sure the page is displayed as intended across all browsers (including mobile ones) important to you.
Your website's pages have some errors in CSS markup. Please analyze the CSS issues on the page and address the most critical ones.
Validation is typically done through the W3C Markup Validation Service (W3C stands for World Wide Web Consortium).
CSS styles help control the design and formatting of the page and separate styles from structure, ultimately speeding up page loading.
Errors in CSS might not significantly concern search engines, but they can lead to incorrect displays for visitors, potentially impacting your conversion and bounce rates. Therefore, ensure the page displays as expected across all browsers (including mobile ones) that are significant to you.
Simply put, dofollow links are links that lack the rel="nofollow" attribute. Such links are followed by search engines and pass PageRank (please note that links can also be restricted from following in bulk via the nofollow tag).
While there is nothing wrong with linking to other sites through dofollow links, if you extensively link to irrelevant or low-quality sites, search engines may conclude your site is selling links or participating in other link schemes, and it can incur penalties.
In simple terms, dofollow links are those that do not have the rel="nofollow" attribute. Such links are followed by search engines and can pass PageRank (note that links can also be restricted from following in bulk via the nofollow tag).
While there is nothing inherently wrong with linking to other sites via dofollow links, extensive linking to irrelevant or low-quality sites may lead search engines to assume your site is selling links or engaging in other link schemes, resulting in potential penalties.
While broken images on the website don't influence its search engine rankings directly, they definitely deserve being fixed for two reasons.
First and foremost, broken images are a crucial factor for user experience and may result in visitors bouncing away from the site without completing their goals.
And second, missing images may impede the site's crawling and indexation, wasting its crawl budget and making it hard for search engine bots to crawl some of the site's important content.
Although broken images on your website do not directly affect its search engine rankings, they are certainly worth fixing for two reasons.
First, broken images are critical to user experience and can lead visitors to leave the site without achieving their objectives.
Second, missing images may obstruct the crawling and indexing of the site, wasting its crawl budget and hindering search engine bots from accessing some important content.
While search engines can't read text off images, alt attributes (also known as "alternative attributes") help the former understand what your images portray.
The best practice is to create an alt text for each image, using your keywords in it when possible to help search engines better understand your pages' content and hopefully rank your site higher in search results.
Although search engines are unable to read text on images, alt attributes (also known as "alternative attributes") assist them in understanding the content of your images.
The best practice is to provide alt text for every image, incorporating your keywords whenever possible to help search engines grasp your pages' content better, which may lead to higher rankings in search results.
There is a direct correlation between the size of the page and its loading speed, which is one of the many ranking factors. Basically, heavier pages take longer to load. That's why the general rule of thumb is to keep your page size up to 3MB. Of course, this isn't always feasible. For instance, if you have an e-commerce site with numerous images, you may exceed this size, but it can significantly impact load times for users with slow connections.
Naturally, there is a direct correlation between page size and loading speed, which is a significant ranking factor. In general, larger pages take longer to load. Therefore, a common guideline is to keep your page size to 3MB or less. However, this may not always be achievable. For example, if you operate an e-commerce site with many images, you may need to exceed this limit, but this can considerably affect page load times for users with slower internet connections.
URLs that contain dynamic characters like "?", "_" and parameters are not user-friendly because they are not descriptive and are harder to memorize. To increase your pages' chances to rank, it's best to set up URLs that are descriptive and include keywords, not numbers or parameters. As Google Webmaster Guidelines state, "URLs should be clean coded for best practice and not contain dynamic characters."
URLs featuring dynamic characters, such as "?", "_", and parameters, are not user-friendly because they lack descriptiveness and are difficult to remember. To enhance the likelihood of your pages ranking well, it's advisable to structure URLs to be descriptive and include relevant keywords rather than numbers or parameters. As stated in the Google Webmaster Guidelines, "URLs should be cleanly coded for best practice and should not contain dynamic characters."
URLs shorter than 115 characters are easier to read by end users and search engines, and will help keep the website user-friendly.
URLs shorter than 115 characters are more easily read by end users and search engines, aiding in maintaining a user-friendly website.
Broken outgoing links can be a bad quality signal to search engines and users. If a site has many broken links, users may conclude that it has not been updated for some time. As a result, the site's rankings may be downgraded.
Although 1-2 broken links won't cause a Google penalty, try to regularly check your website, fix broken links (if any), and ensure their number doesn't increase. Additionally, users will prefer your website more if it doesn't show them broken links pointing to non-existing pages.
Broken outbound links can signal poor quality to both search engines and users. If a site contains numerous broken links, visitors may assume that it hasn't been updated in a while, which could lead to a downgrade in the site's rankings.
While 1-2 broken links are unlikely to trigger a penalty from Google, it’s advisable to routinely check your website, repair any broken links (if they exist), and ensure their quantity doesn't escalate. Moreover, users will appreciate your site more if it doesn't present broken links that lead to non-existent pages.
According to Matt Cutts (former head of Google's Webspam team), "...there's still a good reason to recommend keeping to under a hundred links or so: the user experience. If you're showing well over 100 links per page, you could be overwhelming your users and giving them a bad experience. A page might look good to you until you put on your 'user hat' and see what it looks like to a new visitor." Although Google keeps talking about users' experiences, too many links on a page can also hurt your rankings. So the rule is simple: the fewer links on a page, the fewer problems with its rankings. Try to stick to the best practices and keep the number of outgoing links (internal and external) to 100 or fewer.
As noted by Matt Cutts (the former head of Google's Webspam team), "...there remains a valid reason to keep the number of links per page under a hundred: user experience. If you display significantly more than 100 links per page, you may overwhelm users and provide them with a subpar experience. A page might appear fine to you until you adopt a 'user perspective' and assess how it appears to a new visitor." While Google emphasizes user experience, having too many links on a page can negatively affect your rankings. Thus, the guideline is straightforward: fewer links per page result in fewer ranking issues. Aim to adhere to best practices and limit the number of outgoing links (both internal and external) to 100.
If a page doesn't have a title, or the title tag is empty (i.e., it just looks like this in the code: <title> </title>), Google and other search engines will decide for themselves which text to show as your page title in their SERP snippets. Thus, you'll have no control over what people see on Google when they find your page.
Therefore, every time you create a webpage, don't forget to add a meaningful title that would also be attractive to users.
When a page lacks a title or has an empty title tag (i.e., it appears in the code as <title> </title>), Google and other search engines will determine what text to display as your page title in their SERP snippets. This means you lose control over what users see on Google when they find your page.
Thus, whenever you create a webpage, remember to include a meaningful title that will also attract users.
A page title is often treated as the most important on-page element. It is a strong relevancy signal for search engines because it tells them what the page is really about. It is important that the title includes your most relevant keyword. However, every page should have a unique title to ensure that search engines can easily identify which of the website pages is relevant for a query. Pages with duplicate titles have fewer chances to rank high. Moreover, if your site has pages with duplicate titles, this may negatively influence other pages' rankings as well.
A page title is frequently regarded as one of the most crucial on-page elements. It serves as a potent relevancy signal for search engines, as it indicates the true content of the page. It's vital that the title contains your most relevant keyword. However, each page must have a unique title to assist search engines in determining which pages are relevant to specific queries. Pages with duplicate titles are less likely to rank highly. Furthermore, if your site contains pages with duplicate titles, this could adversely affect the rankings of other pages.
Every page should have a unique, keyword-rich title. At the same time, you should try to keep title tags concise. Titles that are longer than 55 characters get truncated by search engines and will look unappealing in search results. Even if your pages rank on page 1 in search engines, yet their titles are shortened or incomplete, they won't attract as many clicks as they otherwise would.
Each page should have a unique, keyword-rich title. However, you should also strive to keep title tags concise. Titles longer than 55 characters may be truncated by search engines, rendering them less appealing in search results. Even if your pages achieve a page 1 ranking on search engines, their shortened or incomplete titles will fail to attract as many clicks as they could have otherwise.
Although meta descriptions don't have a direct influence on rankings, they are still important as they form the snippet that people see in search results. Therefore, it should "sell" the webpage to the searcher and encourage them to click through.
If the meta description is empty, search engines will decide for themselves what to include in a snippet.
While meta descriptions do not directly impact rankings, they remain significant as they create the snippet seen by users in search results. Hence, they should effectively "sell" the webpage to searchers, encouraging clicks.
If the meta description is empty, search engines will autonomously determine what to include in the snippet.
According to Matt Cutts, it is better to have unique meta descriptions and even no meta descriptions at all, than to show duplicate meta descriptions across your pages. Hence, make sure that your top-important pages have unique and optimized descriptions.
Matt Cutts suggests that it is preferable to have unique meta descriptions, or even to omit them entirely, than to display duplicate meta descriptions across your pages. Therefore, ensure that your most important pages feature unique and optimized descriptions.
Although meta descriptions don't have a direct effect on rankings, they are still important as they form the snippet that people see in search results. Therefore, descriptions should "sell" the webpage to the searchers and encourage them to click through. If the meta description is too long, it will get cut by the search engine and may look unappealing to users.
While meta descriptions do not directly influence rankings, they remain crucial as they form the snippets that users see in search results. Thus, descriptions should effectively "sell" the webpage to searchers, encouraging them to click. If a meta description is excessively long, it may be truncated by the search engine, making it less appealing to users.
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