Google’s John Mueller: Total Number of Backlinks Doesn’t Matter
Google’s John Mueller says the total number of backlinks a website has doesn’t matter at all to the search algorithm.
About
Matt G. Southern, Senior News Writer, has been with Search Engine Journal since 2013. With a bachelor’s degree in communications, Matt specializes in gathering details, checking facts, and making complex subjects easy to understand. In addition to writing articles, Matt oversees strategy development for SEJ’s news department.
Articles
Google Discover Does Not Display All Web Stories
Google’s John Mueller advises site owners not to expect every web story they publish to get displayed in Discover.
Google May Treat Press Releases Different From Other Content
Google tries to distinguish press releases from other types of content and may treat them differently in search results, says Search Advocate John Mueller.
Google Hosts Search Central Live, A Free Event on February 24
Google is hosting the first installment of a new event series, called Search Central Live, on February 24.
YouTube Rolls Out New Video Comparison Tools for Creators
YouTube is giving creators a new set of tools that make it easy to compare the performance of multiple videos over a period of time.
Google Search Console Changes Core Web Vitals Reporting
Google Search Console is changing how Core Web Vitals are measured and reported on, which is likely to be a positive thing for site owners.
YouTube is Adding New Ways For Creators to Make Money
YouTube plans to roll out new monetization opportunities for creators, including ways to make money directly from viewers.
YouTube Shorts Launching in USA in March
YouTube Shorts, a stories-like vertical video format that allows users to create clips of 15-seconds or less, is coming to the USA next month.
Google: No SEO Benefit to Audio Versions of Text Posts
Google’s John Mueller says there’s no inherent SEO benefit to adding an audio version of a text-based web page.
YouTube Update: See Other Channels Your Audience Watches
YouTube is giving creators access to new data that will allow them to see which other channels their audience watches on a regular basis.
TikTok Trend Report: Content Ideas For 2021
TikTok’s new trend report provides insight into the types of content likely to generate the most engagement in 2021.
Google On The Worst it Can Do Against Black Hat SEO
Google’s John Mueller explains the strongest penalties that can be issued against sites caught using black hat SEO tactics.
YouTube Launches Biweekly ‘Shorts Report’ For Creators
YouTube is launching the Shorts Report, a biweekly resource for creators with information about product updates, video inspiration, and content creation tips.
Twitter Eyes Subscriptions for Premium Features
Twitter is reportedly looking to add a new stream of revenue by offering premium features through a monthly subscription.
Bing Launches Large Scale Spelling Correction Worldwide
Microsoft Bing’s large-scale multilingual spelling correction models, collectively called Speller100, are rolling out worldwide with high precision and high recall in 100-plus languages.
Facebook & Instagram Shops Integrate With Shopify
Facebook and Instagram Shops are adding Shopify as a payment option which is estimated to increase conversion rates by 1.72x.
Google Adds 12 New Types of Manual Action Penalties
Google has 12 new types of manual action penalties which involve violations of Google News and Google Discover policies.
Google: Removing Blog Comments May Impact Search Rankings
Google’s John Mueller advises site owners that removing all comments from a website may adversely impact search rankings.
Google’s John Mueller Explains Inconsistent Discover Traffic
Google’s John Mueller offers insight into why traffic from Google Discover is likely to be inconsistent from one day to another.
Google: Patents Are Not Always Used in Search
Google’s John Mueller advises site owners to be mindful that not everything the company patents is used in search results.
Google Taking Action Against Sites With Inaccurate Pricing
Google will soon start to take action against sites that show a different price at checkout than the one provided through Google Merchant Center.
Instagram Adds ‘Recently Deleted’ Folder For Removed Content
Instagram is adding a ‘Recently Deleted’ folder which gives users an opportunity to review their removed content before permanently deleting it.
Google Analytics Stops Collecting Data From YouTube Channels
Google Analytics will no longer gather new data from YouTube channel pages after deprecating the connection between the two services.
Google Updates Shopping Search Results With “Black—owned” Label
Google is beginning Black History Month with an update to shopping search results that makes it easier to find and support Black-owned businesses.
Google Search Console Updates Discover Report With Chrome Data
Google is updating the Discover report in Search Console to include data from the Chrome mobile browser.
Google Adds More Info About Domains in Search Results
Google is surfacing more information about domains in search results, helping searchers learn about sources without conducting multiple queries.
Google: All Core Web Vitals May Need to Be Met For Ranking Boost
All three Core Web Vitals benchmarks must be met to qualify for the ranking signal boost rolling out this May, says Google’s John Mueller.
Google: Duplicate Content is Not a Negative Ranking Factor
Google’s John Mueller clarifies a misconception about duplicate content, saying it’s not a negative search ranking factor.
Google: Embedded Videos Have Same SEO Value as Uploaded Content
Google’s John Mueller says there’s no difference, when it comes to SEO, between embedded videos and videos natively uploaded to a website.
Top Threats to WordPress Sites Identified in New Report
WordPress sites are increasingly being infected with malware from pirated themes and plugins, as per a new report on WordPress security.