How to Solve SEO Problems | Crawling, Indexing, Sitemap & Coverage Issues | Episode 05 | SEO Garage

Title: Mastering SEO: Practical Solutions to Common Problems

Summary

In this insightful video, our SEO expert delves into practical solutions to common SEO problems. The video covers a range of topics, from dealing with duplicate pages on a website to the impact of website migration on SEO. It also touches on the recent changes Google has made to its system, particularly in relation to title generation. The expert provides actionable advice on how to navigate these issues, ensuring your website remains optimized for search engines.

Key Takeaways

• Understanding and dealing with duplicate pages on a website
• How to handle website migration without negatively impacting SEO
• Insights into Google's recent changes to title generation

Table of Contents

• Dealing with Duplicate Pages
• Website Migration and SEO
• Google's Changes to Title Generation
• Conclusion

Dealing with Duplicate Pages

One common issue that many website owners face is the presence of duplicate pages. This can occur when the same content is published on multiple pages under different states or cities. Google often marks these pages as duplicates, which can negatively impact your SEO. However, this problem can be solved using the hreflang attribute, which tells Google that the pages are in different languages.

It's important to note that while it's not wrong to create multiple pages for different states or cities, the content on these pages must be unique. Otherwise, they may be considered doorway pages, which are against search engine guidelines and can lead to your website being de-indexed.

Website Migration and SEO

Website migration can be a complex process, and if not handled correctly, it can have a negative impact on your SEO. However, there are several steps you can take to minimize this impact. First, ensure that the URL structure of your pages remains the same. Any changes to the URL can confuse Google and lead to a drop in your search rankings.

Additionally, make sure that your internal links are also the same. If you're copying content from your old website to the new one, be careful not to copy the old links as well. Finally, before going live with your new website, test it thoroughly to ensure that it's being crawled correctly by search engines.

Google's Changes to Title Generation

In August 2021, Google announced changes to its system, stating that it would now generate titles for web pages. This means that Google may choose to use a different title for your page than the one you've provided. While this change may seem concerning, it's important to remember that Google's goal is to provide the most relevant results to users. Therefore, if Google changes your title, it's likely because it believes the new title will be more relevant to users.

However, you still have control over your page's title. Google may use elements from your page such as the H1 or H2 tags, the description, or the content itself to generate the title. Therefore, by optimizing these elements, you can influence the title that Google generates for your page.

Conclusion

SEO can be a complex field, with many potential issues to navigate. However, by understanding these issues and knowing how to handle them, you can ensure that your website remains optimized for search engines. Whether you're dealing with duplicate pages, migrating your website, or navigating Google's recent changes, the key is to stay informed and take proactive steps to address these issues.