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Every year, for roughly the past 18 years, Digital Phablet’s John Mueller has dedicated his Christmas to assisting individuals with their Google Search ranking and SEO issues. This tradition remains unchanged as Mueller responds to multiple questions across Reddit and other social media platforms during the holiday season.
Mueller has consistently offered support on Christmas since at least 2007. Here is a summary of some of the topics he’s addressed over the years, including recent examples:
One Reddit thread discussed expanding a SaaS business using multiple country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs). Mueller recommended reviewing reputable international SEO guides and emphasized the importance of fixing international SEO issues before site launch. He questioned whether splitting a website across different ccTLDs was necessary, noting that managing all domains within a single Search Console account simplifies monitoring. For default language targeting, he suggested choosing a language that suits most users without creating a separate generic site, highlighting the significance of correctly implementing hreflang tags and ensuring proper backlinking.
Another inquiry involvedfavicon visibility in search engines. Mueller advised consulting Glenn Gabe’s detailed article on favicon issues, particularly for sites built with frameworks like React. He emphasized placing favicon code directly in HTML templates rather than relying solely on JavaScript, to prevent potential display failures.
A further discussion centered on migrating a website from PHP to NextJS while maintaining SEO integrity. Mueller stressed the importance of implementing proper redirects—preferably server-side 301 or 308 redirects—to prevent traffic loss and indexing issues. He pointed out that site structure and layout changes could influence search visibility and recommended using website crawlers such as Screaming Frog to track URL and redirect statuses before and after migration. Keeping a static copy during the process can also be beneficial for debugging.
Another Reddit question addressed a Blogger site not appearing in Google search results even after submitting a sitemap. Mueller clarified that being indexed does not always guarantee visibility, especially if the site’s name is very generic. He explained that search engines may only show the homepage for very broad or common site names, unless there’s sufficient relevant content or signals; thus, understanding how indexing works is essential.
Mueller also responded to an inquiry about hiding URLs from search results using search tools. He noted that the tool simply hides URLs from search listings but does not remove them from the index, advising users to verify the actual presence of pages in search results first.
It’s noteworthy that Mueller’s annual support efforts on Christmas are highly valued, especially considering the concerns of those reaching out on a holiday. His generosity in sharing expertise exemplifies a long-standing tradition of helping the SEO community during the festive season.
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