Notes from the Google Webmaster Hangout on the 12th of June, 2017.
Hreflang For Different Languages is Useful for Brand Searches
If you have websites in completely different languages, it’s most useful for brand searches. if Google is already returning the correct pages for different language searches, you probably don’t need to set up hreflang.
Use Info: to Find Canonical URLs for Hreflang Tags
If your hreflang tags point to non-canonical URLs, they won’t be accepted. Check the canonical for any URL by searching for it with info:
Google May Override Hreflang for Some Searches
Google may choose a different page to the one specified in hreflang based on signals which suggest it better matches the user’s intent.
Websites are Responsible for User Generated Content Quality
If you allow users to add content to a website, you are responsible for any content quality issues. You can use solutions like canonical and noindex.
Add All Domain Variations to Search Console to Receive Error Notification
Google recommends to add all variations of your domain to Search Console so they can notify you in the event of errors and to see data about which versions are appearing in search results.
Query Filtered Search Console Analytics Reports Won’t Match Totals
Query level reports in Search Console Analytics may filter out some impressions so they won’t add up to the totals.
Moving To a Domain Which Hosted Adult or Spam Content May Affect Rankings
Moving to an old domain which hosted adult or spam content may take a few months to be recognised as a new site. You can submit your site using the Safe Search form if the site is being incorrectly filtered.
Don’t Serve Different Language Pages on the Same URL
If you have different language versions of a page that is hosted on a single URL, Google will only index one version.
Index Status in Search Console is Updated a Few Times a Week
The Index Status data in Search Console is updated 2-3 times a week.
Search Console Link Data Is Updated as Pages are Recrawled
The links data in Search Console but it may take Google up to a year to re-crawl pages to find new and removed links.
Changing IP Address Can Affect Crawl Rate
If you change the IP address, Google recognises a change in the infrastucture and will start to crawl cautiously at first, then increase the crawl rate over time, but it won’t affect rankings.
