Notes from the Google Webmaster Hangout on the 27th of December, 2016.
Google uses Anchor Text Language to Infer Language of the Page
The language used in anchor text of backlinks to your site can be used by Google to infer the language of the page.
Google Considers Amount of Unique Content Per Page and Number of Pages with Unique Content
Google looks at how much text on each page is unique, and how many pages have unique content.
Algorithm Weighting Changes Per Query and Over Time
The weighting of Google’s algorithms on search results varies per query, and will change over time.
For example, during an election, fresher content might be prioritised for election based search queries.
Google Resets A Site’s Backlink Profile If The Content Changes Completely
Google can recognise when a new site is hosted on an old domain and ignore any older links to the site before it changed.
Page Speed Does Not Affect Mobile Rankings
Google doesn’t currently use page speed to affect mobile rankings but they are considering it.
Mobile-first Indexing Isn’t Likely to Happen in Q1 2017
The move to mobile-first indexing isn’t likely to happen in the first quarter of 2017, and might be phased in as it may require changes to be made to websites.
Some Text in CSS Animations Won’t be Indexed
Some CSS animation types are not supported by Google’s rendering, to the text will not be indexed.
‘Your Site Isn’t Mobile Friendly’ is Only Shown to Verified Webmasters
The message in search results saying ‘Your site isn’t mobile friendly’ is only displayed to webmasters with the site verified in Search Console.
