Weekly SEO News January 3 - 10

Google Clarifies: URL Case Doesn't Impact Search, Consistency Does

Source: https://bsky.app/profile/johnmu.com/post/3lf7nxaqhzk2q?

Google's John Mueller reaffirmed that URLs can be in lowercase, uppercase, or a mix—it doesn't affect search rankings. However, he emphasized the importance of being consistent in your chosen case format.

This aligns with Google's official documentation, which advises standardizing URL case to help Google identify identical pages more easily. The guidelines were updated in 2023 to reinforce this point.

On Bluesky, John shared: "URLs don't need to be lowercase but should be consistent. Lowercase might simplify this. Also, ensure internal references like links or structured data match in case."

The takeaway? While URL case doesn't influence SEO directly, maintaining consistency across your site is crucial.

Google's Tips for Optimizing LCP Core Web Vitals

Source: https://bsky.app/profile/tunetheweb.com/post/3lfd5gx7vkx2w?

Barry Pollard, a Web Performance Developer Advocate for Google Chrome, shared five actionable tips to improve the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) score, a critical Core Web Vitals metric. These insights are essential for SEOs aiming to enhance site performance. Here's a summary of his advice:

Understanding LCP

LCP measures how quickly the largest content element (like a block of text or an image) is displayed in the user's viewport. Improving this metric directly impacts user experience and page performance.

Key Optimization Tips

1. Understand the Data Source Pollard emphasized the importance of using PageSpeed Insights (PSI) data for debugging LCP issues, as it provides insights derived from real user experiences through Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX).
2. Review TTFB (Time to First Byte) A slow TTFB, indicating server response delays, can be a major factor in poor LCP scores. Pollard highlighted two common causes:
3. Compare TTFB with Lighthouse Lab Tests Use Lighthouse's "Initial server response time" audit to verify if the TTFB issues observed in PSI are repeatable. Synthetic Lighthouse tests help isolate causes by simulating site visits under controlled conditions.
4. Check for CDN Masking CDNs can improve page speed but may hide server-level issues. To bypass this, Pollard suggested:
5. Fix Repeatable Issues Pollard advised focusing on problems that can be consistently replicated, such as:

Takeaways

Pollard’s advice emphasizes a systematic approach: identify, verify, and address the root causes of LCP issues. Whether it's server performance, code efficiency, or network challenges, focusing on repeatable problems ensures more effective solutions.

By following these steps, SEOs can make significant improvements to their Core Web Vitals metrics and, ultimately, their website’s performance.