Some information about Google and Bing

Recently, with information obtained from unofficial sources, we are looking for answers to some questions this week: Can Google ignore all links from spam sites? Is there a risk in choosing a domain name that is very similar to another domain name? Do the Markdown versions of pages have any significance for SEO?

Google can ignore links from spam sites

John Mueller reminds us that if a site violates Google's anti-spam policies, the external links of that site can be completely ignored. In other words, a site considered spam does not convey any value to the sites it links to.

John Mueller: « I don’t fully understand what a link penalty means, but generally, if our systems detect that a site is producing irrelevant or policy-violating external links, we can ignore all links from that site. This applies to some sites when there is no added value from the links. »

Trustworthiness rating: ⭐⭐⭐ We agree!

This is not new information, but an important confirmation.

Be careful with domain names, they should not be too similar

A webmaster was concerned about owning a domain name very close to another domain name (only one letter difference). John Mueller states that this is generally not a problem for SEO.

The only real risk is Google's “Did you mean...?” feature. If someone searches for your brand, Google may suggest the other domain thinking there is a typo, and this situation may continue for a while until Google understands that the two brands are different. The stronger (age, recognition) the other domain is, the longer this process may take.

Trustworthiness rating: ⭐⭐⭐ We agree!

Choosing a domain name very similar to a competitor's domain name is not only an SEO risk (risk of confusion) but also a legal risk (competition infringement) and can hinder the process of building a strong, memorable brand, especially if the business areas of the two sites are similar.

Markdown versions are not very useful for SEO

An SEO consultant saw claims that presenting the Markdown versions of blog posts on Google Search Central would increase visibility. They researched the topic, examined the page's source code, and found that the Markdown version was not accessible by the browser (it can only be accessed through a JavaScript event, not through a classic href). They asked John Mueller if they were missing something.

John Mueller's response: Just because Google does something on its own sites, it doesn’t mean it’s an important SEO practice or related to SEO.

Trustworthiness rating: ⭐⭐ We have some doubts...

The SEO community tends to over-interpret every move by Google. At the same time, it’s also not possible to fully agree with him!