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Google’s John Mueller Providing Webmaster Support On Christmas
Every year, John Mueller, Senior Search Analyst / Search Relations team lead at Google makes a significant effort to help respond to SEO-related questions on Christmas. He has done this since at least 2007, so sixteen-years and counting, and has done it again this Christmas.
Here are the previous years of John offering support on Christmas. He did it last year in 2022, then in 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, and 2007.
This year, he seems to have stayed off X (formerly known as Twitter) likely for good reason, and posted mostly on Reddit. Here are the Reddit threads and responses he posted on on Christmas day:
- Hreflang rendering – head or body? – “It sounds like (since you mentioned “rendering”) you’re adding hreflang with JavaScript. Technically, that’s possible, but debugging is going to be painful. I would imagine that many hreflang testing tools will have trouble seeing it, for example. Hreflang is hard on its own, I would try not to make it even harder. It sounds like you’re on top of things, just keep in mind that if the js injects an iframe in the head, you need to make sure the meta tags that you need for search are before the iframe. (The iframe will generally stop processing of the head at that point).”
- Robots.txt unreachable – “This is almost certainly your server blockinng Googlebot, for example with a particularly spicy CDN configuration. This is not a bug in Search Console. If your robots.txt is not accessible to Googlebot, nothing will get crawled. The contents of the robots.txt file doesn’t matter for this issue – the problem is that Googlebot can’t even look at the file, so it assumes that your server wants to block all traffic.”
- Google Cache is different from Search Console Live Inspection – “The cached page is not reflective of what’s indexed – the JS might not “run” there for technical reasons. Use Search Console instead.”
- What SEO myths are you tired of hearing of? – “That some things are myths and should therefore never be followed / used.”
- Any point in putting brand name on meta title for website pages? – “I like cheese, sorry.”
- Follow this site feature. Is it automatic or do you need to add code? – “If you have a blog, it’s probably already set up for it (RSS / atom feed). Otherwise, depending on your CMS, you probably either have feeds like that already too, or it’s easy to activate them. If you’re making your own CMS, creating an RSS feed isn’t that much more work.”
- Absolute URLs in Hreflang vs Impressions performance? – “Random thoughts, might / might not be relevant to you. I’d be tempted to make sure the meta charset is the first element of the head, to make sure that all content in there is processed with the right character set. Looking around (like https://webhint.io/docs/user-guide/hints/hint-meta-charset-utf-8/ ), this seems like a common practice, but I don’t think it’s a requirement. If your scripts “break the head” (eg, inject an iframe), you might end up losing the hreflang links below that section. I’d put any meta tags that you care about for search (meta robots, canonical, hreflang come to mind) above things like scripts added in the head.”
A couple days before the holiday, he posted his annual year-end SEO meme on X, click through to go through them all:
The #SEO memes of 2023 – as found on the line, in various places, and used in some of my internal reports. Roughly in time order. No takesies-backsies. No garlic was used in the making of this thread. Not suitable for time travellers. All links are nofollow.
— I am John – 🍟 Say no to cookies, biscuits only 🍪 (@JohnMu) December 22, 2023
As I wrote last year, there are also tons of volunteers, Google Product Experts, and other volunteers that have answered dozens and dozens of questions throughout Christmas eve and day and over the weekends. Like I said last year, this shows how John deeply cares about webmasters. He knows that if a webmaster, site owner, or business owner is posting something concerning their website over the holidays, this webmaster must be in some distress, and he is there looking to help. We discussed this a bit when I interviewed him on my vlog – check it out over here.
In any event – John – thanks for everything you do, and wishing you, your family, and your colleagues a happy, healthy, peaceful, and successful holiday and New Year.
Here are some posts from other search reps wishing everyone a happy holidays:
Heading off for the holidays for the next few days. All the best to you all!
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) December 22, 2023
🎅🏼🎁Merry Christmas 🎄❄️SEOs pic.twitter.com/yRxhAHZQSd
— Fabrice Canel (@facan) December 25, 2023
I’m signing off for 2023. Wishing everyone rest and peace this holiday season.
Thank you for all the questions, ideas and feedback throughout the year. See you in 2024!— AdsLiaison (@adsliaison) December 21, 2023
And happy holidays to everyone out there!
Forum discussion at posts above.
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Why Malia Obama Received Major Criticism Over A Secret Facebook Page Dissing Trump
Given the divisive nature of both the Obama and Trump administrations, it’s unsurprising that reactions to Malia Obama’s alleged secret Facebook account would be emotional. Many online users were quick to jump to former President Donald Trump’s defense, with one user writing: “Dear Malia: Do you really think that anyone cares whether you and/or your family likes your father’s successor? We’re all trying to forget you and your family.”
Others pointed out the double standard held by those who condemn Trump for hateful rhetoric but praise people like Malia who speak out against her father’s successor in what they believe to be hateful rhetoric. Some users seemed bent on criticizing Malia simply because they don’t like her or her father, proving that the eldest Obama daughter couldn’t win for losing regarding the public’s perception of her or her online presence.
The secret Facebook situation is not all that dissimilar to critics who went after Malia for her professional name at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. In this instance, people ironically accused Malia of using her family’s name to get into the competitive festival while also condemning her for opting not to use her surname, going by Malia Ann instead.
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Best Practices for Data Center Decommissioning and IT Asset Disposition
Data center decommissioning is a complicated process that requires careful planning and experienced professionals.
If you’re considering shutting down or moving your data center, here are some best practices to keep in mind:
Decommissioning a Data Center is More than Just Taking Down Physical Equipment
Decommissioning a data center is more than just taking down physical equipment. It involves properly disposing of data center assets, including servers and other IT assets that can contain sensitive information. The process also requires a team with the right skills and experience to ensure that all data has been properly wiped from storage media before they’re disposed of.
Data Centers Can be Decommissioned in Phases, Which Allows For More Flexibility
When you begin your data center decommissioning process, it’s important to understand that it’s not an event. Instead, it’s a process that takes place over time and in phases. This flexibility allows you to adapt as circumstances change and make adjustments based on your unique situation. For example:
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You may start by shutting down parts of the facility (or all) while keeping others running until they are no longer needed or cost-effective to keep running.
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When you’re ready for full shutdown, there could be some equipment still in use at other locations within the company (such as remote offices). These can be moved back into storage until needed again.
Data Center Decommissioning is Subject to Compliance Guidelines
Data center decommissioning is subject to compliance guidelines. Compliance guidelines may change, but they are always in place to ensure that your organization is following industry standards and best practices.
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Local, state and federal regulations: You should check local ordinances regarding the disposal of any hazardous materials that were used in your data center (such as lead-based paint), as well as any other applicable laws related to environmental impact or safety issues. If you’re unsure about how these might affect your plans for a decommissioned facility, consult an attorney who specializes in this area of law before proceeding with any activities related to IT asset disposition or building demolition.
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Industry standards: There are many industry associations dedicated specifically toward helping businesses stay compliant with legal requirements when moving forward with projects such as data center decommissioning.
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Internal policies & procedures: Make sure everyone on staff understands how important it is not just from a regulatory standpoint but also from an ethical one; nobody wants their name associated with anything inappropriate!
Companies Should Consider Safety and Security During the Decommissioning Process
Data center decommissioning is a complex process that involves several steps. Companies need to consider the risks associated with each step of the process, and they should have a plan in place to mitigate these risks. The first step of data center decommissioning is identifying all assets and determining which ones will be reused or repurposed. At this point, you should also determine how long it will take for each asset to be repurposed or recycled so that you can estimate how much money it will cost for this part of your project (this can be done through an estimate based on previous experience).
The second step involves removing any hazardous materials from electronic equipment before it’s sent off site for recycling; this includes chemicals used in manufacturing processes like lead-free solder paste adhesives used on circuit boards made from tin-based alloys containing up 80% pure tin ingots stamped out into flat sheets called “pucks”. Once these chemicals have been removed from whatever device needs them taken off their surfaces then those devices can safely go through any other necessary processes such as grinding away excess plastic housing material using high pressure water jets until only its bare frame remains intact without any cracks where moisture might collect inside later causing corrosion damage over time due too much moisture exposure.
With Proper Planning and an Effective Team, You’ll Help Protect Your Company’s Future
Data center decommissioning is a complex process that should be handled by a team of experts with extensive experience in the field. With proper planning, you can ensure a smooth transition from your current data center environment to the next one.
The first step toward a successful data center decommissioning project is to create a plan for removing hardware and software assets from the building, as well as documenting how these assets were originally installed in the facility. This will allow you or another team member who may inherit some of these assets later on down the line to easily find out where they need to go when it’s time for them to be moved again (or disposed).
Use Professional Data Center Decommissioning Companies
In order to ensure that you get the most out of your data center decommissioning project, it’s important to use a professional data center decommissioning company. A professional data center decommissioning company has experience with IT asset disposition and can help you avoid mistakes in the process. They also have the tools and expertise needed to efficiently perform all aspects of your project, from pre-planning through finalizing documentation.
Proper Planning Will Help Minimize the Risks of Data Center Decommissioning
Proper planning is the key to success when it comes to the data center decommissioning process. It’s important that you don’t wait until the last minute and rush through this process, as it can lead to mistakes and wasted time. Proper planning will help minimize any risks associated with shutting down or moving a data center, keeping your company safe from harm and ensuring that all necessary steps are taken before shutdown takes place.
To Sum Up
The key to a successful ITAD program is planning ahead. The best way to avoid unexpected costs and delays is to plan your ITAD project carefully before you start. The best practices described in this article will help you understand what it takes to decommission an entire data center or other large facility, as well as how to dispose of their assets in an environmentally responsible manner.
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Massive Volatility Reported – Google Search Ranking Algorithm Update
I am seeing some massive volatility being reported today after seeing a spike in chatter within the SEO community on Friday. I have not seen the third-party Google tracking tools show this much volatility in a long time. I will say the tracking tools are way more heated than the chatter I am seeing, so something might be off here.
Again, I saw some initial chatter from within the SEO forums and on this site starting on Friday. I decided not to cover it on Friday because the chatter was not at the levels that would warrant me posting something. Plus, while some of the tools started to show a lift in volatility, most of the tools did not yet.
To be clear, Google has not confirmed any update is officially going on.
Well, that changed today, and the tools are all superheated today.
Google Tracking Tools:
Let’s start with what the tools are showing:
So most of these tools are incredibly heated, signaling that they are showing massive changes in the search result positions in the past couple of days.
SEO Chatter
Here is some of the chatter from various comments on this site and on WebmasterWorld since Friday:
Speaking of, is anyone seeing some major shuffling going on in the SERPs today? It’s a Friday so of course Google is playing around again.
Something is going on.
Pages are still randomly dropping out of the index for 8-36h at a time. Extremely annoying.
Speaking of, is anyone seeing some major shuffling going on in the SERPs today? It’s a Friday so of course Google is playing around again
In SerpRobot I’m seeing a steady increase in positions in February, for UK desktop and mobile, reaching almost the ranks from the end of Sep 2023. Ahrefs shows a slight increase in overall keywords and ranks.
In the real world, nothing seems to happen.
yep, traffic has nearly come to a stop. But exactly the same situation happened to us last Friday as well.
USA traffic continues to be whacked…starting -70% today.
In my case, US traffic is almost zero (15 % from 80%) and the rest is kind of the same I guess. Traffic has dropped from 4K a day to barely scrapping 1K now. But a lot is just bots since payment-wise, the real traffic seems to be about 400-500. And … that’s how a 90% reduction looks like.
Something is happening now. Google algo is going crazy again. Is anyone else noticing?
Since every Saturday at 12 noon the Google traffic completely disappears until Sunday, everything looks normal to me.
This update looks like a weird one and no, Google has not confirmed any update is going on.
What are you all noticing?
Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.
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