Google Search Essentials Search Engine Guidelines

These guidelines include technical requirements, spam policies and best practices to help pages appear in Google Search.

• Google Search Essentials

Rules

• Document head errors affect indexing
• Pages need a title element
• Pages must not have a blank title
• Keyword stuffed alt text
• Provide an HTML site map
• Provide an XML sitemap
• Google cannot follow javascript: URLs
• frameset links may not be indexed
• Don’t use rel=nofollow on internal links
• No meta description tag
• Use dashes instead of underscores in URLs
• Sneaky redirect scripts are penalized
• Hidden single pixel links may be penalized
• Invisible text may be penalized
• Bad neighborhood keyword found
• Page title is not unique
• Soft 404 for missing pages