Google’s John Mueller Working On New Year’s Day 2026

01/01/26
Source: Search Engine Roundtable by barry@rustybrick.com (Barry Schwartz). Read the original article

TL;DR Summary of John Mueller’s New Year SEO Insights and Traditions

John Mueller from Google continues his annual tradition of engaging with webmasters on New Year’s Day, providing valuable SEO advice. He emphasizes that 404 and 410 errors are normal and do not harm SEO, focusing instead on user experience with error pages. Redirecting invalid URLs to homepages or categories can confuse users and create soft-404 scenarios. Other Google and Bing representatives also share updates and plans for 2026 SEO improvements.

Optimixed’s Overview: Key Takeaways from Google’s New Year SEO Guidance and Community Engagement

John Mueller’s Longstanding SEO Support Tradition

Every New Year’s Day, John Mueller, a prominent Google Search advocate, dedicates time to answer webmaster questions and clarify SEO-related concerns. This tradition, ongoing for nearly two decades, highlights his commitment to helping site owners navigate the complexities of search engine optimization.

Understanding 404s, 410s, and Redirects from an SEO Perspective

  • 404 Errors: Mueller stresses that 404 (Not Found) responses are expected and not detrimental to SEO, as these URLs do not get indexed.
  • 410 Errors: Functionally the same as 404s, signaling that the content is gone.
  • Redirecting to Homepage or Categories: While this might seem user-friendly, it often leads to soft-404 situations, confusing users and search engines alike.
  • Serving 200 Status with 404 Content: Considered a soft-404 and is discouraged.

Mueller’s advice prioritizes usability and helping users find relevant content over SEO mechanics in handling invalid URLs.

Other Google and Bing SEO Leaders Join the Conversation

Besides John Mueller, notable figures like Google’s Rajan Patel and Martin Splitt also participate early in the year, signaling ongoing improvements and discussions around SEO strategies, including possible enhancements to JavaScript SEO documentation tailored for SEO professionals.