Google's own SEO guide states it plainly: meta keywords, keyword density and minimum word counts do not matter. What counts is the content, the titles, the links, and technical stability.
Google's process is simpler than the industry suggests
Crawlers discover pages by following links, build an index, and serve results when someone searches. You do not have to submit your site — most indexed pages were found by Google itself.
On timing: some changes take hours, others take months. Google recommends waiting a few weeks before judging, not watching daily.
A thirty-second self-check: search site:yourdomain.com. Results mean you are indexed. Nothing means fix the technical side first — writing more articles will not help.
Nine things to stop worrying about
Myth | What Google says |
|---|---|
Meta keywords | Not used at all in Google Search |
Keyword density | Repeating a term is keyword stuffing, which violates spam policy |
Keywords in the domain or URL path | Almost no ranking effect; they only appear in breadcrumbs |
Domain ending (.com / .hk) | Matters only for country targeting, and usually only slightly |
Minimum or maximum length | No ideal word count; length itself does not affect ranking |
Subdomain vs subdirectory | A business decision, not a ranking decision |
PageRank | One signal among many, not the whole score |
Duplicate content | Wastes crawl budget, but is not a manual penalty — copying other people's content is a different matter |
Number and order of headings | Order helps screen readers, not Google's understanding (too many headings is still bad writing) |
One more worth naming: E-E-A-T is not a ranking factor. Google explicitly warns against treating it as a score you can add. It is a framework for judging content quality, not a technical setting.
The seven things that actually count
Useful, original content — Google says this matters more than every other recommendation combined
Write clearly — short paragraphs, headings, no typos, the reader's words
Descriptive URLs —
/services/web-design, not/p/1293Handle duplicates — one URL per piece of content, 301 or canonical for the rest
Good titles and descriptions — unique per page, stating what the page solves
Image alt text, video titles — not for ranking, for being understood
Meaningful links — internal links with clear anchor text; nofollow on anything you do not trust
Three things Hong Kong sites still need
Bilingual setup: separate URLs per language with hreflang, not automatic switching on one URL
Search Console: the only place Google tells you your actual queries, impressions and clicks. Free, and skipping it is waste
Google Business Profile: the entry point for local business — map, reviews, hours
What not to expect
Google says it in the first section: there is no trick that puts you at number one, and some of the advice will not suit your business. That is honesty, not a disclaimer. Rankings are algorithmic; nobody can buy a position (ads are separate and labelled “sponsored”).
Frequently asked
How long does SEO take?
Google's answer: some changes take hours, some months; wait a few weeks before evaluating. In practice, local terms move in four to eight weeks, general commercial terms in three to six months.
Are meta keywords really dead?
Google Search explicitly does not use them, and most other engines have dropped them too. They will not hurt you, but they will not help.
How long should an article be?
There is no standard. Google states length itself does not affect ranking. The test is whether the reader's question is answered. When it is, stop — do not pad.
How do I add E-E-A-T to my site?
You cannot add it. It is an evaluation framework, not markup. The practical version: say who wrote the page, cite sources, publish contact details and real case work — in other words, behave like a real business.
Will a redesign hurt rankings?
It can, if URLs change without 301s or content disappears. With redirects and a stable URL structure, rankings usually recover within weeks.
Next step
If you want to know whether your site has technical problems right now — indexing, duplicates, speed, bilingual setup — book a 30-minute call. Prices are public on the pricing page.
Source: Google Search Central, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Starter Guide, page updated 18 December 2025, published under CC BY 4.0.