There were quite a few big media sites that changed recently. What we recommended to them is to switch sections, as this gives you the ability to control the damage if you are in trouble. Google recommends changing sections when switching to HTTPS. Damage control, many reasons @methode #smx — Patrick Stox (@patrickstox) June 13, 2017 I know quite a few sites that have changed over the last two months and they haven't had any issues. DS: If we 301 our entire site to a new URL for a name change, will all of our rankings follow? How long should this take? GI: Yes, all your rankings should follow. Otherwise, we have a problem.
How long? It depends. It's awful, I know. The team pushing the HTTPS migration these days means it takes up to two weeks, but I'm not sure. If you have a site with URLs that we only crawl every two months, it will only take a few weeks on our end. Use the site mover convert raster to vector tool in Search Console if you're moving domains. It really helps us to know what you are doing. However, you don't need to use it for HTTPS moves. And now they are going around lightning, which will be impossible to follow. (Ugh.) DS: How important is schema for an e-commerce site? GI: Very. DS: Do you look at user engagement to determine rankings? GI:
We look at user engagement metrics in a number of ways. The first is to measure how our algorithm experiences will affect users. Another concern personalization. DS: Top 3 or 5 things webmasters should think about? IM: Mobile-first index. Then how can you improve the user experience. Think about how you can target other countries - there are a ton of countries that don't have enough content. These are the top three for me. I would also think more about PWAs. I reflect on their limits and how we can better support them in research. And with that, the opening conversation is over. Thanks for following!