HTTP/3 doesn’t have a direct effect on SEO in spite of its faster performance, Google says.
Google Search Supporter John Mueller exposes a theory that the faster speed of HTTP/3 can straight affect
a website’s SEO. This topic is resolved throughout the November 2022 edition of Google’s SEO office-hours Q&A session. Joined by the Google Search Relations group, Muller answers the following question:
Could using HTTP/3 improve SEO because it improves efficiency?
HTTP/3 provides efficiency advantages over HTTP/2 and HTTP/3. However, the efficiency gains are unlikely to make a difference relating to SEO.
Mueller On The SEO Impact Of HTTP/3
Mueller starts his response by specifying Google does not use HTTP/3 as a ranking aspect or in web crawling:
“Google doesn’t utilize HTTP/3 as a consider ranking at the minute. As far as I know, we do not use it in crawling either.”
Google mainly uses HTTP/1 for web crawling. Googlebot supports HTTP/2 but just utilizes it when there’s a clear advantage over HTTP/1.
Support for HTTP/3 is likely a long way off. Websites that select to embrace it early will not see a direct enhancement in search rankings, Mueller discusses:
“In terms of performance, I presume the gains users see from utilizing HTTP/3 would not suffice to significantly impact the core web vitals, which are the metrics that we utilize in the page experience ranking aspect. While making a faster server is always a good concept, I question you ‘d see a direct connection with SEO only from utilizing HTTP/3. Similar to how you ‘d be difficult pressed to discovering a direct connection to using a faster type of RAM in your servers.”
Mueller offered a similar action when asked about HTTP/3 in December 2021.
However, he suggested HTTP/3 could “potentially indirectly” impact core web vitals.
I don’t believe we crawl with http/3 however that doesn’t mean you will not see favorable impacts for users (and with that, possibly indirectly core web vitals too).
— John Mueller is mainly not here (@JohnMu) December 6, 2021
Mueller sounds more positive now in saying that there’s no impact.
Hear his response in the video below:
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