Can GoogleBot Read QR Codes?

Sep 16, 2013 - 8:10 am 3 by

QR CodeA Google Webmaster Help thread has an interesting question, does Google use QR codes for discovering new content and pages? Can GoogleBot read QR codes and follow through to the data, URL or whatever behind them.

Google's John Mueller didn't really know, he responded in the thread:

That's an interesting question -- do you have an example of one that we could look at?

I assume it is easy enough to test. Create a page somewhere, only link to it with a QR code. Make sure Google finds the page with the QR code and wait and see if Google discovers the page. Of course, you need to make sure Google doesn't discover the page other ways.

I am not sure why it matters to much.

I assume even if GoogleBot does discover pages through QR codes, which I doubt. That the QR code won't pass PageRank and necessarily past trust. But again, that somewhat can be tested.

Have anyone of you tested this?

Forum discussion at Google Webmaster Help.

 

Popular Categories

The Pulse of the search community

Search Video Recaps

 
- YouTube
Video Details More Videos Subscribe to Videos

Most Recent Articles

Search Forum Recap

Daily Search Forum Recap: July 18, 2025

Jul 18, 2025 - 10:00 am
Search Video Recaps

Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google June Core Update Done, Local Ranking Update, AI Mode Updates & AI Calling Businesses

Jul 18, 2025 - 8:01 am
Google Maps

New Google Business Profile Check Edit Status

Jul 18, 2025 - 7:51 am
Google Search Engine Optimization

Google: Login Service Pages Are Hard To Rank In Search

Jul 18, 2025 - 7:41 am
Google

Google AI Overviews For Movie Queries

Jul 18, 2025 - 7:31 am
Google Ads

Google Ads Rolling Out Smart Bidding Exploration To Some Advertisers

Jul 18, 2025 - 7:21 am
Previous Story: Google Earth Satellite Security Surveillance System