If you’ve ever wondered how Google finds and ranks web pages, you’ve likely come across the terms indexing and crawling. While they might seem interchangeable, they play different roles in Search engine optimization. Understanding these processes can help you ensure your website appears in search results. Let’s break it down in a simple, easy-to-understand way.
What is Crawling?
Crawling is how search engines discover new or updated content on the internet. It’s like a librarian walking through the aisles of a library, checking for new books or updated editions.
How Does Crawling Work?
- Search engines use bots (or spiders) to scan web pages.
- These bots follow links from one page to another, discovering new content.
- They collect information about each page, such as text, images, and internal links.
- If a page is blocked by robots.txt, search bots will skip it.
Why Crawling Matters in SEO
If search engines can’t crawl your website, they won’t know it exists. That means your pages won’t show up in search results. Some common issues that prevent crawling include:
- Broken links (dead-end pages)
- Poor site structure (making it hard for bots to navigate)
- Blocked pages in robots.txt
What is Indexing?
Once a search engine crawls a page decides whether to index it. Indexing is like adding a book to the library catalogue—if it’s not indexed, it’s not searchable.
How Does Indexing Works?
- After crawling a page, Google analyzes its content.
- If the content is valuable and relevant, it gets stored in the search engine’s database (index).
- Indexed pages appear in search results when a user searches for related keywords.
Why Some Pages Aren’t Indexed
Not all pages get indexed. Some reasons include:
- Low-quality content (thin, duplicate, or spammy pages)
- Noindex tags (instructing search engines to skip the page)
- Slow loading speed (Google avoids pages that take too long to load)
How to Ensure Your Site is Crawled and Indexed
Want your website to appear in search results? Follow these best practices:
1. Make Your Website Easy to Crawl
- Keep a clear site structure with proper navigation.
- Use internal links to connect related content.
- Check your robots.txt file to ensure essential pages aren’t blocked.
2. Optimize Your Pages for Indexing
- Write unique, high-quality content that provides value.
- Avoid duplicate pages (or use canonical tags).
- Improve page speed to enhance user experience.
3. Use Google Search Console
- Submit sitemaps to guide crawlers.
- Check the indexing status for your pages.
- Fix crawl errors like broken links or blocked pages.
Make Your Website Indexable and Crawlable
If you want your pages to rank, ensure they are easy to crawl and worth indexing. By following SEO best practices, you increase your chances of being seen by the right audience.
Need help improving your website’s visibility? Contact Bluedot Marketing today for a consultation and let us help you fix your website or request a free SEO Audit.
