Indexing in SEO refers to the process by which search engines store and organize web pages in their database. It’s crucial for visibility in search results, as non-indexed pages won’t appear when users search for relevant topics.
How the Indexing Process Works
- Discovery: Search engines find new or updated web pages.
- Crawling: Bots scan the content of discovered pages.
- Indexing: Pages are analyzed and stored in the search engine’s database.
- Ranking: Indexed pages become eligible to appear in search results.
Google prioritizes mobile-first indexing, which means it primarily uses the mobile version of a site’s content for indexing and ranking.
13 Tips to Get Your Website Indexed by Google
In this guide, I will walk you through the essential steps to effectively get your website indexed by Google. Most of these steps I have practically implemented in my 5 years of professional career as an SEO Specialist, and they work.
1. Connect Your Website with Google Search Console
Google Search Console (GSC) is a free tool that helps you monitor and maintain your site’s presence in Google Search results. It’s essential for tracking indexing status and submitting your sitemap.
2. Create and Optimize Your Sitemap
A sitemap is a file that lists all the important pages on your website. Including pages in your sitemap signals to Google that these pages should be indexed. You don’t need to resubmit your sitemap repeatedly.
Plugins like Yoast create sitemap automatically in Wodpress but you can also create sitemap manually using Screaming Frog or other tools.
3. Submit Your Sitemap to Google Search Console
To submit your sitemap:
- Sign in to Google Search Console
- Select your property
- Click “Sitemaps” under “Index” on the left-hand side
- Add “sitemap.xml” under “Add a new sitemap”
- Click “Submit”
4. Request Indexing for Your Homepage
The URL Inspection Tool is a powerful feature within Google Search Console that provides detailed insights about how Google views and indexes specific web pages
To request indexing of your webpage, go to the URL inspection tool, enter your homepage URL, and click “Request indexing”.
You can check if your website is indexed by Google by typing “site:” followed by your domain name in the Google search bar. If Google has indexed your site, the search engine results page will return a list of pages on your site
5. Use Live Test in Google Search Console
The Live Test feature in Google Search Console’s URL Inspection Tool allows you to test the current live version of a URL on your website. It provides real-time insights about how Google views and processes your page.
Check the Screenshot of your page after live test. If it is showing distorted page in the screenshot then its time improve your page.
6. Improve Internal Linking
Internal links create pathways for Google bots to navigate your site, making it easier for them to discover and index new pages
Link to new pages from already indexed pages. When you link related content, it signals to Google that these pages are connected, encouraging the crawler to explore further. This helps search engine crawlers discover and index new content more efficiently.
The anchor text used in internal links provides Google with additional context about the linked page’s content, helping it understand and index new pages more effectively
7. Leverage Google Business Profile
Create a post on your Google Business Profile, including the URL you want indexed.
If you don’t have GBP, you can post it on your friend’s Google Business Profiles.
The reason why this tip will work is that Google typically indexes posts published within the last 60 days. This means recent posts have a higher chance of being discoverable in search results.
8. Utilize Social Media
Tweet your new page URL on X (formerly Twitter). Google indexes tweets, which can improve the chances of your page being indexed. Even the famous SEO blog SE Roundtable does that.
9. Seek Mentions on News Websites
Google News-approved websites are crawled and indexed more frequently. Getting your website link mentioned on these sites can improve indexing chances. Here are some other advantage you can get –
- When a reputable news outlet mentions your brand, it provides powerful third-party validation.
- News website mentions expose your brand to a broader audience, potentially reaching new customer segments that might not have discovered your business otherwise.
- Media mentions can significantly improve your search engine rankings.
10 . Enhance Page Value
Create high-quality, unique content that provides value to users. Focus on in-depth, comprehensive coverage of topics relevant to your audience.
Optimize on-page SEO elements:
- Use relevant keywords in meta titles, URLs, meta descriptions, and image tags.
- Add descriptive alt text to images.
- Include video transcripts and make sure they are optmized for mobile versions.
- Optimize your Blog Posts
- Remove excess 4xx or 5xx can improve indexing of website
11. Remove Thin Content
Thin content negatively impacts indexing because search engines prioritize high-quality, valuable content. Pages with little value may not be indexed or ranked well. Thin content wastes crawl budget, reducing the chances of more important pages being indexed. It can also lead to penalties, hurting overall site visibility.
12. Use the Indexing API
The Google Indexing API is designed to help website owners expedite the process of getting their URLs discovered and indexed by Google. It is particularly beneficial for sites with dynamic content that changes frequently, such as job postings or live event updates.
13. Build Backlinks
Building backlinks improves indexing by signaling to search engines that your webpage is valuable and credible.
Backlinks from authoritative sites drive referral traffic and prompt search engine bots to crawl your site more frequently. This increased crawling helps for new or updated pages get discovered and indexed faster. Quality backlinks also boost rankings, enhancing overall visibility.
Conclusion
Getting your website indexed by Google is a crucial step to achieving online visibility and driving organic traffic. By following the steps outlined in this guide you can create an SEO-Friendly website which significantly improve your site’s indexing rate.