Google page indexing - what does it involve and how to speed it up?

As I write this article, there are already 1,959,436,252 websites in the world (according to the internet live stats). However, simply designing and publishing a website is not enough for web users to get to it from a search engine. This will only be possible once the site has been indexed. What is this process and how can it be improved? You will read in this article.

How does Google index websites?

Although it may seem so to some, search engines are not omniscient. They only present information that has been made available to them in advance. The process of extracting this information and adding it to a database is what is called indexing.

In other words, Google's scanning robots (the so-called spiders, crawlers) scan pages for new content, "screen" them and remember which address URL is most relevant to the keyword phrase in question. The search engine's index is huge (the number of existing pages from the beginning of this article is no longer current as I write this paragraph), and Google knows what pages are likely to be responsive to a particular user query. It is worth noting that Google scans not only new sites, but also existing ones for updates.

And how often does Google index? The answer to this question is not clear-cut. Google may index 5 pages on a particular site each day, 5,000 pages on another, and 5,000,000 on yet another. It depends on site indexing budget (crawl budget). The budget is influenced, among other things, by the size of the site, its condition, the absence or presence of errors and the number of leading links. So how much can a indexing of the site? Webmasters point out that from a few hours up to a few months. Why might some addresses index faster than others? The reason may be, for example, that the site has not been updated for some time, so the search engine does not send its robot to it. Therefore, when an update does occur, it takes a mini while before Google's robot hits it.

Indexing problems - why can they occur?

There are several underlying causes of indexing problems that the site owner can influence.

Noindex

One of the most common and also easiest to eliminate indexing problems is the noindex value set in the robots parameter of a page. This value is a signal to Google robots not to index a given sub-page. If you have blocked the page from indexing using the robots.txt file, simply remove the robots blocking tags from the file and the page will return to the index. Also make sure that the robots meta section does not contain noindex.

The site is new and needs to earn the "attention" of robots

Google does not spend as much time on new sites as it does on those with more seniority and authority. The solution is to keep working on the site, adding valuable content and naturally building a quality link profile. Over time, Google will begin to trust the site and will visit and index it more often. 

Duplication

Google sees no point in indexing the same content twice. Therefore, copying content from other sites is not only unethical, but also 'won't pass' because the search engine will recognise the duplicate and will not index the duplicate sub-page. Problems with indexing may also result from low quality content of specific subpages (so-called thin content).

Page takes a long time to load

Robots do not want to waste time and resources on slow-loading pages. If they encounter such a problem, they are very likely to abandon indexing. The search engine also considers slow-loading pages not worth indexing, as it is keen to provide users with speed-optimised results.

How to improve the indexing of a page?

You already know the common causes that cause indexing problems. It's time to learn about ways to solve them and improve the rate of indexation.

Use Google Search Console and try manual indexing.

GSC is a URL verification tool that provides detailed scanning, indexing and display information for sites directly from Google's index. Add your site to GSC by entering its URL and verifying it. Details on how to get started using this free tool can be found HERE.

GSC has a section dedicated to indexing, and also allows you to index each URL manually.

How to do it?

• Log in to your account at Google Search Console 
• Paste the URL of a new subpage (e.g. a fresh blog post) in the search box
• When the tool shows no indexation, click "Send indexation request"
• The request will be processed, you just have to wait for the web robots to visit and index the page

Fix the technical errors on the website and speed it up

You already know that the loading speed of a page really affects its indexation. Therefore, try to work on this aspect. You can check how long a page takes to load, for example, in the PageSpeed or GTmetrics. These tools will indicate what problems are slowing down the site and how to improve its score. Also, eliminating technical errors on a site can speed up its indexation rate. Focus primarily on eliminating duplicates. Verify that content is only displayed at one address and get redirects under control.  

Ensure a logical page structure

An appropriately clear page structure will speed up the indexation of the entire site. Use a tree structure where the most important pages are no more than three clicks away from the main page. Internal linking should help users and robots discover the site and navigate it intuitively. In addition to this, preparing the right page structure will avoid mistakes with duplicate content and keyword cannibalisation.

How do I check whether a subpage is indexed?

To check whether a particular subpage is already in the index, simply go to Google and use the following operator: site:nazwa-twojej-domeny.pl. If your page appears among the search results, it has been indexed. Under the search bar, you will also find information on the number of all sub-pages reached by the crawler.

The indexing status can also be checked using the aforementioned Google Search Console. This is done using report Status in the index. You will find out from it whether there have been any indexing problems.

A recipe for indexation - patience and work on your site

You already know what indexation is and what can affect its rate. Remember that just because you have a website does not mean that it is visible on Google! Indexing is essential - without it, you cannot start positioning your website and reaching new users. So take the time to speed up the whole process and attract robots to your site. And don't panic if indexing takes longer than you thought - although the search engine has accustomed us to instant access to information, it too has its limitations.