Introduction
So your website is live and yet it’s not generating much interest. Perhaps you thought you’d be getting enquiries through your website by now. Maybe you are feeling disappointed that you are not seeing a return on your investment. Either way as a small service business, your limited resources mean that this is yet another thing to add to your to do list of things to sort out. To unravel the mystery that is SEO first you need to know how visible your website is within Google and if it is indexing in the search engines. In this blog I will explain more about indexing and give you 7 essential tips for indexing in the search engines.
What DOES INDEXING A website MEAN?
Website indexing is when search engines crawl the website pages and add them to their database so that they can be displayed in search results.
Consider a library. Before a book is lent out, its first added to a database to create a unique record. Then the book can be kept track of using a simple search. If the book is unavailable,
In the same way, search engines index websites to help people find what they’re looking for.
This process can be started by submitting the website’s sitemap to search engines like Google and Bing, through their individual webmaster tools.
Submitting a sitemap ensures that search engines are aware of all the site’s pages and can index them more efficiently. However, it is important to note that it may take some time for search engines to fully index a site and display its pages in its search results.
Once a website is ‘indexed’, it means the search engine has found your pages and added them to its database. This is the first step in getting a website ranking in the search results.
➡️ Find out how to check website indexing.
INDEXING IN SEARCH ENGINES – 7 TIPS on how to speed up the indexing process
Here are 7 essential tips on how to speed up the indexing process so that your website improve its visibility in search engines:
Tip 1 – submit your sitemap to search engines
To make it easier for search engines, submit your website sitemap. This is better than Google stumbling across your site eventually.
You can manually submit your website’s URL to search engines like Google or Bing. This prompts them to crawl and index your site
When you submit your sitemap directly to the search engines it makes it easier and signpost the search engines to your content.
A sitemap is an XML file that contains all the URLs on your website. Submitting a sitemap to search engines is the easiest way to index your site. It helps search engines understand the directory structure of your website, find all the pages quickly, and index them more accurately.
Tip 2 – Content is king – create new content frequently
Frequently updated websites are crawled more often by search engines. So it is important to regularly update your website.
When new content is created, you’ll want it discovered and indexed quickly. Otherwise, if left unknown, your content creation efforts are in vain.
It’s worth enhancing your pages regularly to encourage search engines to return for new content updates. A static website with extended periods of no fresh updates may hinder your SEO efforts. Search engines love content.
Regularly adding new, high-quality, relevant and keyword-rich content to your site, will keep it fresh and encourage the search engines to access your site.
Types of content you can add include:
- Blog posts that answer questions.
- Case studies, testimonials, and even interviews show proof of your success.
- Updates on your services and offers.
All this can help keep your website up to date and indexed more quickly and easily in search results.
Tip 3 – Optimise page titles and meta descriptions
Well-written page titles and meta descriptions are helpful to both the user and search engines. These snippets are short summaries of a web page’s content. They need to be enticing enough for potential visitors to want to click them on the search engine results page (SERPs). Think of them as little adverts sitting in the results trying to stand out among the crowd, vying for your attention and waiting to be clicked.
Page titles and meta descriptions are also important to help search engines improve the visibility of your pages. When optimised, they should be concise, informative, and descriptive, and include relevant keywords. Make it easier for search engines to understand what your site is about and why it should be included in the search results. This will help your website achieve higher rankings in search engine results.
Tip 4 – Optimise and audit your content
When you publish new content, and if you have previously submitted a sitemap, the search engines should discover it quickly. It’s still good practice to double-check that it has been found and indexed by checking in the webmaster tools, such as Google Search Console or Bing Webmaster Tools. You can also submit a single URL in these tools. If you regularly keep track of your website’s performance, it won’t get out of hand. Use Google Search Console or other tools to monitor your website’s performance and ensure it is being indexed correctly.
Tip 5 – Add internal links to indicate site structure
Internal linking is how Google understands the relationship between your content. It is one of the easiest ways to ensure that search engines understand the structure of your website. Creating links between key pages on your site gives clues about which page should be indexed and ranked for specific topics, keywords, and phrases. If a search engine finds a link from one page to another, it assumes the topic of the linked-to page is related to the original page. If you regularly audit your site, it will highlight any broken links or incorrect URLs which lead to dead-ends. Broken links impact the user journey and also confuse Google.
Tip 6 – Get external links to build up trust
Getting external links to your site from other high-quality websites will help search engines discover and index your site faster. Google wants to trust your website. If your URL appears on other, trusted sites, Google automatically trusts your site more.
These back-links are crucial to building up a digital footprint of your website around the web.
Tip 7 – Use other traffic channels to improve visibility
As part of your marketing, sharing and promoting your site on social media platforms and other search engines, such as YouTube and Pinterest, will help to drive traffic to your website.
Sharing your website’s content on social media platforms can attract more traffic and backlinks, which can speed up the indexing process.
This signals to the search engines that your content is engaging, which will in turn help search engines discover your site and increase visibility.
✅ NEXT STEPS – need help from a pro? Ask an SEO expert.
Conclusion
To ensure your site is indexed by Google, you should ensure it is well-structured, has high-quality content, and does not have any technical issues. If your site is still not being indexed, you may need to troubleshoot further or seek the help of an SEO expert. By following these tips, you can improve your chances of indexing your site quickly and effectively by search engines.