How to Get Google To Index Your Site

Summary

This video offers a comprehensive guide for content creators struggling with low traffic due to unindexed articles. It explains the phases of Google indexing, the importance of sitemaps, and how to use Rank Math, a WordPress SEO plugin, to connect with Google services and submit sitemaps efficiently. The video also covers methods to check indexing status, troubleshoot common issues, and provides bonus tips for improving indexing chances, including creating unique content and avoiding duplicate pages.

Takeaways

• 😀 Content creators often face the frustration of their articles not getting indexed by Google, leading to no traffic.
• 🔍 Google's indexing process involves two main phases: crawling and indexing, where Google finds and processes pages to understand their content.
• 📈 To expedite indexing, use tools like Rank Math, a WordPress SEO plugin, which simplifies the process of connecting your site to Google services and submitting sitemaps.
• 🛠️ Ensure your website is set up correctly for indexing by checking settings like 'Discouraged search engine' in WordPress Reading settings and 'Robots Meta' in Rank Math.
• 🔗 Utilize sitemaps to help Google discover new and updated pages on your website, which is crucial for indexing.
• 🔄 Google Search Console's 'URL Inspection' tool can be used to check if a page is indexed and to request indexing if it's not.
• 🚀 'Instant Indexing' and 'IndexNow' are advanced methods for time-sensitive content to get indexed quickly.
• ❌ Duplicate content can deter Google from indexing your pages frequently, so consolidate similar content or use canonical URLs to avoid this.
• 🔒 Be cautious of 'Crawler Traps' like excessive filtered URLs that can confuse search engines and prevent proper indexing.
• 📝 Creating unique, high-quality content that directly answers specific queries is key to getting indexed and ranking well on search engines.

Q & A

What is the first step in getting a website's content indexed by Google?

The first step in getting a website's content indexed by Google is the discovery or crawling phase, where Google finds the site either by following a link from a known page or through sitemaps provided by site owners.

How does Google decide whether to index a page after it has been crawled?

After crawling a page, Google analyzes the non-text and text content, visual layout, and other elements like title, tags, and alt attributes to understand the page's purpose, meaning, and context, which helps decide if it should be indexed.

What is the role of Rank Math in helping content get indexed?

Rank Math is a WordPress SEO plugin that assists in getting content indexed by simplifying tasks like connecting a site to Google Search Console, submitting sitemaps, and providing tools to check and improve indexing.

How can one check if a page is indexed on Google?

To check if a page is indexed on Google, one can use the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console, search for the targeted keyword to see if the content ranks within the first ten pages, or use the 'site:' search operator followed by the page URL.

What is the Instant Indexing feature and how can it be used?

Instant Indexing is a feature for time-sensitive content that allows for immediate indexing by Google. It can be used by installing the 'Instant Indexing for Google' plugin by Rank Math and submitting URLs for indexing through its interface.

What is 'IndexNow' and how does it relate to indexing content on search engines?

'IndexNow' is an initiative by Microsoft and Yandex to help search engines crawl and index sites more efficiently. Google is testing this method, and Rank Math is prepared to support it, potentially allowing for faster indexing of content.

What could prevent a website's content from being indexed by Google?

Several factors could prevent content from being indexed, including duplicate content, site settings that discourage search engines, issues with robots.txt, and the presence of crawler traps such as excessive filter pages.

How can internal links help in getting a page indexed?

Internal links from already indexed and ranked pages to new pages can help search engines discover and index the new pages more effectively, as search engines are more likely to follow links from known pages.

What is the importance of unique and high-quality content in the indexing process?

Unique and high-quality content that directly answers specific queries is more likely to be indexed by Google because search engines prioritize content that provides value to users, helping them solve problems or answer questions.

How can a sitemap help in getting a website's content indexed?

A sitemap provides a list of pages for search engines to crawl, making it easier for them to discover new or updated content. Submitting a sitemap through tools like Rank Math or Google Search Console can expedite the indexing process.

What should one do if they find errors or warnings in Google Search Console related to indexing?

If errors or warnings are found in Google Search Console, one should address them by checking the specific issues reported, such as fixing blocked pages, removing duplicate content, or adjusting meta tags, and then resubmitting the pages for indexing.