How Google Search crawls pages

Summary

In this video, Gary from Google explains the crawling process, where Googlebot finds and indexes web pages to make them discoverable on Google Search. He breaks down key steps, including URL discovery, fetching, and rendering, with an emphasis on how Googlebot works to access content, especially JavaScript-driven elements. Additionally, Gary highlights the importance of sitemaps in helping Google discover and index content more efficiently. Sitemaps, though optional, can save time by automating the process of URL discovery, ensuring your site is better optimized for search visibility.

Takeaways

• 😀 Crawling is the process by which Googlebot discovers new and updated web pages on the internet.
• 😀 Googlebot, Google's main crawler, is a software program that automatically browses the web and fetches pages to make them searchable.
• 😀 URL discovery is the first step in crawling, where Googlebot identifies new or updated pages through links from already-known pages.
• 😀 Links between pages are crucial for discovering new content, such as category pages linking to individual articles on a news site.
• 😀 Googlebot uses algorithms to determine which sites to crawl, how often to visit them, and how many pages to fetch from each site.
• 😀 The speed at which Googlebot crawls a site depends on factors like server response, content quality, and any potential errors.
• 😀 Googlebot does not crawl every discovered URL; some may be excluded due to quality issues or access restrictions (e.g., behind login pages).
• 😀 Once a URL is discovered, Googlebot fetches the page and renders it, similar to how a browser displays a page using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
• 😀 Rendering is important because it enables Googlebot to see JavaScript-based content, which can affect how a page is indexed and displayed in search results.
• 😀 Sitemaps are useful tools for helping Googlebot discover pages more efficiently, though they are not mandatory.
• 😀 Using an automated system to generate sitemaps is recommended, as manually adding URLs can lead to errors and inefficiencies.

Q & A

What is the crawling process in Google Search?

Crawling is the process by which Googlebot, an automated program, discovers and fetches new or updated web pages from the internet to make them available in Google Search results.

What is Googlebot and what does it do?

Googlebot is Google's main web crawler. It automatically visits web pages, downloads their content, and follows links to discover other pages. It helps Google keep its index up-to-date by finding and fetching new or updated URLs.

How does Googlebot discover new pages?

Googlebot discovers new pages by following links (URLs) from known pages. For example, if it crawls a category page on a website, it can follow links from that page to discover individual articles or new content.

What happens after Googlebot discovers a URL?

After discovering a URL, Googlebot fetches the page by downloading its data. It then renders the page, processing its HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, to understand its content and make it searchable.

What is rendering in the crawling process, and why is it important?

Rendering is the process of interpreting the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript of a page to display a visual representation of the page, just like a browser does. It's important because many websites rely on JavaScript to load dynamic content, and without rendering, Googlebot might miss important page elements.

How does Googlebot determine the speed at which it crawls a website?

The crawling speed is determined by factors like how quickly a site responds to requests, the quality of the site's content, and whether the site experiences server errors. Googlebot adjusts its crawling rate to avoid overloading the site.

Can Googlebot crawl all URLs it discovers?

No, Googlebot cannot crawl all URLs it finds. Some pages may be blocked from crawling by robots.txt files, may require login access, or may not meet Google's quality threshold for indexing.

What are sitemaps, and how do they help Googlebot?

Sitemaps are XML files that list the URLs of all the pages on your website. They provide additional metadata, like when pages were last updated. Sitemaps help Googlebot discover pages more efficiently, especially on large sites or those with frequent content changes.

Are sitemaps mandatory for getting indexed by Google?

No, sitemaps are not mandatory. However, they are highly recommended as they help Googlebot find and crawl your content more easily and efficiently, especially for large or dynamic websites.

What should you do if your website has millions of URLs?

If your website has millions of URLs, it's a good idea to use a content management system (CMS) that automatically generates sitemap files. This will save time and reduce the chances of errors compared to manually adding each URL.

What happens after Googlebot finishes crawling and rendering a page?

After Googlebot crawls and renders a page, it moves on to the next step of the process: indexing. This is where Google stores the page in its search database, making it available to appear in search results.