How Google Search indexes pages

Summary

In this video, Gary from Google Search explains the indexing process that follows crawling, detailing how Google analyzes and processes web pages. The content includes parsing HTML, handling duplicate pages, and selecting a canonical version to represent a cluster of similar pages. Google evaluates signals like metadata and quality to decide which pages to index. Ultimately, the page is stored in Google's index, which forms the backbone of search results. The video wraps up with a preview of the next episode, which will focus on how search results are ranked and served to users.

Takeaways

• 😀 Crawling is the first step in how Google finds and downloads new and updated web pages.
• 😀 Indexing is the next step where Google processes the content and determines what to keep in the index.
• 😀 Google analyzes the text, key content tags, attributes, images, and videos to understand the page's content.
• 😀 HTML parsing ensures that the page’s structure is correct, and any semantic issues are fixed for proper indexing.
• 😀 The metadata inside HTML tags, like meta and link tags, must be valid to help Google index the page properly.
• 😀 Google determines if a page is a duplicate of another and selects the canonical version to index.
• 😀 The canonical version is the one that best represents a group of similar pages based on collected signals.
• 😀 Duplicate clustering helps Google group similar pages together and choose the best version for indexing.
• 😀 Signals collected from pages and websites guide Google in determining the importance and relevance of a page.
• 😀 Index selection involves deciding whether a page should be indexed based on its quality and collected signals.
• 😀 Once a page is indexed, it is stored in Google’s large database, which helps return relevant search results.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of indexing in Google's Search process?

The primary focus of indexing is to understand the content of a page, determine signals, and decide whether the page should be indexed. This includes analyzing the textual content, key content tags, images, videos, and other elements to rank the page in search results.

What happens during the crawling stage before indexing?

In the crawling stage, Google finds and downloads new and updated web pages. It processes the page and prepares it for indexing by rendering its content.

How does Google ensure that it properly interprets HTML content during indexing?

Google parses the HTML and fixes any semantic issues. It ensures that HTML tags are in the correct places. For example, the metadata about a page, such as meta tags and link tags, must be properly structured to be useful for indexing.

What is the significance of the 'canonical version' of a page?

The canonical version is the primary page selected from a group of duplicate pages. It is determined based on the signals collected about each page, and it represents the group in search results. Duplicate pages are typically excluded from search results.

How does Google determine which page to keep as the canonical version among duplicates?

Google groups pages with similar content together (duplicate clustering) and uses signals to determine the most representative page. This includes factors like the relevance, authority, and quality of the page to decide which version is the canonical one.

What role do 'signals' play in the indexing process?

Signals are pieces of information that Google collects about pages, which help in processing and ranking. Some signals are straightforward, like the rel='canonical' tag, while others involve more complex factors, such as the importance of a page or website.

What happens if a page is deemed a duplicate during the indexing process?

If a page is identified as a duplicate, it is grouped with other similar pages in a duplicate cluster. The canonical version is selected, and the other versions are excluded from the search results but may be used in other contexts.

What is the process of 'index selection' in Google Search?

Index selection involves deciding whether to index a page based on the quality of the page and the signals Google has collected. If a page is deemed worthy of indexing, the relevant information is stored in Google's index.

How does Google's index work technically?

Google's index is a large database stored across thousands of computers. It stores information about indexed pages and allows Google to quickly return relevant results when users perform searches.

What will the next episode in the series cover?

The next episode will cover how Google serves and ranks search results based on the indexed content, which is the next stage after indexing.