What Is the Google Index?

It is basically like a database. And this index database stores every web page Google has crawled.

It’s your own massive and searchable library of web content.

The index has things like text, titles, headers, links, images, and other metadata from each webpage stored.

Google uses this index to match search queries with relevant results.

The Indexing Process:

Crawling: Scanning of the web for new or updated pages by Googlebot.
Indexing: Google analyzes and stores these pages in its database.
Ranking: Google’s algorithm selects the

most relevant pages to display with the search results.

Is indexing important?

Yes and here’s why:

Google doesn’t play around and it likes to show only indexed pages appear in the search results.
So if your pages are not indexed they’ll never show up on search results

You can check if Google actually indexed your site

Make your way to Google.
And then in the search bar, type “site: <insert your domain>”.
You’ll see all the indexed pages

Using Google Search Console (GSC):

Google Search Console has an extensive view of the indexing state of literally all your site’s URLs.
It doesn’t just tell you which pages aren’t indexed it gives simple solutions on how to fix indexing issues.

Technical Issues:

If your pages aren’t indexed, there could be technical issues on your site.
Use tools like Google Search Console to diagnose and resolve these issues.

This concise guide helps you understand the basics of Google indexing and how to check if your site has been indexed, ensuring your web pages can appear in search results.

“How do I get Google to index my site URLs?”

Your brand new website isn’t automatically ranked on Google. It needs to crawl it before it gets indexed. This can take a few days and even weeks. You can speed it up tho:

Steps to Index Site (faster):

Set up Google Search Console (GSC): you should sign in and add your website as a new property. It will them prompt you to verify your ownership which should be easy.
Make your own sitemap and submit it: Find your sitemap at “https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml”. You can add sitemap in GSC under the “Indexing” section.
Use the URL Inspection Tool: Enter your wanted URL in the search bar of GSC. If the status shows “URL is not on Google,” address the issue and request indexing asap.

Find and Fix and you’ll be good!!

Some common indexing problems are:

Mistakes in your Robots.txt file: it’s a nuisance when your robots.txt file blocks important pages from being crawled. You can find this very file at “https://yourdomain.com/robots.txt”.
Accidental Use of Noindex Tags: if a page isn’t getting indexed check if it has a noindex tag.
Improper Canonical Tags: Double-check so your canonical tags all point to the right URLs.
Internal Link Problems: Fix nofollow on your internal links and you gotta make sure important pages are available in a few clicks away. Link up these orphaned pages.
404 Errors: Update or replace links that do this.
Duplicate Content: Merge duplicate content with 301 redirects. Correctly use canonical tags if you really need to keep duplicates.
Poor Site Quality: Focus on creating good content- very rare people do it anymore.

How to Create High-Quality Content and Build Relevant Backlinks

Create High-Quality Content: Address what your customers need, with real examples. Keep your content something a ‘human’ would love to read about. An article very focused on SEO doesn’t fall into this category.
Fresh and relevant content is the way to go- do not create multiple copies of the same topic.
Build Relevant Backlinks: Get links from high-quality, relevant sites. Use outreach, guest articles, and backlink competitor extraction for this.
Improve E-E-A-T Signals: Highlight your expertise and experiences. And go collaborate with industry experts.
Monitor Your Site for Indexing Issues: Regularly check your site for technical issues. If you’re forgetful just set up automatic scans that get these reports delivered to your inbox.