Why is Web Page Indexing Important for Your Online Presence?

Why have an online presence if your current and potential customers can’t find it? Our primary objective for our clients’ websites is for them to appear high on search results lists. In technical terms, this is called search engine optimization or “SEO.” While it is simple for users to perform searches using engines like Google, how the search engine returns results is quite complex. One of the most foundational elements of this process is web page indexing.

What is web page indexing?

Imagine the expansive electronic realm known as the World Wide Web, where a staggering 1.5 billion websites thrive as of January 1, 2024. Within this vast digital landscape, search engines play a crucial role in discerning the best and most relevant among these websites, presenting users with optimal suggestions through search results. The sheer technological prowess required for this undertaking is genuinely awe-inspiring. To navigate this electronic universe, search engines deploy web crawlers, nimble agents scurrying through websites and scrutinizing their pages. These web crawlers meticulously gather information, creating an extensive electronic repository called the index. Think of it as akin to crafting a compendium of restaurant reviews, complete with details such as the establishment’s name, physical location, operating hours for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, cuisine type, price range, wait times for a table, and user rankings based on their experiences. This collection includes information about how to get there, what to expect, and the typical user experience. Search engine indexes include that same type of data about every web page they crawl. In 2020, Google’s VP of Search revealed that their software has indexed approximately 400 billion pages. As such, your web pages need to be indexed to be included in search results. Usually, there is nothing more you need to do other than properly build your site to achieve web page indexing. Search engines will routinely crawl your website (Google will crawl your website about every 21 days or so) and update their index with new and revised information about your pages.

What if my page isn’t indexed?

If your page isn’t indexed, it won’t come up as a result of user searches. As part of our SEO Consulting Services, Paradux Media regularly performs site audits of our clients’ websites to review the crawlability of their pages. Our report will show if a problem exists that prevents one or more pages from being indexed. Some issues that may prevent a page from being crawled and hinder web page indexing include:

• Normal delay. A page will not instantly appear on search results when you hit the “publish” button. New content will be identified quickly, but it can take several days for a web crawler to reach it and add it to the index.
• Duplicate content. If your pages are too similar to another website page, search engines may deem your page a duplicate and not index it. For this reason, never copy content from other pages. It’s not just plagiarism but also detrimental to search results.
• Low-quality content. If your web page or blog article is poorly written or lacks value, search engines may disregard it and not index it. This is why we discourage stuffing keywords in irrelevant content for the sake of publishing content.
• You blocked it from the index. Sometimes, you will want to block pages from being crawled–typically when pages aren’t designed to be identified via searches. One way this happens is by applying a code, like Robots.txt or noindex, to the page. However, if your page was accidentally blocked, our team will fix it so the crawler will locate and index it.
• Technical issues. A downed server or similar technical issues can make it impossible for a crawler to reach your page.
• URL parameters. Dynamic URLs can be difficult for search engines to index correctly. These usually do not apply to the types of websites our clients own.

Yet another reason you need professional services from Paradux Media!

Does all of this sound confusing? Creating and managing websites that deliver results is becoming increasingly sophisticated every day. Understanding the elements of web page indexing is just one more requirement to ensure your page achieves good search ranking. The good news is that you don’t need to figure this out alone. Instead, rely on the experts at Paradux Media Group with a complete package of SEO Consulting Services to manage your website and achieve desired results. Contact us today to learn more about joining our flock.