Indexing

What Is Indexing in SEO?

Indexing in SEO refers to the process by which search engines store, organize, and catalog web pages after crawling them. Once a page is indexed, it becomes eligible to appear in search results when users perform relevant queries.

If your web page is not indexed, it’s invisible to users on Google and other search engines. That’s why proper indexing is essential for SEO success.

How Does Indexing Work?

Indexing happens in four main stages:

1. Crawling

Search engines use bots like Googlebot to scan the internet. These bots follow links from known pages to discover new or updated content.

2. Analyzing the Page

Once a bot reaches your page, it analyzes:

• Page content and HTML structure

• Meta tags (title, description, robots.txt)

• Internal and external links

• Media (images, videos) and structured data

3. Storing the Page in the Index

If the content is valuable and accessible, the page is stored in the search engine’s database (the index). Think of this as a giant digital library.

4. Retrieval During a Search

When a user types a search query, Google scans its index to find the most relevant and high-quality pages, ranks them, and displays them in the SERPs.

Types of Indexing Status (Google Search Console Terms)

Knowing the indexing status of your pages helps identify crawl or SEO issues. Here are the most common types:

1. Indexed

• The page has been crawled and successfully added to Google’s index.

• It can appear in search results for relevant queries.

2. Not Indexed

• The page is either blocked by robots.txt, contains a noindex tag, or has crawl issues.

• It won’t appear in search results.

3. Discovered – Currently Not Indexed

• Google knows the page exists but has not yet crawled or indexed it.

• Often happens with new sites, low-priority pages, or duplicate/thin content.

4. Crawled – Not Indexed

• The page was crawled but excluded from the index.

• Likely causes: low content quality, lack of backlinks, or duplication.

Why Indexing Matters for SEO!

If your pages aren’t indexed, they won’t rank, no matter how optimized they are. Proper indexing is the gateway to visibility.

Benefits of Being Indexed:

• Your content becomes searchable on Google and other engines.

• Indexed pages are eligible to rank for keywords and bring in organic traffic.

• Helps Google understand your site structure and topical authority.

Real-World Example of Indexing

You publish a blog post titled “Top 10 Travel Destinations in 2025.”

You do the following:

• Submit the URL via Google Search Console

• Internally link to it from other blog posts

• Ensure fast page loading and mobile optimization

Googlebot crawls the post, adds it to the index, and within a few days, it appears in SERPs for queries like “best travel places 2025” or “where to go next year.”

If the blog was not indexed, it would be invisible to users—even if the content was excellent.

How to Ensure Proper Indexing?

Here are proven ways to improve your website’s indexing rate:

1. Submit Sitemaps

Use Google Search Console to submit your sitemap.xml, helping Google discover all your pages efficiently.

2. Avoid Noindex/Blocked Tags

Ensure important pages don’t have noindex tags or aren’t blocked by robots.txt.

3.  Improve Internal Linking

Link to new or important pages from your home page or high-authority internal pages to help bots find them faster.

4. Update Content Regularly

Fresh content gets indexed faster. Keep your blog or landing pages updated with valuable, original content.

5. Boost Site Speed

Slow-loading sites may delay crawling and indexing. Optimize images, enable caching, and reduce unused scripts.

6. Make It Mobile-Friendly

Google uses mobile-first indexing, so a responsive design is a must.

7. Use Structured Data (Schema)

Add schema markup (JSON-LD) to help search engines better understand your content.

Final Thoughts on Indexing

Indexing is not optional—it’s fundamental. If your content isn’t indexed, it can’t rank, can’t drive traffic, and can’t help your business grow.

By:

• Ensuring technical SEO hygiene

• Submitting a sitemap

• Improving content quality and internal linking …you maximize the chances of your pages being indexed quickly and properly.

Start with indexing. Everything else in SEO comes after that.