If your webpage isn’t in Google’s index, there is a 0% chance that it will receive organic traffic. In fact, getting indexed is basically step 2 in the Google ranking process (with step 1 being crawling and step 3 being ranking). Before I get into discussing quick ways to get your webpages indexed, you should first understand how to know which pages actually are currently indexed. This can be done using two simple methods. The first is to check using the Index Coverage Status Report located inside the Google Search Console. To go this route means you’ll need to have verified your site when adding it to the search console. A second (quicker and easier way) is to simply visit Google and type the following in:
site: yourdomain.com
The above query will display all pages Google currently has indexed for a particular domain. Keep in mind, if you are using the Google Search Console and noticing errors or a large number of pages not being indexed it could be due to a couple of different things:
1) Your sitemap could have URLs that are non-indexable (such as pages set to NOINDEX, blocked via robots.txt or require user login).
2) Your site could have a large number ‘low quality’ or duplicate pages that Google deems unworthy.
3) Your site may not have enough ‘authority’ to justify all the pages.
How To Get Your Webpages Indexed
When it comes to getting your pages indexed by the world’s largest search engine, you’ll need to deliver the right experience to get Google’s attention. If your site doesn’t meet Google’s guidelines in regards to things like trust, authority and quality, these tips might not even work for you. Still, if you’re wanting to try and get your pages found, these methods are the best in my opinion!
Use internal links – Search engine bots crawl from page to page through HTML links. This means you can use authority pages on your site to push equity to others. The most authoritative pages on your site are likely the homepage and other pages permanently linked to from the homepage. But remember, even though both pages are on the same domain, you want them to be relevant. Linking from an “About Us” page to a product page isn’t necessarily a good idea.
Create & Maintain a SiteMap – Your sitemap should be a guide to help search engines understand which pages on your website are important. Note, having a page in your sitemap doesn’t guarantee it will be indexed, but not having important pages included will certainly decrease indexation. If your website runs on WordPress, it’s incredibly easy to setup and submit sitemaps using a plugin (such as Yoast).
Share the page on Twitter – Twitter is an extremely powerful social network that Google crawls on a regular basis (Google indexes Tweets, too). It should be a little obvious to share your content on social media networks. If not for anything, it’s an excellent way to give Google a little nudge.
Ping Your Website – Sites like Ping-O-Matic will send pings to search engines notifying them that your blog has been updated. It’s not the greatest method for getting new pages found, but it is quick, easy and completely free!
