How to Index My Website on Google: 9 Actionable Tips

What is the Google Index?

Google index is the list of websites and pages that Google has found and stored in its digital library. When Google crawls and indexes a page, it becomes discoverable in search results for relevant queries. Conversely, unindexed pages will not appear on the search engine even if published online.

The easiest way to check if Google has indexed a web page is to use the URL inspection tool in Google Search Console. Here’s what an indexed URL should look like on GSC:

Not all pages get indexed by Google.

If a page on your site is not indexed, here’s what the URL Inspection Tool will show:

The search engine giant uses protocols and algorithms to determine whether a URL is indexable. Even after crawling your site, Google may choose not to index pages for many reasons, including low-quality content or technical issues. 

Unfortunately, this can harm a website’s search engine optimization or SEO. 

So, how do you get your website indexed by Google? Stay tuned because this resource explores 9 ways to do it.

9 Ways to Get Google to Index Your Website

Getting to index your website on Google is the best way to maximize online visibility.

SparkToro says more than 60% of all website traffic comes from Google. In other words, not appearing in Google search results means missing out on six of every ten potential customers. This may be equivalent to thousands of dollars of lost revenue for online businesses.

Here are effective ways to help Google index your pages:

1. Publish high-quality content

People use Google search primarily as a hub for reliable information. Take note: reliable. With Google’s mission statement to “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful,” it stands to reason that Google will prioritize giving a platform to content that provides real value and answers a user’s burning questions.

High-quality content is the cornerstone of any successful website. These pages are beacons that attract visitors, boosting organic traffic and sitewide engagement. Moreover, high-quality content signals to Google that your website is valuable and informative.

Here are key content elements to focus on if you want Google to index your content: 

• Presence of E-E-A-T. The content must demonstrate Google’s updated quality rater guidelines: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. 
• Relevance. Ensure your content is aligned with your niche and relevant to your target audience’s interests.
• Originality. Offer fresh and unique perspectives from other content creators.
• Readability. Write clear, concise, and well-structured content that is easy to understand.
• Keyword optimization. Incorporate relevant keywords that users are searching for into your content.
• User experience: Prioritize giving readers a positive user experience by using clear headings, bullet points, and visual content.

Consistent and regular publication of high-quality content gives Google more reasons to speed up the indexing process.

2. Avoid content duplication

Duplicate content refers to identical or near-identical content appearing on multiple URLs. Content duplication between pages may occur in two ways: 

• You have duplicate pages on your website
• Your page has a duplicate on other websites

Whichever it is, duplicate content is always confusing to search engines and may produce unwanted effects.

According to Gary Illyes, before Google indexes a page, it first lumps together duplicate content and determines which version should be kept in the index. This process is called “canonicalization,” and the indexed page is the canonical page.

Google uses various elements and factors to determine which page is canon and appears in search engine results. Without implementing correct measures, Google may mistakenly index the wrong page and de-index the page you want indexed. 

Meanwhile, if Google indexes both duplicate content, they will likely compete for the same keyword, lowering the performance of both URLs.

Here are some best practices to avoid this issue:

First, use canonical tags to tell Google which is the preferred version of the page. Here is what this should look like:

Secondly, use noindex tags to prevent search engines from indexing duplicate content. Here is what this should look like:

3. Submit an XML sitemap to Google

An XML sitemap is a file that lists all the essential URLs on your website. Google uses sitemaps to understand a website’s structure and prioritize which pages to crawl and index. 

Many content management systems, like Shopify and Wix, automatically generate a sitemap for websites built on their platforms. You can find this by adding the path /sitemap.xml or /sitemap_index.xml to your domain name.

For example, in our case, the sitemap is made specifically for the blog page subdomain and not the primary domain, https://indexcheckr.com/blog/sitemap_index.xml.

You can also find the sitemap by visiting the website’s robot.txt file at exampledomain.com/robots.txt:

To help Google discover the pages on your sitemap, log into Google Search Console. On the lefthand menu, click Sitemaps under the Indexing dropdown. Submit the XML sitemap URL using the dedicated search bar.

4. Manually request indexing from Google

While Googlebot automatically crawls and indexes web pages, the process can sometimes be slow. The speed before a page gets indexed on Google depends on many factors.

For example, news sites regularly publishing new pages are more likely to be crawled and indexed faster than websites with static and rarely updated content. Other factors include the website’s overall health, available crawl budget, and page importance.

If Google takes time to index your pages, there’s a workaround to expedite the process. Visit Google Search Console’s URL Inspection Tool and input the desired URL. Then, click request indexing.

Manually requesting indexing in Google search puts the desired link on Google’s priority list. However, it’s essential to consider that this is only a supplementary step. It doesn’t ensure indexation, nor does it replace the practice of creating high-quality content. 

5. Establish a strong site structure

Site structure refers to the organization and hierarchy of a website’s pages and content. It is the “blueprint” that shows how information is arranged and presented to visitors. A well-structured website is easier for both users and Google to navigate. 

Internal links are a critical pillar of a good site structure. Google discovers new links by following previously known URLs. When the crawling process begins from the homepage, Googlebot will rely on internal links to explore new pages. 

Pages disconnected from anywhere within the site structure are called orphan pages. Google is unlikely to index these pages without backlinks. 

Using logical URL naming conventions is another way to promote a strong site structure. Opt for URLs with descriptive and keyword-rich slugs that are easy to understand and remember. Avoid using dynamic URLs with session IDs or other parameters.

Example:

6. Build backlinks from reputable websites

Backlinks have been one of the most long-standing SEO factors in improving search engine rankings. But they are also helpful in convincing Google to crawl and index web pages.

You’ve likely heard that Google treats backlinks as “votes of confidence,” and it’s true. Backlinks from reputable websites signal to Google that your website is valuable and trustworthy. Moreover, dofollow backlinks are access points for Google to crawl your site.

To build high-quality backlinks, focus on these strategies:

• Create-high quality content. Websites are more eager to link to valuable, informative, and engaging content.
• Submit guest posts. Write guest posts for reputable websites related to your niche. Most guest posts include a link back to your website.
• Link insertion outreach. Message bloggers or site owners and offer your content as an additional resource for their content.
• Broken link building. Find broken links on other websites and offer to replace them with relevant links from your website.

How about buying backlinks? Is that effective?

Well, it depends. Google respects the sale of backlinks as long as the links are qualified properly, e.g., rel=”nofollow” or rel=”sponsored.” Here is a snippet from Google’s link spam guidelines:

Doesn’t that mean Googlebot cannot crawl those pages? True. But Google has evolved how it uses nofollow and sponsored links, treating them as “hints” instead of completely ignoring them.

That means nofollow and sponsored backlinks might influence the page’s indexing status. After all, you only need to let Google know that the page exists, and the search engine does the rest.

(Note: Don’t get us wrong. We’re not saying buying links is okay, nor are we promoting the practice. We’re just saying it might have a different influence on indexing now that Google has improved how they interpret nofollow and sponsored backlinks. Ideally, stick to building backlinks using Google-friendly strategies.)

7. Clean up misplaced noindex tags and robots.txt file

Noindex tags and robots.txt files are powerful tools to control how web crawlers, like the Googlebot or Bingbot, can access and index your website. However, if misused, they can inadvertently block important pages from being discovered.

Here’s one way to avoid common mistakes:

A. Review noindex tags

Noindex tags are HTML meta tags that tell Google not to index specific pages. If a page doesn’t get indexed, review its source code to check if you can find the find the <meta name=”robots” content=”noindex”> tag. Assess the purpose of the noindex tag. If the tag was mistakenly placed, remove it.

Conversely, you can use SEO audit tools, like Screaming Frog, to automate finding web pages with noindex tags. 

B. Check robots.txt file

This file instructs web crawlers which part of the website they can or cannot access. If the robots.txt file contains instructions to disallow a specific page or directory, search engine crawlers will generally respect these directives and avoid indexing that content.

For example:

If you want Google to crawl and potentially index /hypothetical-page/ remove the disallow directive. You can do this by editing the robots.txt file from your cPanel or your hosting provider’s site management platform.

8. Partner with trustworthy indexer tools

Indexer tools, such as Index Me Now and Omega Indexer, are designed to streamline getting Google to index your site. They use various techniques to create signals to help Google find your site or pages.

For example, indexers use Google’s Indexing API to notify the search engine about new or updated web pages. Indexer tools can also generate backlinks from frequently crawled sites to your URLs, which may draw Googlebot’s attention. 

These signals notify Google of the existence of your unindexed pages.

Of course, while indexer tools can accelerate the indexing process, they are not a guaranteed solution. Google’s algorithms will prioritize indexing high-quality pages that implement sound SEO practices.

9. Actively monitor your indexing status on Google

Even if Google has indexed your website, updates in its algorithm, especially during major SEO updates, may cause sudden changes to your indexing status. You might find your entire website (or several pages) removed from Google’s index.

Actively monitoring your pages’ indexing status can help you stay ahead of any changes and resolve issues right away. 

Usually, Google Search Console is enough for smaller websites that rarely publish content. But if you own a relatively large site and publish new pages regularly, keeping track of indexing status via GSC can be time-consuming. 

IndexCheckr is a monitoring tool designed to simplify and automate this process.

Users can configure the tool to perform automatic checks at set intervals, allowing them to track indexing status passively. The tool will send email alerts for any sudden changes to help them identify and resolve issues as soon as detected.

Moreover, IndexCheckr lets users submit unindexed pages to 6 distinct indexer tools to speed up the indexing process. Integrated indexer tools include:

• Index Me Now
• Omega Indexer
• SpeedLinks
• Links Indexer
• Rapid URL Indexer

Keep Your Pages Visible on Google Search

Google’s index is a self-cleaning dynamic library that culls low-quality content and maintains pages that best serve the user experience.

Getting pages indexed is one thing, but keeping it in Google’s digital catalog is another.

Ensure your pages meet Google’s content quality standards, provide essential metadata information, and avoid violating any terms of service. 

In addition, actively monitor your pages’ indexing status to anticipate sudden changes and resolve them immediately. IndexCheckr automates this process so that you can focus on high-level activities for your business.

Try IndexCheckr now for free and ensure your content remains visible on Google.