Getting your website indexed by Google is the first step in a successful SEO strategy. This process adds your pages to Google’s database and helps them potentially rank in search results.
However, some websites, especially new ones, may not get indexed quickly. This is because new sites often have a smaller crawl budget and less activity compared to older sites.
But don’t worry — there’s a work around. In this article, I’ll share five proven ways to get your website indexed by Google faster, even if it’s still new.
What is Indexing, and How Does It Work?
Indexing is the process where Google adds your website’s pages to its database. To do this, Google first analyze your pages and uses several factors such as crawlability, content quality, meaning, and canonicalization to decide if they should be included. Once your pages are indexed, they can appear in search results and potentially rank for various queries.
How Do I Check If Google Has Indexed My Site?
Here are two simple methods to check if your website is indexed by Google:
Site Search: Perform a site: search by typing site:yourwebsite.com into Google’s search bar. If your web pages appear in the search results, they are indexed. If not, they may not be indexed.
Google Search Console: Use the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console. Enter your URL to see if it’s indexed. For the most current information, click “Test live URL” to get up-to-date results.
How to Index Your Website on Google Faster
Now that you understand the basics of Google indexing, let’s explore the 3 most effective ways to help get your website indexed by Google faster.
1. Request Indexing via Google Search Console Inspection Tool
To quickly notify Google about new web pages, use the Google Search Console Inspection Tool. Simply go to Google Search Console, enter your URL in the inspection tool, and click “Request Indexing.” If you see a gray exclamation point with the message “URL is not on Google,” don’t worry — this is normal for newly published pages.
Google will test the URL for indexability and add it to the priority crawl queue. Avoid submitting the page multiple times, as this won’t affect its queue position or priority.
2. Create and submit an XML sitemap in Google Search Console
An XML sitemap is a structured file that gives search engines a complete list of a website’s pages, helping them crawl and index the site more effectively. By creating and submitting an XML sitemap to Google, you ensure that all important pages are discovered and indexed, which can enhance search engine visibility and improve overall site performance. You can create a sitemap using SEO plugins such as RankMath.
Once your XML sitemap is ready, go to Google Search Console and click on the Sitemaps tab. Enter your sitemap URL and click “Submit.” After submitting, you can check the status and see how many pages have been discovered through the sitemap.
3. Link new pages to related existing pages on your site
Linking new pages to related existing pages on your site helps speed up indexing by creating a network of internal links that search engine crawlers can follow. Connecting new content to well-established pages makes it easier for search engines to find and navigate your new pages.
This internal linking shows search engines that the new pages are important and relevant, which can lead to faster indexing and improved visibility in search results.
Here’s an example from a recent project with one of my SEO clients:
We launched pollen forecast pages for the top 35 cities in the United States. To find opportunities for internal linking, I performed a site search and entered one of the names of the cities.
By doing this, I found relevant existing pages where I could link to our pollen forecast pages. This not only aids in indexing but also passes value from established pages to the new ones, helping them rank faster. Don’t just take my word for it — check out the screenshot of the results below.
What can I do if my page isn’t being indexed by Google?
If you’ve tried all the methods above and Google is still having trouble indexing your newly published pages, you should check Google Search Console for potential issues. To do this, go to Google Search Console, then navigate to Indexing > Pages.
From there, you can find all the possible reasons why your pages aren’t indexed or appearing in Google search results.
What does “Discovered – Currently Not Indexed” mean?
“Discovered – Currently Not Indexed” means Google has found your page’s URL but hasn’t added it to its index yet. Possible reasons for this could include low-quality content, duplicate content, exceeding crawl budget, server errors during crawl, or the page simply being in the queue for indexing. To fix this, address all the potential issues mentioned and then resubmit the URLs manually using the Google Search Console Inspection Tool.
Conclusion
Getting your website indexed by Google quickly is easier than it seems. With just a bit of effort, you can enjoy greater organic visibility. However, these methods are only effective if your site doesn’t have significant indexing problems. If you need assistance with indexing issues, feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn.