What is Indexing?
TL;DR
The process of Google adding your pages to its searchable database. If a page isn't indexed, it won't appear in search results, period. After Crawling your site, Google decides whether to index each page based on quality and uniqueness. You can check indexing status in Google Search Console and fix issues preventing pages from being indexed.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Indexing
How do I know if my pages are indexed by Google?
Check Google Search Console's 'Pages' report for indexing status. You can also search 'site:yourdomain.com' on Google to see indexed pages. If important pages aren't indexed, investigate and fix the issues.
Why isn't Google indexing my page?
Common reasons: your robots.txt blocks crawlers, a noindex tag is present, the page is too similar to other content, quality is too low, or the page is too new. Check Search Console for specific issues.
How long does indexing take?
New pages can be indexed within hours to weeks. Well-established sites with frequent updates get indexed faster. You can request indexing in Search Console, but Google decides when and whether to index.
What's the difference between crawling and indexing?
Crawling is Google discovering and reading your page; indexing is Google adding it to its database. A page can be crawled but not indexed if Google deems it low quality, duplicate, or not useful.
Terms Related to Indexing
Crawling
How search engines discover your website's pages. Google sends automated programs called "crawlers" or "spiders" to foll...
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