Indexability

What is Indexability?

Indexability refers to a web page’s ability to be indexed by search engines, meaning it can appear in search results. For a web page to be indexed, search engines like Google must:

1. Discover the page URL.
2. Crawl the page (download its content).
3. Process the content (understand and extract key information).

Without proper indexability, a web page won’t be visible in search results and won’t drive organic search traffic to the site.

Why is Indexability Important?

Indexability is crucial because it determines whether a web page can appear in search engine results pages (SERPs). If a page is not indexable:

• Visibility Loss: The page won’t appear in search results, so it won’t attract organic traffic.
• SEO Impact: Pages that can’t be indexed won’t contribute to the site’s overall SEO performance or rankings.

However, there are scenarios where making certain pages non-indexable is beneficial, such as with low-quality pages, duplicate content, or specific functional pages (like “Thank You” pages).

What Makes a Page Indexable?

For a page to be indexable, it must meet the following criteria:

1. The Page Must Be Crawlable:

• Crawlability means that search engine bots must be able to access and read the page’s content.
• Robots.txt File: This file in your site’s root directory tells search engine crawlers which pages they can or cannot crawl. Ensure that you’re not unintentionally blocking important pages.
• Example Robots.txt Entry:
  User-agent: * Disallow: /private/

1. The Page Must Not Have a “Noindex” Tag:

• A “noindex” tag is an on-page directive that tells search engines not to index a specific page.
• Use it to keep pages like login pages or thin content out of search results, but avoid accidentally applying it to pages you want to be indexed.
• Example:
  html <meta name="robots" content="noindex">

1. The Page Must Be Canonical:

• Canonicalization helps prevent duplicate content issues by designating the primary version of a page among duplicates or similar pages.
• Ensure that the canonical tag on a page points to itself if it is the original version.
• Example:
  html <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.example.com/page">

How to Help Google Index Your Page

1. Submit Sitemaps to Google:

• Sitemap: An XML file listing all the pages on your website that you want search engines to crawl and index.
• Regularly update and submit your sitemap through Google Search Console to reflect your website’s current state.
• Submission Steps:
  • Go to Google Search Console.
  • Navigate to the Sitemaps section.
  • Enter the URL of your sitemap and submit it.

1. Submit Individual Pages via the URL Inspection Tool:

• URL Inspection Tool: Found in Google Search Console, it allows you to check how Google views your page and request indexing.
• To request indexing:
  • Enter the URL in the URL Inspection Tool.
  • Click “Request Indexing” if the page is error-free.
• Note: There is a limit to the number of URL requests per day.

1. Provide Internal Links for Better/Faster Discoverability:

• Internal Linking: Helps search engines discover and crawl new pages by creating a network of links within your site.
• Orphan Pages: Pages without internal links can be difficult for crawlers to find.
• Best Practices:
  • Ensure that important pages are linked from other pages on your site.
  • Avoid “nofollow” tags on internal links if you want those pages to be crawled.
• Check for Orphan Pages: Use tools like Ahrefs’ Site Audit to identify and address pages without internal links.

Summary

Indexability is essential for ensuring that web pages can appear in search engine results and attract organic traffic. By ensuring that pages are crawlable, properly indexed, and correctly canonicalized, you can enhance their visibility. Regularly managing and optimizing your site’s indexability with tools like Google Search Console and Ahrefs can help maintain effective SEO performance.