How to Do Indexing in SEO: A Step-by-Step Guide

When it comes to SEO, getting your website indexed by search engines is like making sure your store is listed on a map—essential for getting people through the door. If search engines don’t know your site exists, it won’t show up in search results. So, how do you make sure your site is on their radar? This post will walk you through the ins and outs of SEO indexing, ensuring your online presence is noticed.

We’ll cover everything from the basics of what indexing is, to practical steps for getting your site indexed efficiently. By the end, you’ll have a clear strategy to ensure search engines not only find your site but also rank it where it can be seen and accessed by potential visitors.

What is Indexing?

Indexing is the process search engines use to understand and organize the content of a website. Imagine having a personal assistant who reads every page of your website and files it away in a giant library. When someone searches for information related to your site, this assistant quickly finds and presents the most relevant pages from your library.

Search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo use crawlers (also known as spiders or bots) to scan the internet. These crawlers visit websites, read the content, and store the information in the search engine’s database, known as the index. The index acts as a massive catalog of all the information found on the web, organized so that it can be quickly retrieved when needed.

Without indexing, your website would be like a book on a shelf that no one knows about. It might have the best content in the world, but if it’s not indexed, no one will find it. Let’s look at some practical steps to ensure your site is indexed correctly.

Step 1: Check Your Current Index Status

Before making changes, it’s important to know where you currently stand. You can use Google Search Console to check which of your pages are indexed. If you haven’t set up Google Search Console yet, it’s a free tool that provides insights into how your site is performing in Google search results.

Here’s how to check your index status:

• Log in to your Google Search Console account.
• Select the property (your website) you want to check.
• Look for the “Coverage” report in the left-hand menu.
• This report shows the number of pages submitted, indexed, and any errors that might be preventing indexing.

Understanding your site’s current index status helps you identify areas that need improvement and track changes over time.

Step 2: Submit a Sitemap

A sitemap is like a map of your site that guides search engines to your most important pages. It’s a file that lists the URLs of your website, making it easier for search engines to discover and index your content.

To create a sitemap, you can use tools like Yoast SEO for WordPress or Screaming Frog for other platforms. Once you have your sitemap, submit it to Google Search Console:

• Go to Google Search Console and select your property.
• In the left-hand menu, click on “Sitemaps.”
• Enter the URL of your sitemap (usually something like https://www.yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml).
• Click “Submit” to let Google know about your sitemap.

Submitting a sitemap helps ensure that search engines can find and index all the pages on your site, even those that might be buried deep within your navigation structure.

Step 3: Optimize Your Robots.txt File

The robots.txt file is a simple text file that tells search engines which pages on your site they can and cannot crawl. It’s like a set of instructions for search engine bots, guiding them through your site.

Here’s how to optimize your robots.txt file:

• Access your robots.txt file by typing https://www.yourwebsite.com/robots.txt in your browser.
• Make sure that any pages you want to be indexed are not blocked by lines that start with “Disallow.”
• Be cautious not to block important pages, such as your homepage or key landing pages.
• Use “Allow” or remove the “Disallow” lines for pages you want indexed.

Having a properly configured robots.txt file ensures that search engines can access and index the pages you want to appear in search results.

Step 4: Use Internal Linking Strategically

Internal linking is the practice of linking from one page on your site to another. It’s not just about navigation; it’s a powerful way to guide search engines to important pages you want indexed.

Here’s how to use internal linking to improve indexing:

• Link to important pages from your homepage or other high-traffic pages.
• Use descriptive anchor text that gives context to the content of the linked page.
• Ensure that all pages are linked to at least once within your site to avoid orphan pages.
• Avoid excessive linking, which can dilute the value of your links.

Effective internal linking not only helps search engines discover and index your pages but also improves the overall user experience by making your site easier to navigate.

Step 5: Improve Page Load Speed

Page speed is an important factor for SEO, as it affects both user experience and search engine indexing. Slow-loading pages may not be indexed as quickly or as thoroughly as fast-loading ones.

Here are some tips to improve your page load speed:

• Optimize images by compressing them without losing quality.
• Minimize HTTP requests by reducing the number of elements on your page.
• Use browser caching to store static resources on users’ devices.
• Enable compression to reduce the size of your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files.
• Consider using a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to deliver content faster to users around the globe.

By improving your page speed, you not only help search engines index your site more efficiently but also create a better experience for your visitors.

Step 6: Create High-Quality Content

High-quality content attracts visitors and encourages search engines to index your site. It’s not just about having lots of content; it’s about having valuable, relevant information that meets the needs of your audience.

Here are some tips for creating content that gets indexed:

• Focus on topics that are relevant and valuable to your target audience.
• Use keyword research to identify the terms your audience is searching for.
• Structure your content with headings, subheadings, and bullet points to make it easy to read.
• Keep your content updated to ensure it remains relevant over time.
• Encourage engagement by asking questions or providing opportunities for comments and feedback.

Creating high-quality content not only helps your site get indexed but also improves your chances of ranking higher in search results.

Step 7: Monitor for Crawl Errors

Crawl errors occur when search engines have trouble accessing and indexing your pages. These errors can prevent your site from appearing in search results, so it’s important to monitor and fix them promptly.

Here’s how to check for crawl errors:

• Log in to Google Search Console and select your property.
• Navigate to the “Coverage” report to see any errors detected by Google.
• Common errors include 404 errors (page not found) and server errors.
• Fix these errors by ensuring pages are live and accessible or by creating redirects for moved pages.

By keeping an eye on crawl errors, you can quickly address any issues that may be hindering your site’s indexing.

Step 8: Encourage Backlinks

Backlinks (links from other websites to yours) signal to search engines that your content is valuable and trustworthy. Websites with more backlinks are often indexed more frequently and rank higher in search results.

Here’s how to encourage backlinks:

• Create valuable, shareable content that others will want to link to.
• Reach out to industry influencers and ask them to share your content.
• Guest post on other websites and include a link back to your site.
• Engage in online communities and forums, sharing your expertise and linking back to relevant content on your site.

Building a network of quality backlinks can significantly improve your site’s indexability and ranking potential.

Step 9: Use Social Media to Promote Content

While social media links don’t directly influence SEO, they can help drive traffic to your site, which can lead to increased indexing and visibility. When more people visit your site, search engines notice the activity and may prioritize indexing your pages.

Here’s how to leverage social media for better indexing:

• Share your content across multiple platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
• Engage with your audience by responding to comments and encouraging shares.
• Use hashtags and keywords to increase the reach of your posts.
• Collaborate with social media influencers to expand your audience.

By actively promoting your content on social media, you increase the chances of being indexed more quickly and widely.

Final Thoughts

In summary, getting your site indexed involves a mix of technical adjustments and strategic content creation. From checking your current index status and submitting a sitemap, to optimizing your robots.txt file and encouraging backlinks, every step counts in making sure search engines recognize and rank your site effectively.

If you're feeling overwhelmed or just want some expert help, Pattern is here to support you. We help ecommerce brands and SaaS startups by driving more traffic from Google and turning that traffic into paying customers. Unlike most SEO agencies that focus only on rankings, we care about results — not just traffic for traffic's sake. We create programmatic landing pages that target hundreds (or even thousands) of search terms, helping your brand get found by more people who are ready to buy. We also craft conversion-focused content that doesn't just attract visitors but turns them into paying customers. And we don't believe SEO should take 12 months to show results. We see SEO as part of a bigger growth strategy. We've been in-house growth leaders ourselves, so we know how SEO fits into a broader performance marketing system. We look at SEO through a performance marketing lens, making sure every dollar you invest delivers real ROI. In short, we don't make SEO a guessing game — we make it a growth channel that drives sales and lowers your customer acquisition costs.