Website indexing is where search engines add the contents of a website to their index. Let’s talk about submitting your website to Google for indexing. 

It involves informing Google about your website’s existence and providing the necessary information for it to be included in Google’s search index. 

When your site is indexed, it’s easy for people to find it. The website metrics improve too, and the site grows with ease.

Is it essential to index your site?

Indexing allows a website to appear in search engine results. When you submit to Google, Google’s web crawlers visit your website to analyze its content, structure, and relevance to specific search queries.

Google adds your site to its database and associates it with keywords and topics related to your content. It makes it possible for users to find your site when they search for related keywords or topics. 

With indexing, your website would remain visible to search engine users. If not, it severely limits your online visibility and potential traffic.

How long does it take?

The time it takes for Google to index your website can vary. While some websites get indexed within a few days, others may take several weeks or even longer. 

Google’s indexing process involves analyzing and categorizing millions of web pages, so the timing depends on factors such as the size of your website, the frequency of content updates, and how easily accessible your site is for crawling. 

It’s important to note that indexing is a process that takes time and requires patience. 

Why isn’t Google indexing my website?

If you’ve submitted your website for indexing but haven’t seen any progress, several reasons could be responsible for the delay:

1. New website or recent changes- a new website or recently underwent significant updates, it may take some time for Google to discover and index the changes. Google’s crawlers prioritize frequently updated and popular websites, so it’s normal for new or less established sites to experience longer indexing times.
2. Technical issues hinder Google’s ability to crawl and index your pages. Issues like improper robot.txt file configurations and server errors prevent indexing. Conduct a thorough technical audit of your website to identify and resolve such issues.
3. Low-quality or duplicate content- Google places a high emphasis on quality and unique content. Don’t copy content, for Google may choose not to index it. Provide valuable and original content to increase the chances of being indexed.
4. Poor website structure- a poorly structured website can make it challenging for Google’s crawlers to navigate and index your pages. Have a logical and organized structure, with explicit internal linking between pages. It helps Google understand the relationships between different pages and improves indexing.
5. Blocked by Robots.txt- If you unintentionally block Google’s crawlers from accessing your website’s content through the robots.txt file, it will hinder indexing. Review your robots.txt file and ensure that it allows Googlebot access to the necessary parts of your website.

How to submit my website to Google for indexing

1. Create a Google Search Console account

Google Search Console is a free tool provided by Google that allows website owners to monitor their website’s performance in search results. 

You access valuable insights and indexing features by creating an account and verifying ownership.

This Google free tool is easy and reliable to use. It gives detailed information and recommendations to change your website.

From having an Email from Google, your account is there by default. Now it’s time to add your website as a property.

2. Add your website to Google Search Console

Once you have a Search Console account, you must add your website as a property in the dashboard. 

Fill in the correct details; use your domain name or the website URL. Once done, click on verify.

The following prompt shows up and asks you to verify your site by pasting the code given by Google to your site.

3. Proceed to Zone Editor

Here you’ll add your code from Google to verify ownership. Click on manage and proceed to zone records, where you’ll manually add your code from Google.

Proceed to create a new record; the type should be a TXT. Enter your domain name and the code, then save the record.

Once done, come back to Google and click on verify. The following pop-up shows, meaning your site is verified.

4. Go to Property

Now you’re done verifying; it’s time to see your website performance. For a new site, this is how it looks:

5. Submit your sitemap

A sitemap is a file that lists all the pages on your website, providing critical information about their structure and relationships. 

Once you’re done submitting your sitemap, the following message comes up. 

It means that Google has accepted your URL sitemaps. Getting crawled will take some time, but this is the first step.

Get to look at the status and know whether it works. Plugins like Yoast SEO can help you build site maps, install and activate, then view XML sitemap.

Manually create site maps through sitemap generators like XML sitemaps. It generates sitemaps for your page, which you’ll add to Google.

Generating a sitemap and submitting it to Google Search Console helps Google’s crawlers navigate and understand your website’s content more effectively.

6. Request indexing for individual pages

In addition to submitting the sitemap, you can request indexing for specific pages on your website. It is beneficial for new or updated content you want Google to prioritize in its indexing process. 

Using the URL Inspection tool in Search Console, you can submit individual page URLs for indexing.

Five things to do next after submitting for indexing

1. Publish high-quality content

Creating high-quality, relevant, original content is vital for engaging your audience and attracting Google’s attention. 

Regularly publishing fresh content increases the likelihood of Google indexing your website and improves your overall visibility in search results.

Refrain from copying content, be original.

2. Optimize Meta Tags and Titles

Meta tags, including meta descriptions and title tags, are crucial in improving your website’s visibility and click-through rates in search results.

Optimize these tags by incorporating relevant keywords and creating compelling descriptions that entice users to click on your website’s links.

3. Build high-quality backlinks

Backlinks, links from other reputable websites to your own, play a significant role in search engine optimization.

When Google sees that reputable sites are linking to your content, it signals the search engine that your website is trustworthy and valuable. 

Working on building high-quality backlinks helps expedite the indexing process.

4. Improve website speed and performance

Website speed is a critical factor affecting user experience and search engine optimization. A slow-loading website can hinder indexing.

Speed also affects user engagement; take these steps to optimize your website’s performance:

• Compress images
• Minimizing CSS and JavaScript files
• Leveraging browser caching to ensure a smooth and fast user experience.

5. Share your website on Social Media

Promoting your website on social media platforms can positively impact its visibility and potential indexing. 

Many are available and use social media daily. Leverage it and watch your website transform instantly.

Sharing your website on social media creates engagement and prompts Google to index your content faster.

To wrap up;

Submitting your website to Google for indexing is an easy task. Indexing makes your site reachable on Google search.

Follow these steps and practice good website practices to make it easy for Google to index. Learn various SEO practices to optimize your site.

Remember that indexing times can vary, so patience’s essential. Focus on creating valuable content and optimizing your website for search engines.