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By Shad Super in Questions —

How Do You Ensure Your Website Is Immediately Indexed by Google After Launch?

Summary

Ensuring your website is indexed by Google immediately after launch involves submitting your site to Google Search Console, creating and submitting a sitemap, ensuring proper technical SEO, and utilizing tools and practices that prompt Google to crawl your site. Below is a comprehensive guide to get your website indexed quickly.

Submit Your Website to Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a free tool from Google that allows webmasters to monitor and manage their website’s presence in Google Search results. By manually submitting your site, you can directly request Google to index it.

Steps to Submit

  1. Sign in to Google Search Console.
  2. Add your website as a property.
  3. Verify ownership using one of the recommended methods (e.g., HTML file upload, DNS record, etc.).
  4. Navigate to the "URL Inspection Tool," enter your home page URL, and click "Request Indexing."

Google typically crawls and indexes sites faster when the URL is submitted manually through Search Console.

Create and Submit an XML Sitemap

An XML sitemap is a file that lists all the important URLs on your website to help search engines like Google understand its structure and identify content to crawl efficiently.

Steps to Create and Submit a Sitemap

  1. Generate a sitemap using tools like XML-Sitemaps.com or plugins (e.g., Yoast SEO for WordPress).
  2. Ensure your sitemap follows Google’s guidelines, such as having no more than 50,000 URLs or being under 50 MB uncompressed.
  3. Submit your sitemap in Google Search Console:
    • Go to the "Sitemaps" section under "Index."
    • Enter the sitemap URL (e.g., https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml) and click "Submit."

Google will prioritize crawling the pages listed in your sitemap.

Set Up Robots.txt Correctly

The robots.txt file instructs search engine crawlers on which pages or sections of your site they are allowed to index. Ensure your robots.txt file does not block important pages.

Best Practices

  1. Place your robots.txt file in the root directory (e.g., https://www.example.com/robots.txt).
  2. Use the Allow directive to permit crawling of important pages.
  3. Use the Disallow directive for sensitive or unimportant pages you don’t want indexed.
  4. Test your robots.txt file using the Robots.txt Tester in Google Search Console.

Use Internal Linking Strategically

Internal links help crawlers discover and navigate your site. A well-structured internal linking strategy improves indexing speed.

Tips for Internal Linking

  • Include links to important pages (e.g., homepage, category pages) from other parts of the site.
  • Use descriptive anchor text for links to provide context for search engines.
  • Avoid orphan pages (pages with no internal links pointing to them).

For example, if you recently launched a blog post, link to it from your homepage or category page to signal its importance.

Fetch Your URL Using "Inspect URL" Tool

Google Search Console offers a "URL Inspection Tool" where you can submit individual URLs for crawling and indexing. This tool is particularly useful for newly published or updated pages.

Steps to Use the URL Inspection Tool

  1. Log in to Google Search Console.
  2. Enter the URL of the page you want to index in the "Inspect URL" field.
  3. Click "Submit Request for Indexing."

Backlinks from reputable external websites act as signals to Google to crawl and index your website. While backlinking is often part of long-term SEO strategies, even a few initial links can drive early indexing.

  • Submit your website to online directories like Google My Business.
  • Promote your site on social media platforms like Twitter or LinkedIn.
  • Request mentions or links from related blogs or partners.

Ensure Mobile-Friendliness and Speed Optimization

Google prioritizes mobile-friendly and fast-loading websites for indexing and ranking. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to check your site's performance.

Key Mobile Optimization Practices

  • Use responsive design to ensure your site works well across devices.
  • Minimize render-blocking resources (e.g., JavaScript, CSS).
  • Optimize images for faster loading times.

Monitor and Track Crawling

Even after performing these steps, regular monitoring is essential to ensure your website is being indexed and crawled correctly.

How to Monitor Crawling

  • Use the "Coverage Report" in Google Search Console to identify crawling or indexing errors.
  • Enable indexing notifications (e.g., email alerts) in Search Console for updates.
  • Track your site’s indexed pages using the "site:yourdomain.com" search query in Google.

References