Indexing is the process where search engines store and organize web pages discovered during crawling. Once a page is indexed, it becomes part of the search engine’s database and can appear in search results when users search for related queries.
Quick Overview of Indexing
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Definition | Adding web pages to a search engine’s database |
| Purpose | Makes pages eligible to appear in results |
| Done After | Crawling |
| Tools to Check | Google Search Console (Coverage Report) |
| Common Issues | Noindex tags, duplicate content, blocked pages |
How Indexing Works (With Example)
After a page is crawled, the search engine decides if it should be indexed. This involves analyzing the page’s content, metadata, and quality. If approved, the page is added to the index - a huge database of all searchable pages.
For example, if Scholar247 publishes a guide on “What is a Sitemap?”, Googlebot first crawls it. Then, if the content is useful and not blocked, Google indexes it so it can appear for searches like “sitemap definition.”
If a page is not indexed, it will never show up in search results, even if it exists online.
FAQs on Indexing
1. What is the difference between crawling and indexing?
Crawling is discovering pages, while indexing is storing them in the search engine’s database.
2. How can I check if my page is indexed?
Use the site:domain.com/page-url search on Google or check Search Console.
3. Why might a page not get indexed?
It could be blocked by noindex, robots.txt, low-quality content, or duplicate content.