How To Increase Google Webpage Crawling
Engaging content has never been more important and should be a big focus of your SEO campaign.
The Search Relations team at Google has revealed that increasing crawl demand can be achieved by sharing high quality and informative user-centric content.
But why does this matter?
Well, firstly this is important information that has come directly from the source because it debunks long-standing myths relating to whether websites should be adhering to a fixed crawl budget.
There has been plenty of discussion surrounding a hypothetical crawl budget amongst SEO professionals over the years. Search engines can only crawl a limited number of webpages each day and essentially, we were collectively trying to work out whether sites should be staying within an allotted budget in order to successfully get those pages indexed.
So, needless to say, we have all welcomed the Search Relations team at Google debunking this thought process.
How Does Google Prioritise Crawling?
Even Google will admit that there have been a lot of myths surrounding the crawling process. Whilst Google likely wouldn’t say this, I believe the sharing of these myths has muddied the waters and made the whole topic more confusing than it really needed to be.
However, now we can say that Google determines how much it crawls using search demand. So, if search demand for a particular term decreases, the crawl limit for that search will also decrease.
Note that Google hasn’t clarified precisely what it means by the term search demand, however I am taking it to mean search query demand. I believe this makes the most sense because Google has no reason to crawl webpages relating to topics that no one is searching for.
How To Increase Crawling
So, if you as a site owner want to increase how much Google is crawling your webpages, you need to put in the work to convince search algorithms that your content is worth indexing.
Once again, Google hasn’t specified precisely what is meant by convincing algorithms, however looking at some clues here, I think that ensuring that your content is highly relevant to current user trends is likely one of the best strategies to employ.
Of course, this also means keeping up to date with the latest trends, which means using strong data-driven strategies and consistently checking your analytics information to find key insights.
The Importance of Keeping Your Focus on User Experience and Quality
Google’s approach is highly dynamic, so it’s pretty safe to say its signals are constantly pinging information that the search giant is using to ensure it is crawling the most relevant webpages.
By maintaining your focus on constantly enhancing the overall quality and value of your webpages, your pages are much more likely to be crawled and secure a solid ranking position in results pages.
The only way to be sure that you’re making adjustments to your webpages that wlll have the right effect is to dig deep into your performance data and metrics and work on areas that are identified as needing some improvement. As ever, you’ll need to keep your audience at the centre of every decision and tweak you make so that your content addresses their pain points and questions head-on.
In Conclusion
It’s great that we are finally able to confirm that any notion of a crawl budget is irrelevant. Whilst we already knew that Google is committed to remaining adaptable and dynamic, it’s also good to have confirmation that its crawling decisions are largely driven by search demand and the desire to index high quality content.
So, by actively prioritising user experience, relevance and quality when working on your content strategy, you will be better placed to ensure that your content is being discovered, crawled and properly indexed.
Your Frequently Asked Questions
1. Are SEO strategies impacted by the notion of a crawl budget?
Many search professionals have erred on the side of caution and worked within a framework based on the notion that staying within a page crawl limit was necessary to drive success. Now that we have confirmation from Google that this limit really doesn’t exist, we’re free to focus our full attention on ensuring that our content is relevant to our audience and fit for purpose.
So now is a great time to change your SEO strategy to focus on optimising every piece of content to ensure it counts and meets or exceeds the expectations of your target audience. This isn’t just about content and keywords; it’s about presenting it in a form your audience will engage with.
2. Do we know which factors play a role in the prioritisation of webpage crawling?
Google isn’t an open book when it comes to clarifying its position, however, we do know that search demand does have a role in this process. I believe this relates directly to search query demand and if this is the case, focusing your attention on creating high quality content surrounding a topic that is currently seeing a lot of searches is a great strategy to ensure your content gets indexed.
3. How can I boost the crawlability of my content?
When it comes to improving the crawlability of your website, I recommend concentrating on creating and consistently posting top quality content. By this, I mean focusing on content that is relevant to the needs and desires of your ideal audience and is presented using formats that your target audience find engaging. To do this successfully, you’ll need to keep an eye on the latest trends and frequently update your content to reflect the changeable needs of your audience.
I also recommend ensuring that your website provides a seamless user experience, which will boost your credibility and increase the chances that users will return to your website in the future. There are some key factors to focus on here, including ensuring that your menus are easy to navigate, that your website performs well on both desktop and mobile devices, and that your page loading times are kept to an absolute minimum.