In the world of SEO, crawling is one of the first steps search engines take to discover new or updated content on websites.
But what exactly is crawling, and how does it work?
Let’s break it down.
Table of Contents
What is Crawling in SEO?
- Crawling refers to the process where search engines, like Google or Bing, send out automated bots, also known as spiders or crawlers, to explore websites. These bots move from one web page to another through links, gathering information about the content they find along the way.
- Think of crawling like a librarian going through a vast library. The librarian (crawler) checks each book (web page), notes down important details (content), and decides where it should be stored and categorized (indexed) for easy retrieval.
How Does Crawling in SEO Works?
These are the 5-steps to understand how crawling works in SEO:
- Bot Starts Its Journey: The crawler starts by visiting a known website or webpage.
- Follows Links: It finds links on the webpage and follows them to discover more content. The bot keeps moving from link to link, like a person walking through different rooms in a house.
- Collects Data: As it moves through different pages, the bot collects data about the content, such as the text, images, keywords, and links.
- Indexes the Page: Once the bot has crawled the page, it sends the collected information back to the search engine, where it gets added to the search engine’s massive database, called an index.
- Rinse and Repeat: The crawler continues this process, regularly revisiting websites to see if any new pages or changes have been made.
Why Crawling in SEO is important?
Crawling is essential because, without it, search engines wouldn’t know your website exists! If your website isn’t crawled, it won’t appear in search results, meaning potential visitors won’t find it. That’s why making sure your website is crawlable (easily accessible to search engine bots) is crucial for SEO.
How to Submit a Sitemap in XML Format
To help crawlers find all your important pages, you can submit a sitemap to search engines. A sitemap is a file, usually in XML format, that lists all the key pages on your website. Submitting it ensures that search engines can discover your content faster.
Here’s how you can submit a sitemap to Google Search Console:
- Create a Sitemap: First, generate a sitemap for your website in XML format. Many CMS platforms, like WordPress, have plugins (such as Yoast SEO) that can automatically create a sitemap for you. It usually looks something like this:
https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml - Sign in to Google Search Console: Go to [Google Search Console](https://search.google.com/search-console/about), and sign in with your Google account.
- Add Your Website (If You Haven’t Already): If you’re submitting a sitemap for the first time, click “Add Property,” and enter your website’s URL.
- Go to the ‘Sitemaps’ Section: Once your site is verified, navigate to the “Sitemaps” tab in the left-hand menu.
- Submit Your Sitemap: In the Sitemaps section, you’ll see a field where you can enter your sitemap URL (usually something like https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml). Enter the URL and click “Submit.”
- Check the Status: Google will process your sitemap, and you can check back later to see if it was successfully crawled.
For Bing and other search engines, the process is similar through their webmaster tools.
How Can You Make Sure Your Site is Crawled?
Here are a few simple tips to ensure search engines can crawl your site effectively:
- Use a sitemap: As mentioned above, submitting a sitemap helps crawlers find your pages easily.
- Internal linking: Make sure your pages are well-connected through links, so crawlers can navigate your site smoothly.
- Avoid blocking crawlers: Ensure that your website’s robots.txt file and meta tags don’t accidentally block crawlers from accessing important pages.
Conclusion
- In short, crawling is like sending search engine bots on a scavenger hunt across the internet. They gather information from websites so that when users search for something, search engines can quickly provide relevant results.
- Submitting a sitemap in XML format and ensuring your site is crawl-friendly will boost your chances of showing up in search results and increasing your online visibility!