A website launch is an exciting milestone for any business or individual. It marks the beginning of your online presence and a chance to reach a broader audience. But have you ever wondered what happens when your website goes live? In this blog post, we'll take you on a journey through the intricacies of indexing, web crawlers and SEO, shedding light on how Google evaluates and ranks your website. Let's dive in!
What Happens When My Website Goes Live?
Before we delve into the indexing and SEO aspects, let's understand the process of going live with a website and what happens behind the scenes. When your site is ready to launch, the first step is making it accessible to users. When you look something up on Google, Google does not search the web, but rather a database it has of the web. Your website has to be found, or indexed, by Google so that it comes up on search results. However, simply being available doesn't guarantee visibility.
What Does Google Look at to Index My Website?
Google uses a process called indexing to catalogue and organise web content. It employs automated software known as web crawlers or "spiders" to navigate the vast web. These crawlers visit websites, read their content and follow links to other pages, creating an index that is later used for search results.
How Can I Accelerate the Indexing Process?
When going live with a website, your primary concern is to get your website noticed and indexed by Google. To accelerate the process, make sure your website's URL is accessible and visible in many places. This includes sharing it on social media, getting backlinks from other reputable websites and submitting your sitemap to Google through Google Search Console. By increasing the web's awareness of your site, you increase the likelihood of it being crawled and indexed faster. Vooba can help you with this and more. Click here for more information.
What is SEO and how does it affect my site?
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is one of the key factors affecting website performance. As a practice, SEO optimisation is the art and science of adjusting a website to enhance chances of ranking highly in search engine results. Google evaluates several factors when indexing your website, such as the quality and relevance of your content, the structure of your site and the user experience. Effective SEO practices ensure that your site ticks all of these boxes.
Optimising your website’s content using SEO best practices allows your business to gain traffic from users who are searching for products and services that your website is promoting. These users arrive at your site without clicking on paid advertising. This is what is known as organic traffic. The higher up your business is on Google’s search results, the more likely it is to be visited by potential clients.
How Long Will It Be Before Seeing SEO Results?
The timeline for seeing SEO results can vary greatly, and it depends on multiple factors. One crucial aspect is how quickly Google indexes your page. Typically, it may take several days to a few weeks for Google to discover and index a new website. However, the speed of indexing can be influenced by various factors, including the quality and structure of your content.
Another factor that comes into play is how competitive your industry is. A thorough SEO campaign will aim to identify both global and niche aspects of your business that can be promoted in order to attract traffic. The key is for the pages on your website to contain content that is the most relevant match to what users are searching for. Unfortunately, this is what the competition is doing too, so finding search terms that the competition aren’t exploiting is key. This is one of the reasons that gaining organic traffic and seeing SEO results can take some time.
How Can I Boost Business While Waiting to See SEO Results?
There are a number of methods to boost your site’s traffic while organic traffic is picking up steam, with the two main areas being social media marketing and pay-per-click advertising:
- Social media advertising not only promotes your website to a broader audience but also signals to Google that your site is worth indexing. Platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook also allow you to engage with consumers and peers, whilst helping you keep an eye on competitors.
- Engaging in pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns will give you visibility and have an immediate effect on traffic, as these ads appear at the top of Google’s search results. As well as providing quick conversions, PPC can boost your site's visibility, as these ads are designed to direct traffic to your web pages, enticing Google's crawlers to visit.
Additionally, don't underestimate the power of Google My Business. By creating and optimising your Google My Business profile, you provide Google with essential information about your business, which can be displayed in local search results. This not only accelerates indexing but also improves your local SEO.
In conclusion, the journey from launching your website to achieving strong SEO results is multifaceted. Understanding the indexing process, SEO fundamentals and the importance of visibility are crucial steps in making your online presence a success. By promoting your website on social media, participating in PPC campaigns and leveraging Google My Business, you can accelerate the indexing process and boost your SEO rankings.
Need Help With Your Digital Marketing?
Whether you have a site and would like help improving your website’s performance, or you are starting from scratch, Vooba can provide a comprehensive range of digital marketing services to help your business reach its target audience. From convenient specialised solutions such as the Abnix Solutions plant and tool hire web package through to bespoke builds, content creation, social media marketing and PPC, our services will place your business firmly on the digital map. Get in touch today on 01798667167 and let Vooba help your business thrive.