What does Indexing mean?

Indexing is the step that follows crawling in the search engine process. Once a page is crawled, the search engine evaluates its content and stores it in its index - a massive database of all known webpages. If a page isn’t indexed, it won’t show up in search results, regardless of how well it’s optimized.

Search engines like Google decide what to index based on page quality, accessibility, content relevance, and technical signals like meta tags.

Example

“Our product page wasn’t showing up in Google searches because it hadn’t been indexed—once we fixed the noindex tag, it appeared within days.”

What are ways to use Indexing in your business?

Ensure that your important pages are indexable by removing “noindex” directives, submitting XML sitemaps, and avoiding duplicate or thin content. Use Google Search Console to check indexing status, submit new pages, or troubleshoot exclusions.

Avoid wasting your crawl budget on low-value or duplicate pages, and always prioritize getting your high-converting content indexed.

Pro Tip

Just because a page is published doesn’t mean it’s indexed - always verify with tools like Google Search Console or by searching site:yourdomain.com/page-url.