Why Being Indexed Doesn't Always Mean You'll Rank on Google

byBrendaMZ

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3 years ago

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Why Being Indexed Doesn't Always Mean You'll Rank on Google

Many people believe that when they request Google to index their article, it will immediately appear on search engine results pages and that they rank on Google.

Sorry, that is not true.

In this post, I explain what indexing and ranking are and why newbies think indexing means that they rank in Google. I offer two solutions for improving your content to get indexed and ranked so you can acquire more traffic and sales.

Ready? Let's see what it means.

What is Indexing?

When a search engine "indexes" a website, it has added its content to its database.

When a person performs a search, the index will determine which websites are ranked highest for specific keywords.

Even though a website is indexed, ranking high in the search results for the keywords is possible, but other guarantees exist.

Search engine algorithms recognize helpful content as relevant and keyword-rich for a website to rank well.

What is Ranking?

The ranking is determined by two main factors: popularity and relevance.

Depending on how many times your content is shared and linked to other websites determines its popularity. Meanwhile, relevance determines how well your content matches the user's search query.

The quality of your content and the length of time about how long your website has been online help increase your domain authority, therefore, help boost your rank on Google.

The Difference Between Indexing and Ranking

That said, a website can rank for specific keywords without being included in Google’s database.

All the same, having your website indexed does increase the likelihood of it appearing when relevant queries are entered into the search engine.

Rank your site content on Google depends on several factors:

• The overall quality of your content.
• How is your website designed?
• If your site is well-known compared to other sites.

If you improve your keywords, write high-quality content, and optimize it for SEO, your chances of ranking are better.

Why Being Indexed Doesn't Guarantee You'll Rank Page 1 on Google

It does not guarantee a top ranking even if Google indexes your website.

They focus on these:

• The content is helpful,
• The relevance of your keywords,
• Strength of your backlink profile

All those play a role in indexing, which is essential for order but does not guarantee it.

What does this imply for your website?

If your website is ranked lower than you'd like. You can keep working on improving your ranking.

Pay attention to all the factors that affect your ranking – not just whether you're indexed.

You can get those top spots quickly if you put in a little work!

What to do if you're not indexed on Google

If you need to get indexed on Google, please make sure your website is listed with Search Console.

Then you can check any crawl errors and fix them if necessary.

You can also manually submit your website via the Submit URL feature in Search Console.

You can take a few steps to fix the situation if Google isn't indexing your website.

Please ensure your robots.txt file is not accidentally blocking Google's crawlers from indexing your site.

If this isn't the issue, it's possible that Google has yet to index your site because it is still new.

If that is the case, periodically reviewing your website's indexing should be done.

If you've checked those things and still need to appear in Google search results, contact someone here at Wealthy Affiliate to help you.

What to do if you are not Ranked on Google

To boost your Google ranking, there are numerous steps you can take to try and enhance it.

You can check if Google indexes your site. To locate your domain's indexed pages, try utilizing Google and enter "site:yourdomain.com."

If your site doesn't appear in Google's index, you must submit it for indexing.

To ensure you can rank successfully, please review your content, and ensure it meets the highest quality standards and is relevant to your target keywords. If you still need to make some adjustments.

Focus on building natural backlinks to your site from high-quality websites. It will help Google see that your site is authoritative and trustworthy, which can help improve your ranking.

Final thoughts

Regarding SEO for indexing and ranking, so that you know, there is no guarantee of success. You have to keep writing that content. The more you do it, the better your site will grow. The search engine must crawl your site. Google's algorithm is complicated and constantly changing, so you may not be ranking for the desired keywords even if your site has been indexed. Please ensure your site gets indexed. After that, keep putting effort into SEO and content creation daily, if possible.

PS: Additional Resources

4 Google Tips for your Website-Building Experience

Researching & Understanding Website Rankings

How To Find Where Your Keywords Rank In Google