Why Being Indexed Doesn't Always Mean You'll Rank on Google
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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
Recent Comments
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To add to the context here, according to Ahrefs more than 90% of all websites will never receive one single visitor from Google. Many searches will show thousands to millions of results as well in Google search, and almost nobody will scroll down to even the bottom of page one.
So for sure, indexing and rank are completely different beasts. I look at it as though indexing is just Google acknowledging your page exists independent of whether they feel it is any good.
I also can say I've spent more time than I should on index issues, and based on some good advice am leaving some of the so called issues alone. I can spend that time writing newer better content for now.
A great post that needs better understanding here as I see so many overjoyed they are indexed without understanding that alone doesn't mean a whole lot if you aren't ranking well.
Regards,
Jason
Hi Jason, thanks for commenting. Ahref is correct. Many will receive only one visitor-that why SEO is a challenge to try to beat your competitors.
Yes, I agree with you. Many new people need clarification on the two. I don't blame them. I did, too, when I first started four years ago. We weren't educated as we got through the training; we learned much more later about what it means.
I agree about trying to get indexed. Google never said when it will get indexed, all we can do is do our best to optimize our content, submit it to GSC, and play the waiting game. I know there is a temptation to return and try to change everything. Some do that, and I wouldn't even do that. Change the URL or try to improve and revise the content more as you wait for the indexing to get through.
People mistakenly being overjoyed at getting indexed means it's crawling your site, but you are right. It doesn't mean rank. Their overjoyed pops like a balloon pretty quickly when they find out that aint so.
Thanks for that. I have just come to realize this myself. Always thrilled to receive the news, you have been indexed, but I have never been ranked. Disappointing at times, but must keep moving forward.
Just keep moving forward! I know it’s disappointing. A lot of people think that, I did too but I’ve learned we need to be patient and keep writing content. Jason raises good points about how many sites dont get visitors. This is why we use social media to get engagement while waiting and writing content.
That was great information. While I am indexed the only thing I rank for is my about me page lol. It is number one on page on though so I guess that's something lol.
Hi, that is something. At least that is a good start! Congratulations, you are heading in the direct direction! Yay!
Thank you Brenda, that is a wealth of information and I truly appreciate it. I am learning SO MUCH and a lot of it is just from WA member blogs like this one. AWESOME contribution! I've bookmarked it for later reference, thank you so much!
Hi Kevin, sure, I am glad to help. This is great if you get referrals and they are new, they made a post, in a couple of days, " yay, I'm ranking," but you know they mean that their site just got indexed or one article got indexed. Many new people need clarification as they start their creating their websites. The explanation here about the difference is simple.
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I get indexed about 4 times every month since I joined Wealthy Affiliate. I get a lot of ads from Google Adsense ( it’s all over my website, and has been monetizing from it). I know I have to get more traffic, so I can level up. I noticed though that the impressions I get on my About Me page equates or sometimes is more than all the other articles in my website.
With the recent change in Google’s algorithm, my monetization is going down. I know that Google’s algorithm is complicated, it’s like having PMS!
Great post Brenda!
Cheers,
Maria 🌹
Yes, it will take several weeks for the latest Google updates to complete. Just let it take care of itself. Yes, PMS, indeed, 🤭 giggling. Thanks for commenting.