How to Enhance Crawl Optimization

A web developer adding an XML sitemap to a website’s code

Some people think updating content on a website and creating a new URL means it’ll automatically appear in Google search results. But that’s not how things work. Google must crawl your website before indexing it.

There’s a misconception that Google instantly crawls and indexes every website once updated. But the reality is that Google has limited resources, meaning it cannot crawl every page it finds. Instead, it must prioritize URLs in a crawl queue. Then, Google crawls the URLs that are considered high priority. It’s also important to remember that the crawl queue is dynamic, meaning Google processes and updates the queue continuously.

If Google doesn’t crawl and index your client’s website, your client’s content won’t gain visibility, which means your agency’s SEO efforts won’t provide fruitful results.

Crawl rates are essential for SEO because Google won’t rank a website until it’s crawled and indexed correctly. If your digital marketing agency doesn’t have the expertise or resources to help clients enhance their crawl rate, consider outsourcing white label SEO services from Rocket Driver. Established in 2011, Rocket Driver is a leading white label SEO marketing agency.

What is the crawl rate?

The crawl rate refers to how often Google visits a website, which depends on the website type and published content.

Why is crawling important for SEO?

Most marketers think crawling only matters because it helps pages get indexed faster. But that’s not necessarily true. The importance of crawling is more nuanced. Some SEO and content marketing strategies are time-sensitive. For instance, let’s assume your client operates an E-commerce store. They want to increase their leads and sales over the holiday season. As a result, they ask your agency to create dedicated landing pages for the holidays. You’ll want these pages to rank as quickly as possible in SERPs. Otherwise, there’s no point creating these dedicated landing pages if they aren’t indexed and don’t show to users in Google’s search results.  

In addition, websites also regularly update their old content. Refreshed pages require Google to index and crawl them again, meaning you’ll want refreshed content to impact SERPs as soon as possible.

People also have some misconceptions about crawling, thinking it’s only valuable for larger websites, but that’s not true. Crawl optimization benefits all websites. As a result, some metrics like crawl budget are pointless.

Savvy marketers understand the importance of guiding Google’s crawlers to important URLs as soon as they’re published. It requires implementing the right strategies and approaches.

Ensure a quick server response

Google’s crawlers stop crawling websites when the server response is slow. Likewise, it also stops or slows crawling when the server responds with multiple errors or connection timeouts.

Therefore, you’ll need to improve the server response to ensure the website’s performance doesn’t affect crawling. Improving page load speed can help because it allows Google’s crawler to find and index more URLs during the same timeframe. You can also use Google Search Console to check server health. It’ll provide information about the host status, 5xx errors, and server response time.  

Remove low-value content

Another way to optimize a client’s website for crawling is by removing low-value content. You’ll want to eliminate outdated or duplicate content because it increases crawl activity competition, prompting crawlers to delay indexing fresh or updated content.

Moreover, eliminating low-value content also has other benefits, such as reducing index bloat and eliminating keyword cannibalization, which improves user experience and impacts SEO efforts.

You can use a 301 redirect to merge content when your client has another page intended to replace an old page. Doing this will increase crawl processing times, but it can be a necessary sacrifice because it increases link equity.

If your client’s website doesn’t have a replacement for an older, outdated page, consider using a 410 or 404 status code to inform the crawler to refrain from crawling and indexing that URL again.

Guide crawlers on what to crawl

Utilizing XML sitemaps is also good because they help Google’s crawlers prioritize crucial site URLs. However, ensure that you include indexable URLs for SEO. Using an “index, follow” robot tag is crucial for pages you want to be visible in SERPs.

Similarly, including accurate <lastmod> tags on individual URLs and the sitemap is also beneficial because it makes crawlers prioritize those links.

Create relevant links

It’s well-known that backlinks are crucial for SEO. They also contribute to crawling. Getting external links for some pages, like product pages and blog posts, can be difficult. Ensure you use a strong internal linking system for them. Relevant internal links must be technically scalable and impactful for deep page crawling. They also send powerful signals to Google to prioritize a page for crawling.

Audit crawl issues

Conducting a crawl audit can also be beneficial because it can help identify crawl issues. You can use Google Search Console to audit crawl issues. Alternatively, you can utilize Rocket Driver’s white label agency tools to address these problems.

Obtain social proof

Social proof helps websites get indexed quickly. Google and Bing’s crawlers can access publicly available information on social media networks. If your client’s content is shared and circulated, the crawlers will crawl and index it quickly.

A user about to use Google for a branded search

Get Started with Rocket Driver

Enhancing crawl optimization is essential for the best SEO results. It’ll help your client rank better in SERPs. Rocket Driver’s white label marketing solutions can help your agency improve your client’s SEO ratings.

In addition, interested agencies can also book a demo with one of the founding partners, Tom Lombardi. The 45-minute, one-on-one demo will help your agency learn more about Rocket Driver’s services.

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