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SEO FOR BEGINNERS:
GOOGLEBOTS AND HOW
DO THEY WORK?
Search Engine Optimization can seem confusing and daunting. However, if you are going to have a website and a blog, it’s important to understand how everything works so you are getting the most out of the time you spend on creating content. One of the first things you want to learn about SEO is the different elements and tools that make it work.
Have you heard of a Googlebot (also known as a web crawler or Spider)? I hadn’t either until I learned about Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It’s important to understand how SEO works so you can maximize all its benefits. Don’t let yourself become overwhelmed. I am going to simplify it for you and break it down so you understand.
WHAT IS GOOGLEBOT?
A Googlebot crawls (or scans) web pages. It finds and reads new and updated content and suggests how it should be ranked within the Google platform. Google sends a bazillion little crawlers to inspect every single web page and analyze what’s on them. Googlebot is Google’s web crawler, but other search engines have their own.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Googlebot uses all the information on your pages to figure out where to go next. For example, if your home page links to your about page, blog, information page, other webpages, etc, the Googlebot will scan all of those pages. If the Googlebot finds changes in the links or broken links it will update your SEO or ranking.
WHAT IS INDEXING?
Indexing is like Google’s brain. It is where it stores all the information that the crawlers discover. Once your page is indexed, Google determines how it will rank when someone is searching for that content. Make sure the Googlebot can crawl your webpages. You can check this by using the URL inspection tool on Google Console. If the site is available to crawlers, the Google bots will come around more frequently. Which is great if you are regularly releasing new content.
DIFFERENT BOTS
There are different bots that check different things. There are bots that check desktop sites, mobile sites, videos, images, news, etc. There is a bot for everything.
HOW DO YOU CHECK FOR GOOGLEBOTS?
The best tool to use to check for Googlebots is Google Console. You have the ability to test your site and get a list of crawl errors for you to fix. You can also request to have Google bots recrawl your site.
HOW TO OPTIMIZE FOR GOOGLEBOT?
Getting Googlebot to crawl your site faster has several different layers. If you have a newer site, Google won’t crawl it very quickly. It takes time to build credibility with Google, so be consistent with content and be patient. Start by doing some link building.
Another reason for slow crawling could be a slow site. This can be caused by a slow server, too many errors on your site if your site goes down a lot because of your hosting company, or you have too many URL’s on your site.
Googlebot, just like everything else that has an algorithm, is constantly changing. The key is consistency. If you are regularly adding new content, the Googlebot will come around more often and it will reflect in your SEO. When you learn how the Googlebot works, you have the knowledge to maximize the benefits and utilize your time the best way in order to see the best results.
