Difference between Indexing & Ranking for SEO

When we venture into building our first websites and adding content, we get excited and can’t wait to have our posts ranked. We hear terms such as Indexing, ranking, and Search Engine Optimization (commonly referred to as SEO – this means getting in front of the search results.

Many people just starting out get confused about having their posts indexed instead of ranked. What is the difference, and does it matter? Well, to get ranked, you must get indexed.

So let’s look at these terms and see what they mean and their importance.

 

Indexing (in Google search)

You have created a website and added content. Google looks at it (crawls it) trying to figure out what it is about, and what the images and video files are.

Google crawls the site using bots (web spiders) and checks links to other pages on your website. You have probably heard the term sitemaps which contains all the links on your blogs and helps Google to dig deeper into your website.

This is called indexing and is stored in Google’s huge database.  This helps people to find your page and discover what it is about.

For pages and posts, Google will automatically index them so if you don’t want Google to crawl and index certain pages, you should mark it as No Index.

 

Why Google Isn’t Indexing Your Page

Sometimes Google doesn’t index your page/posts and you wonder why. There are several reasons why this could be happening such as:

• Inconsistent posting – sporadic posting over time
• Not submitting a sitemap to Google
• No internal links
• Not using *canonical link or using it incorrectly

*Canonical link is a snippet of HTML code used in duplicated content. One example would be if you had similar content with different URLs; unless you specify which version you want to be indexed, Google will pick the one they think is the best. It is given priority in ranking.

Since Google doesn’t like duplicate content, it can waste time looking for what you want to be crawled by crawling similar versions.

It could take Google a few hours, days, or even months to index your content, so be patient.

Steps to Get Indexed

By following these steps, you could get indexed faster.

• Submit URL to Google Search Console
  • Choose URL Inspection
  • Type or paste the URL in the search bar you want to be indexed
  • Google will check the URL
  • Click Request Indexing
• Submit your URL to Bing Webmaster Tools (this is similar to Google Search Console – Make sure you have the right site and  click on URL Submission and add the URL you wish to have indexed
• Submit sitemap
• Don’t submit pages of little value to be indexed
• Use internal links
• Use quality external links
• Share on social media

Check out Google’s guide to indexing.

Ranking (what Google looks for)

So now we know your pages need to be indexed before they can be ranked. What does ranking mean?

Ranking refers to the position of your post/page when someone looks for something in the search engines. Several factors affect that position such as keywords and backlinks.

If your posts are ranking, there is a good chance your organic traffic will increase.

Several factors can affect ranking. For example:

• How old is the domain/site
• What is the quality of backlinks
• Absence of Internal links
• How frequently do you post content
• Have you submitted a Sitemap
• What is your Page Speed
• What is the Bounce rate
• How much time is spent on page
• Is the page or post mobile-friendly
• What Traffic are you getting
• How often does someone click on results
• is it a Secure website
• Have you added meta titles, meta descriptions that contain *keywords

*Keywords are important because they are the words or phrases someone will type into Google when looking for information.

Keywords are the ‘key’ to getting ranked and having quality and engaged visitors to your site.

If you want to know which of your keywords are ranking, you can check out Google Search Console and click on Performance. This is an invaluable tool. There you can see how your site is performing in Google searches, the position, click-through rates, and more.

 

Steps to Get Ranked

You can find lots of information on how to get ranked but if you want a sure-fire formula that works, check out his video here.

Learn a systematic approach in this 101 SEO – the Basics video. This doesn’t guarantee that you will get ranked immediately but following these steps will give you a better chance of getting ranked quicker.

You don’t need fancy ranking or automation tools, but you do need patience and some quality content.

*Content can be your experiences, opinions, niche, how to do something by educating your audience, or reviews.

Some popular types of content that people are craving are:

1. List posts – For example, the Top 10
2. How-to posts – step-by-step detailed instructions
3. Video resources online
4. Guides – in-depth guides
5. Product reviews
6. Case studies
7. The interview article

Here are the five steps but I suggest you watch the video for more details.

1. Meta Title

2. Meta Description

3. Keyword in the first paragraph of Content

4. Internal Link – at least one

5. External Link – at least one

Bonus Tips

1. Video (not necessarily needed but it can help)

2. Alt tag within the image

3. Submit the URL to Google

4. Submit Site Map

Final Thoughts

I hope you now understand the differences between indexing and ranking for SEO and their importance. Make sure you check out the two videos for more clarity.

Remember to start with good-quality content. This article “The Basics of Writing for the Beginner“ will guide you to write like a pro.

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