Crawling and indexing of sites is paramount for website owners and SEO specialists. Google Search Console (GSC) provides useful tools and insights for improving crawling efficiency and increasing visibility in search engine results.
This article illustrates ways of adding value through GSC by increasing crawl budget assigned to your site and ensuring the important pages are crawled by bots to the level you need.
Understanding crawl budget
When we speak of crawl budgets, we mean the specific pages bots crawl from your website over time, and how that impacts crawling rates like Google’s own Googlebot.
Factors which primarily influence that budget are:
- site performance
- site structure
- a site’s importance.
These are vital considerations when managing large dynamic sites with many pages. Poor management leads to the loss of site visibility, as important pages will be skipped by the bots or old content may fail to be indexed.
Insights from Google Search Console
GSC is an effective tool for monitoring and improving crawl efficiency. Here are some key reports and metrics to leverage:
Crawl Stats report
The Crawl Stats report provides detailed data on how Googlebot interacts with your site. Key insights include:
- the number of pages crawled per day
- amount of data downloaded
- average page response time.
This information helps identify crawl patterns and potential bottlenecks.
URL Inspection tool
The URL Inspection tool allows you to check the index status of specific pages. Use it to:
- identify pages that are indexed or excluded
- debug crawl errors
- request re-crawling for updated content.
Index Coverage report
This report highlights issues affecting indexing. Look out for:
- pages with crawl errors (e.g. 404s, 500s)
- pages blocked by txt
- duplicate or non-canonical pages.
Addressing these issues ensures critical pages are discoverable and indexable.
Optimisation strategies
To maximise your crawl budget, it’s essential to prioritise optimisation. Below are some actionable strategies:
Fix broken links
Broken links disrupt the crawling process and waste valuable resources. Use GSC’s Index Coverage report to identify and fix these issues.
Optimise robots.txt
The robots.txt file guides search engine bots on which pages to crawl or avoid. Ensure this file:
- allows crawling of high-priority pages
- blocks irrelevant or low-value pages, such as admin or duplicate content.
Address server errors
Server errors, such as 500 Internal Server errors, can hinder crawling. To detect and resolve such issues, monitor the Crawl Stats report regularly.
Prioritise high-value pages
Not all pages are equally important. Focus on:
- core product or service pages
- content with high search intent
- recently updated pages.
Use internal linking to guide bots to these pages efficiently.
Technical enhancements
Improving your website’s technical foundation can significantly enhance crawl efficiency. Here’s how:
Improve page load speed
Search engine bots allocate a limited amount of time per site. Faster page loading guarantees the crawling of more pages.
Use GSC’s Core Web Vitals report and tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to:
- optimise image sizes
- minify CSS and JavaScript
- enable browser caching
Update XML sitemaps
XML sitemaps act as a roadmap for search engines. Ensure your sitemap:
- includes only canonical URLs
- excludes duplicate or low-value pages
- is updated regularly with new content
Submit the sitemap to GSC for efficient indexing.
Manage duplicate content
Duplicate content can reduce crawl efficiency. To guide bots appropriately, use canonical tags and noindex directives. Regular audits with GSC and tools like Screaming Frog can help identify duplicates.
Proactive monitoring and maintenance
Crawl efficiency is not a one-time task. Continual monitoring and adjustment will be necessary to maintain optimal performance. Leverage GSC’s alerts and reports to:
- track changes in crawl activities
- address new errors or issues
- optimise as your site evolves.
From crawl errors to conversions: optimising with GSC
Google Search Console Insights offers more than just data; it provides a roadmap to improved search visibility. By actively using the Crawl Stats, URL Inspection, and Index Coverage reports, you can take control of your crawl budget, prioritise your most valuable content, and quickly resolve technical issues that hinder indexing.
The result? A more efficient crawl, a stronger presence in search results, and ultimately, a more successful website.
