Eight SEO essentials for beginners: Getting your pages indexed

SEO involves so many tasks that it can feel overwhelming. If you do not know where to start, work through my eight essentials. Getting these basics right gives you a foundation to build on. This article answers the question: how do you get your website into Google’s search results?

Getting indexed by Google is the first step

Some websites do not rank because they have not completed the first step: getting their pages into a search engine’s database. We call this indexing.

Indexing happens at the page level, not the website level. A website can have only some of its pages indexed, leaving useful content without an opportunity to appear in search.^[1]

Start by checking two basic conditions:

1. The site offers useful content. Google may choose not to index pages that are copied, empty or provide little value. A properly maintained website should focus on meeting this basic requirement.
2. The pages do not carry an unintended noindex directive, and the robots.txt file does not block the crawling they need. Developers sometimes restrict search engines while a site is being built or tested. Leaving those restrictions in place after launch can prevent pages from being discovered or indexed as intended.

Is your site indexed, and how can you help Google find it?

There are several ways to check. A quick starting point is to enter the following command into Google:

site:your-domain

For example, I can search for site:https://procrustes.info to see pages from my website that Google returns. If expected pages are missing, investigate further in Search Console; a site search is a quick check rather than a complete index report.^[2]

If your pages are not indexed, add and verify the website in Google Search Console. You can then submit a sitemap or inspect an individual URL and request indexing. This helps you submit pages for consideration; it does not guarantee when or whether Google will index them.^[3]

Remember: being indexed is only the first step. It does not mean you have earned strong rankings. Your SEO work is just beginning.

Sources and references

1. In-depth guide to how Google Search works — Google Search Central

   Google describes crawling, indexing and serving results as separate stages; not every page reaches each stage.

2. site: search operator — Google Search Central

   A site: search is not a complete index report. Check missing URLs using URL Inspection.

3. Ask Google to recrawl your URLs — Google Search Central

   URL Inspection and sitemap submission help Google discover pages; neither guarantees when or whether indexing will occur.