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Official statement

In general, Google does not crawl all content on a website. For important content, it's essential to ensure it is reflected on the site, that it is an excellent website, easily crawlable, and that all content meets the criteria considered by Google.
23:46
🎥 Source video

Extracted from a Google Search Central video

⏱ 35:26 💬 EN 📅 29/02/2024 ✂ 12 statements
Watch on YouTube (23:46) →
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  5. 22:42 Why are crawling and indexing considered separate processes in SEO?
  6. 25:21 Why does SEO correction validation take so long?
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  8. 29:36 What happens when you use the noindex tag in your SEO strategy?
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  10. 33:48 Why does Google suggest showing only existing items?
  11. 34:21 Why Does Google Focus on Domain Names Instead of IP Addresses?
📅
Official statement from (2 years ago)
TL;DR

Google does not crawl all content on a website. Highlight important content and ensure that your site is easily crawlable. Aim for excellence to meet Google's criteria.

What you need to understand

What does this statement mean for crawling?

Google confirms that it does not always crawl an entire site. This should alert SEOs to the importance of prioritizing essential content. In practice, it's vital to determine which elements are strategic for SEO and to make them visible and accessible.

  • Google's crawl is selective.
  • Make each strategic page easily identifiable.
  • Ensure content accessibility and consistency.

    How does this selectiveness manifest in practice?

    Crawl budget is a reality. Each site has a quota of URLs that Googlebot will navigate. Pages with a focus on quality, strong internal links, and a clear structure are often crawled better.

    Therefore, it is crucial to have an established strategy so that important pages are the first to be indexed by Google.

    • Focus efforts on important pages
    • Optimize overall site consistency
    • Don't forget about internal linking

SEO Expert opinion

Why is Google unclear about certain aspects?

Google remains intentionally vague so as not to precisely reveal its criteria and to avoid manipulation of its algorithm. This drives SEOs towards an approach focused on the intrinsic quality of the content.

[To be verified]: Without specific data, emphasis on user-centered optimization is suggested.

Are there exceptions to this rule?

Yes, some SEOs have observed poorly optimized but complete sites being fully crawled. This is anecdotal and often linked to other factors such as the site's prestige or its recency.

Constant monitoring is crucial to adjust your strategies in response to such unexpected behaviors from Google.

Practical impact and recommendations

What should be done concretely to optimize crawling?

Simplify your site's structure. Ensure that important content is accessible within a few clicks from the homepage. Use the robots.txt file smartly to guide crawlers. Don’t let Google decide alone what content to crawl.

  • Simplify link structure
  • Update the robots.txt file
  • Ensure good loading speed

    What mistakes should be absolutely avoided?

    Do not overload the site with low-quality content hoping it will be crawled. This dilutes the relevance of the information.

    Each page must provide real added value. Avoid entry points with many redirects or unnecessary JavaScript that slows down the crawler.

    • Avoid duplicate content
    • Reduce multiple redirects
      Optimizing your site for crawling may seem simple, but often, the assistance of a specialized SEO agency may be necessary for effective and tailored support.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Google crawle-t-il moins de contenu sur les petits sites ?
Pas nécessairement. Le crawl dépend de divers facteurs, dont la qualité et l'accessibilité du contenu.
Comment s'assurer que le contenu important est crawlé ?
Placez le contenu stratégique à un endroit facilement accessible avec un maillage interne optimisé.
Le budget de crawl peut-il être influencé ?
Oui, par la qualité structurelle du site et l'optimisation de ses pages.
🏷 Related Topics
Content Crawl & Indexing

🎥 From the same video 11

Other SEO insights extracted from this same Google Search Central video · duration 35 min · published on 29/02/2024

🎥 Watch the full video on YouTube →

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