A Crawling is the automated process where search engine bots discover and scan web pages to prepare them for indexing.
It’s the first step in how search engines understand and organize the web. During crawling, bots (like Googlebot) visit pages, follow internal and external links, and download page content. The information collected is then analyzed and indexed to appear in search results.
Why Crawling Is Important in SEO:
- Foundation of Indexing – If a page isn’t crawled, it won’t be indexed or shown in search results.
- Keeps Search Results Fresh – Crawling ensures updated or new pages are discovered and reflected in SERPs.
- Affects Page Visibility – Proper crawling helps all relevant pages get indexed and ranked.
- Highlights Technical SEO Issues – Errors during crawling can reveal broken links, slow pages, or server issues.
How Crawling Works:
- Starts with Seed URLs – Search engines begin with known pages or sitemap links.
- Follows Links – Crawlers move from page to page through hyperlinks.
- Fetches Data – The bot downloads page HTML, scripts, and other assets.
- Sends for Indexing – Relevant content is queued for indexing based on quality, structure, and value.
Common Crawling Issues:
- Blocked by Robots.txt – Prevents crawlers from accessing pages.
- Slow Server Response – Can limit crawl activity.
- Too Many Redirects – Confuse crawlers and waste crawl budget.
- Orphan Pages – Not linked internally, so bots can’t find them.
- Duplicate Content – Can reduce crawl efficiency and lead to indexing errors.
Best Practices for Effective Crawling:
- Submit an XML sitemap via Google Search Console.
- Fix broken links and minimize redirects.
- Optimize internal linking structure.
- Use canonical and noindex tags wisely.
- Ensure fast-loading, mobile-friendly pages.
Example:
When Googlebot scans your blog and finds a new article linked from the homepage, that discovery process is called crawling.
