Search Enging Optimization: Understanding How Googlebots Work
Posted Under: Search Engine Optimization
Understanding how Googlebots work is necessary to Search Engine Optimization and maintaining your website’s discoverability.
With billions of pages on the web today, you can no longer just build an attractive website, fill it with great content, and expect people to come by and visit.
Although building a website with original compelling content is a basic requirement for any good website; in order to be truly successful, there are other considerations you need to keep in mind.
- Is your web site discoverable?
- Are your web pages easily crawlable for the Googlebots?
- Can the Googlebots understand what your web pages are all about?
- Are your pages optimally showing up in the search engine results?
Once you have created a great website, getting discovered is the most important next step to surmount. When your site is ready to be indexed, you have to make sure that Googlebots know about your site’s pages.
If one or more quality sites have already included a relevant link to your web site, Google may already be aware of your pages. In fact naturally acquired relevant links to your site, are a great way for the Googlebots to learn about your website’s pages.
You can jump start the indexing process, by using the add URL tool at http://www.google.com/addurl/, if you would like Google to know about your newly constructed web site. Simply submit your URL to start the process.
To let the Googlebots know about all the pages on your website; you need to submit an XML sitemap.
A sitemap helps the Googlebots, as well as the other search engine robots, find the pages on your website easier and makes them more understandable.
Sitemaps are especially useful on sites that have a large number of archived pages, websites with few incoming links, and sites with lots of dynamic page content.
It takes only a few minutes to create a general XML sitemap, or a sitemap for other types of content like videos.
It’s important to know that the XML sitemap is not the same as an HTML sitemap for human visitors. An HTML, visible sitemap, compliments an XML sitemap, and allows your visitors to more easily navigate your website.
By understanding how googlebots work; it becomes easier for you to maintain your Search Engine Optimization efforts and develop a truly successful website.
Reader Comments
Good article..gives an idea about googlebots and how to use it to improve the search for our websites