Member Avatar for Mr.'BackUp'

I apologise in advance for my ignorance :!: - but if robots from Google for example are visiting your site then does that mean it has been 'indexed'?

I ask because I read that if you want to be 'indexed' into Google within a short space of time then it would be a good idea to link to a high PR site of say 7. Even if that means buying the link for a month

thanks guys!

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A quick clarification tied to the replies already here: a bot visit, crawling, indexing and ranking are four different things. Crawling is simply a bot fetching a URL. Indexing is the search engine deciding to store that page and its content. Ranking is how the engine orders that page for queries. @Mr.'BackUp asked whether a Google visit equals indexing — it can, but not always.

Common reasons a crawled page is not indexed: a meta noindex or X‑Robots header, a canonical tag pointing elsewhere, redirects or HTTP errors, robots.txt disallowing fetch, duplicate/thin content, or manual actions. Search Console will often show the exact state (for example, “crawled — currently not indexed”) so use its URL inspection and coverage reports to see why a URL was excluded.

Practical checks and quick troubleshooting:

  • Use Search Console’s URL inspection to get the engine’s view of the page and the last crawl date.
  • Inspect server logs for the bot’s visits and verify real Googlebot via reverse DNS (example command: 
    dig -x <ip-address> +short

    then confirm the hostname ends in googlebot.com and reverse-resolve it).

  • Ensure pages are reachable (200 OK), remove unintended noindex, and submit or update an XML sitemap.

How to encourage indexing (without risky shortcuts): fix technical blocks, publish unique useful content, add sensible internal links from authoritative pages, submit the sitemap, and use Search Console’s request-indexing when appropriate. Avoid buying links purely to trigger indexing; if paid links are used they should be disclosed/marked (e.g., rel="nofollow" or rel="sponsored") to follow search-engine policies.

In short: as and pointed out, indexing and ranking are different and patience + technical hygiene + quality content are the reliable path forward.

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Member Avatar for jewboy

Most likely yes.

The best way to check if your domain and pages are indexed in google is by typing in:

site:www.mywebsite.com

site:www.mywebsite.com/page.htm

If Google returns a match, you are indexed. The same procedure works for all major engines.

I would not link to a PR7 for the purpose of being indexed. Looks very unnatural. Best way to get indexed is by posting your URL in your signature on Daniweb. Wait a while before linking to power sites with high pagerank.

Member Avatar for TopDogger

Don't be in a hurry with Google. Most new sites get stuck in Google's Sandbox for 5 to 8 months, which means that the site probably won't rank well in G for most competitive terms for quite some time.

A well-designed site with good content should rank well in MSN and Yahoo within a month or two. Getting some links pointed to your site does help. Most forum signatures and links from free directories work well. Here's a starter list of directories.

<URL SNIPPED>

There are literally hundreds of thousands of free directories on the Web. Just search for "free directory".

Member Avatar for jewboy

Being indexed by Google and ranking for a keyword are two separate issues. Some peopel observe a sandbox effect - in which it can take almost a year to rank for a particular keyword.

A few words about directories. I would avoid free directories or directories that want recip links. In my opinion, and that of many top search marketers is they are a waste of time. There are many good directories out there (ie. Yahoo), however the PageRank passed to your site will most likely be weak due to the many outgoing links on the page. Do list your site in top tier authorative and topical niche directories. Avoid free directories by all means - the only free directory I know of that has value is DMOZ.

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