Search Engine Indexing Question and Answer FAQ
by Lori's Web Design
if you have a question about the search engine indexing of your website the answer may be listed below. To see how search engines are indexing your web pages enter the following command in any search engine:
site:yourdomaingoeshere.com (insert your own domain name)
They should list the home page first in the index and then all your other pages and they should all have a title and description. Make note of the number of pages and compare it to what you actually have. If it's not accurate you may have a search engine indexing problem.
Why is my website listed with just URL only?
This usually means the search engines know the page is there but cannot index the contents. Or they just haven't had time to do the later and it will be indexed soon. Make sure the first option isn't a problem however. If your home page is listed with title and description but not your other pages then the seearch engine probably can't follow the links on your website in which case read the following FAQ:
Why are search engines just listing the links in the footer of my website?
Your menu at top of the page may be preventing search engines from following indexing the contents and, if that is so, they are likely not following the links either. This often happens if the menu is designed in 100% Javascript (no HTML) which not all search engines can read. Also if you have Session IDs to track visitors on any of your menu links this can cause a problem with indexing on those pages. See
Google's Webmaster Guidelines
You only need a sitemap if the search engines are not able to follow the links on your website, such as in the example above where the navigation is all in Javascript.
Why doesn't my home page appear #1 in the indexing of my website?
Make sure all your inside web pages point back to your home page with a link that can be followed by a search engine, i.e., not a 100% Javascript menu (Javascript menus that also incorporate HTML should work ok). A link to your home page counts as a vote for your home page (the same is true of any other page on your website). The more "votes" it gets, and the higher the PR (Page Rank) of that web page, the higher it will rank amongst the indexing of your own pages.
If you have a question about search engine indexing of your website that isn't listed in the above FAQ
feel free to send me a question by email and I may post the answer.
Copyright © 3-12-06, updated 12-14-06
Lori Eldridge
Lori's Web Design
All Rights Reserved