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Definition of the term, "indexing"

search engine indexing

Also known as: "search engine indexing", "website indexing"

The term "indexing" is used to describe the process that search engine's carry out to firstly find your site, then secondly "digest" the content of your site. This is the way that search engines gather information about your site in order to "score" each page using their ranking algorithm.

Each search engine have their own spiders (automated programs used to crawl the web, finding new websites and recording details about the site) which carry out the indexing process. The ultimate result is the search engine index - this is the large set of data that search engines use to base their final search results on.

Search engine optimisation campaigns generally make reference to this area in terms of describing your website as being "spider friendly" (or not as the case may be). A "spider friendly" website poses no barriers for search engine spiders to index the site. A site that isn't "spider friendly" is one that uses certain web design techniques that (unintentionally) prevent search engines indexing some or all of the content on the site.

For example, if a large amount of the text on your site is displayed using graphic files (ie, you have embedded the text in graphics to make use of a unique font), then search engines can't read that text and as a consequence, they can't determine what your site is about or rank it accordingly.

Any SEO campaign will start off by reviewing the technical infrastructure of your site to ensure it is "spider friendly". A site with "indexing issues" will not be able to rank on search engines as well as it otherwise could, although most "indexing issues" are usually very easy to correct.

Related terms and definitions

• algorithm
• best industry practice
• Google

eflaunt is a UK Internet Marketing and Search Engine Optimisation agency based in Edinburgh, Scotland. For industry news, please refer to the eflaunt SEO blog.