The aim of every website owner is to get their website as high in the Google search results as possible. Once there, the aim is to stay there. But before any of this can happen, the website must be indexed by the search engine.
Plenty of attention is focused on how long it will take to get into the top 10 results in Google, since that is where most people look before clicking on links. One study found only just over 5% of pages got into the top 10 inside 12 months. That relates to pages that have just been published. The same study revealed the older a page is, the more likely it is to rank more highly than newer pages.
So, age is an important factor to bear in mind. However, it is also worth remembering the launch of a website will only include a certain number of pages. Each page is indexed individually to be considered for a position within the search results for relevant terms for that page.
Let’s say you launch your site with 10 pages. Those 10 pages will need to age and -with all things being equal – could stand a chance of reaching the top 10 inside a year, if they do well. But if you then add another page to your site 12 months after the site launches, the clock starts ticking for that page at that moment.
In other words, the process of Google indexing a website is an ongoing one. While you may find pages will get indexed quite quickly, they won’t be high enough in the search results for some time. And the journey begins again whenever a new page is added to the site, because that will need indexing too.
Tristan Whittaker
Founder & Director, Infinity3
Tristan Whittaker is the founder and director of Infinity3, with more than 20 years of experience in web design, digital marketing and technology. He works with businesses across the UK to improve their online presence, generate more opportunities and make better use of digital tools, AI and automation.
Combining strong technical knowledge with a practical understanding of how businesses actually operate, Tristan has helped hundreds of organisations create better websites, improve their visibility and simplify the systems behind them. He’s particularly interested in finding sensible ways to use technology to solve real business problems, without unnecessary complexity or jargon.