How Long Will it Take to Get Indexed in Google?

Written by Helen
August 12th, 2010

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Q: How long will it take for my new site (page) to get indexed in Google?

A: This is a great question! I will answer using a metaphor ☺ It will take the same amount of time as for my new haircut to “get indexed” in my husband’s head! ☺ Sometimes he would notice it right away, but sometimes it might take him a bit longer. Here are some factors that would help my haircut to “get indexed” faster (don’t worry, we are still talking about your web page ;)

1) Size does matter

One of the factors is how dramatic of a change my haircut was. If it’s just a little trim, then I would need to try hard for it to get noticed.

If it’s a major makeover then my chances are way higher.

Same with your website. If it’s a small tiny page, or a minor change on your (not-so-frequently-updated blog), then it will take longer (without extra help) for your page to get indexed. If it’s a full -on, user-friendly, ( or user-generated) website with valuable information, then the chances of being noticed by search engines are much higher.

2) Clues

So, what would be a decent clue that my husband needs to get in order to notice my haircut?

To look at the Visa statement, of course!

Same with search engines. If another website links to your new site or page, that’s one of the best ways to tell Google (and other search engines) that your site (page) exists. The more links you have, the faster your page will get indexed. The more important the linking sites are the better.

Simple things that you could do yourself:

- Use social media. Tweet your new site or page
- Bookmark your site on social networks like delicious, stumble upon and digg, etc.
- Share it on Facebook and Linked In

That being said, search engines are getting smarter and smarter at finding new content on the web. So, don’t get discouraged if your page is not indexed the next day you publish it.

Quick tip: Make sure to install an xml sitemap on your site or a blog. This will make search engines’ lives easier and your pages get indexed faster.

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