Ask The Expert

05.20.10

Emily MacNair, Client Strategist

If you are seeking answers to interactive marketing and branding questions then ASK The EXPERT! In this monthly series we will have a rotating expert, to answer your questions in various areas including: SEO, SEM, Social Media, Website Design, Website Analytics, Website Usability, Affiliate Marketing and Content Management Systems by a different expert each month!

Q: How does Google find my website?
 
A: There are three components to the process: Crawling, indexing, and serving results to the searcher. Google first has to recognize that your web pages exist. This is done through the crawling process by a program called Googlebot (also known as a robot, spider or bot). This program determines which sites will be crawled, how frequently it will crawl those sites, and which pages to crawl on each website. The list of pages that Google knows to crawl is derived from the previous crawl, and tweaked based on the links that it finds on other pages and information shared by webmasters. Once pages are crawled, they are indexed. This is when Google processes the information and takes into account key elements, such as the on page content, meta data, in-bound links, etc. After this information is collected, Google is then able to serve up your web pages in search results if your web page is relevant to the searcher’s query. Where your web pages rank in search engine results is based on how relevant Google deems your webpage to the search term(s). Following SEO best practices, paying attention to the on-page elements as well as technical considerations, and making sure that your site is well linked with other relevant websites is critical. Google uses this information to provide the end user with reliable information instantaneously, leading to a positive searching experience.

About The Expert:

As a client strategist Emily oversees search engine optimization, search engine marketing and social media initiatives for clients around the globe and across a variety of industries such as education, real estate, insurance, health care and non-profits. She has a proven track record of achieving exceptional results in improving website rankings, boosting traffic and generating revenue. With a passion for assisting clients in creating a positive user experience for website visitors, Emily helps leverage analytics data to increase leads and sales.

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