In the context of SEO ingestion refers to the process by which search engines (such as Google, Bing) “find” new or updated content from your website and “include” it in their massive index. This is like registering your website in the search engine’s library.
Whenever something new is published on your website, search engine bots (also called crawlers or spiders) find it. The engagement process ensures that this information is correctly entered into the search engine’s system, so that later when a user searches for something, your content can be shown to him. This process is not limited to just web pages, but also includes images, videos, PDFs, and other types of content.
Ingestion and indexing: what’s the difference?
People often mistake ingestion and indexing for the same thing, but there’s a subtle difference:
Ingestion: This is the process of collecting and bringing data into the system. It can be the first step after crawling, where information found by the crawler is pulled into the search engine’s database. This ensures that the data is available.
Indexing: This is the process after ingestion where the collected data is organized, analyzed, and stored in a searchable format. The search engine puts this data into its vast “library” or “index” so that when a user asks a query, relevant information can be found immediately.
In simple terms, engagement brings data in, and indexing makes it useful. If your content is not engaged properly, it will never get indexed and, as a result, will not show up in search results.
Why is ingestion important for SEO?
Engagement is the foundation of your SEO efforts. If your content is not engaged properly by search engines, all the on-page and off-page SEO efforts you have made will go in vain.
Its key benefits:
Visibility: The first and most important step to make your content appear in search engines is to have it engaged. If Google does not know about your new content, it will not be able to show it.
Freshness: Google loves fresh and updated content frequently. Effective engagement ensures that your recent updates and new posts get into the system quickly and the search engines get an indication of their freshness.
Coverage: It ensures that all the important pages and content on your website come under the purview of the search engines. If some pages on your website are not getting engaged, they will miss out on search traffic.
Chances of better ranking: When your content is properly engaged and indexed, only then it is available for evaluation by the ranking algorithm. This is the first ticket in the game of ranking.
Getting ahead of the competition: If your content gets engaged faster and more efficiently than your competitors, you can get the advantage of appearing in search results sooner.
How to make ingestion SEO friendly?
Some important best practices to optimize your website engagement are:
XML Sitemaps:**
Create a well-structured XML Sitemap and submit it to Google Search Console (and Bing Webmaster Tools). It helps search engines find and engage all the important pages of your website. Update it regularly.
Robots.txt File:
This file tells search engine crawlers which parts of your website to crawl and which not to. Make sure you don’t “Disallow” pages you want to show up in Google. It is important to use it correctly.
High-Quality and Unique Content:
Search engines prefer content that is unique, useful, and high-quality. Thin or duplicate content can be ignored by crawlers, which can hinder engagement.
Internal Linking:
Build a strong internal linking structure within your website. Linking from one page to another helps crawlers find and engage different parts of your website. It also passes link equity.
Site Speed and Mobile-Friendliness:
A fast-loading website and mobile-friendly design make the site more efficient for crawlers. If your site is slow or doesn’t work well on mobile, crawlers may skip it.
Canonical Tags:
If your website has multiple pages with the same or very similar content, use a canonical tag to tell search engines which page is the “primary” version. This avoids the problem of duplicate content and makes the inclusion clearer.
Leverage Google Search Console (GSC):
GSC is an invaluable tool for monitoring the crawling and indexing status of your website. View the ‘Coverage’ report, check for crawl errors, and check the engagement/indexing status of a specific page using the ‘URL Inspection’ tool. You can also submit new URLs through GSC.
Frequent Updates and New Content:
Websites that regularly publish new and valuable content are crawled more frequently by search engines. This can increase the speed of engagement of your content.
Structured Data/Schema Markup:
Give search engines additional context about your content using schema markup. This can help search engines better understand your content, which can increase the accuracy of engagement and indexing.
Frequently Asked Questions – Ingestion
Q1: What is the difference between engagement and indexing?
A1: Ingestion is the process where a search engine “pulls” new or updated information from your website into its system. It is like collecting data. Indexing is the step after ingestion, where the collected data is organized and analyzed and stored in the search engine’s “library” (index) so that it can be displayed in search results. In simple terms, engagement brings data in, and indexing makes it searchable.
Q2: What if my website content is not engaged?
A2: If your website content is not properly engaged by the search engine, it will never be included in the search engine’s index. This means that those pages of your website will never appear in Google or any other search engine results, no matter how good SEO strategies you use.
Q3: How do I know if my content is getting engaged? A3: You can check the engagement and indexing status of your website using Google Search Console (GSC). View the ‘Coverage’ report in GSC, and find out the status of a specific page using the ‘URL Inspection’ tool. This will tell you if the page has been crawled, indexed, or has any issues.
Q4: What can I do to speed up ingestion ? A4: There are a few things you can do to speed up engagement: Submit your XML sitemap to Google Search Console and update it regularly. When you add a new post, manually submit that URL for indexing using the ‘URL Inspection’ tool in Google Search Console. Build strong internal linking on your website. Publish high-quality new content regularly, as this makes crawlers visit your site more often. Improve your website’s speed and mobile-friendliness.
Q5: Does Robots.txt file affect ingestion? A5: Yes, Robots.txt file directly affects engagement. It tells search engine crawlers which parts of your website to crawl and which not to. If you “Disallow” an important page in Robots.txt, crawlers will not be able to access that page, which will prevent its engagement and indexing. Therefore, it should be used very carefully.