Google Updates Crawl Budget Best Practices

2 Nov 24

3 minutes

Ever wondered how Google decides what pages on a website to show in its search results?

It all boils down to something called “crawl budget.” Let’s break down what’s new about it and why it matters for websites big and small.

What is Crawl Budget?

Think of crawl budget like the number of pages a doodle bug has time to munch on. For Google, it’s the number of pages a web crawler visits and remembers (or indexes) over a certain time. This is super important for websites because it affects how quickly and efficiently your content can be discovered and ranked on Google.

Introducing Link Parity in Simple Terms

Google has dropped some new advice about how websites should keep their act together. They’re now saying, “Hey, keep your links the same on both your phone-friendly page and the computer-friendly version.” Why? Because if one version has fewer links, the treasure hunt to find new pages gets a lot trickier, and that’s not good for a website’s visibility in search results.

Who Should Care the Most?

Not every site needs to panic, but if you or your business handles any of these kinds of giant sites, you should perk up:

Mega Websites: Sites with over a million pages that update their content weekly. (Basically, they’re always throwing new stuff on the web.)
Medium-Sized Palaces of Content: Sites with more than 10,000 pages and they update content daily. These guys are content-crazy!
Mystery URLs: If you’ve got a bunch of URLs marked as “Discovered - currently not indexed” on Google Search Console, this could be your thing.

How to Keep Google Happy

Here are some things you can do, so Google doesn’t mix up your pages and make sure your new posts get found quickly:

Audit Your Links: Check how links are set up on both your mobile and desktop versions; they should look the same.
Don’t Forget Sitemaps: Sitemaps are like treasure maps. Make sure they show all the important pages.
Key Paths Matter: Your website’s main spots should be easily clickable on a phone.
Keep an Eye on Stats: Watch how Google crawls your website for any hiccups in discovering pages.

Why This Is a Big Deal

This isn’t just another tech update. It’s Google pushing websites to be mobile-friendly first. A long time ago, sites were designed for desktops, but now more people browse on their phones. If you’re running a large website, especially one that wants to get found on Google, it’s crucial to make sure both desktop and mobile versions of your site are linked properly. This saves on crawl budget and makes Google’s life easier—and yours too!

To sum it up, keeping a close eye on how your site is structured across devices can spell the difference in making sure people find your newest updates quickly. Cruise into your website settings if you run a big site and make sure everything looks sweet and consistent, just the way Google likes it.

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