Search engines are constantly working to improve their crawl stats to ensure that they can provide the best possible results to their users. Knowing how to read Google Search Console (GSC) crawl stats can help you maximize your SEO efforts and ensure that your website is performing as well as it can in the search engine’s eyes.
Google Search Console is a free tool provided by Google for webmasters worldwide. It allows webmasters to keep track of their websites performance on the search engine and to make improvements where necessary. Through GSC, webmasters are able to access information about their websites crawl stats, or the number of times that Google crawls each page of the website.
One of the most important metrics to pay attention to when reading your GSC crawl stats is the number of URLs that have been crawled by Google. This figure tells you the total number of unique URLs found on your website and crawled by Google. If this number is low, then it indicates that the search engine may be unable to find all the content on your website. Increasing this number by creating sitemaps and submitting them to GSC can help to ensure that all of your website pages are being indexed.
The “Time Spent on Page” metric is another important statistic to keep in mind when analyzing your GSC crawl stats. This indicates how long it takes Google to crawl each page on your website, and a higher number here means that the search engine is spending more time on that page. If the average time spent on page is low, it may be an indication that the content is not providing enough depth or value for the search engine to take time to crawl it. If this is the case, then improving the content on each page of your website can provide a boost to your SEO efforts.
The “Status Code” metric is also important to note when reading your GSC crawl stats. This tells you whether or not Google was able to successfully crawl and index the page in question. A higher status code indicates that the page was successfully crawled and indexed, while a lower status code indicates that there may have been an issue. If you have pages with low status codes, then it can be beneficial to investigate the underlying cause and correct it accordingly.
Finally, when analyzing your GSC crawl stats, it’s important to pay attention to the “Crawl Frequency” metric. This indicates how often Google returns to your website in order to re-crawl it. If the frequency is low, then it might be an indication that there is not enough new content or changes to prompt the search engine to revisit. Increasing the frequency by regularly updating your website and adding new content can help to ensure that Google is returning frequently to review and index any updates.
By understanding your GSC crawl stats and making the necessary changes, you can ensure that the search engine is giving your website the attention it deserves. Knowing how to read Google Search Console crawl stats for maximum SEO power can help to ensure that your website is visible to the top search engines and your content is seen by the right people.