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Fix the technical SEO basics

If search engines cannot crawl and index the right pages, nothing written on them matters.

Free public layer

The idea, in one paragraph

Crawling and indexing are the foundational processes by which search engines discover and store web content—crawling is the discovery phase through link-following, while indexing is the storage and organization of discovered content for retrieval. Crawling is the process where search engine bots (crawlers or spiders) follow links from known pages to discover new content. Crawlers have limited resources—they prioritize crawling based on page importance, update frequency, and site authority. Once a page is crawled, the search engine analyzes its content and stores it in the index—a massive database of words, concepts, and signals. Indexing involves parsing content, identifying key topics, and understanding relationships between concepts. Pages that are not indexed cannot appear in search results, making crawlability and indexability essential for SEO success.

From Search Engine Optimization Foundations, volume 13 of the Marketing library. Search the free layer on the Knowledge Hub.

How to apply it

3 applied records from the paid layer, shown in full with their sources. They are part of a published sample of 74 of the library's 2,480 applied records; the rest are in Growth Operator and Pro.

MSGKB-V2-13-003-03 · vol 13, Search Engine Optimization Foundations

Crawling and indexing

A technical SEO practitioner ensuring crawlability and indexability would:

  1. verify robots.txt is not blocking important pages
  2. submit XML sitemaps to search consoles
  3. ensure canonical tags are correct
  4. fix broken links and server errors
  5. monitor crawl stats in Google Search Console
  6. use noindex tags appropriately
  7. optimize site speed for crawler efficiency
  8. address duplicate content issues
MSGKB-V2-14-005-03 · vol 14, Technical SEO

XML sitemaps

A technical SEO practitioner managing the sitemap would:

  1. generate a sitemap of all important pages
  2. include only canonical, indexable pages
  3. keep sitemap updated
  4. compress if over 50MB
  5. submit to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools
  6. include sitemap reference in robots.txt
  7. monitor sitemap errors
  8. update as site changes
  9. use sitemap index files for large sites
MSGKB-V2-14-039-03 · vol 14, Technical SEO

Canonicalization mistakes

A technical SEO practitioner avoiding those mistakes would:

  1. audit canonical tags
  2. ensure canonicals point to indexable pages
  3. maintain consistency across site
  4. use self-referential canonicals
  5. avoid conflicting signals
  6. test implementation
  7. monitor for errors
  8. fix issues promptly
  9. document canonical strategy
  10. educate team on best practices

Check your own numbers

A related free tool on the Knowledge Hub: The Answerability Audit. No card, no account.

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