<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nCrawl demand refers to the level of interest or priority assigned to a website by a search engine or web crawler. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It indicates how often the search engine or crawler should visit and index the pages of a website based on various factors such as the website’s content, freshness, popularity, and relevance to search queries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Websites with higher crawl demand are crawled more frequently and thoroughly, which can improve their visibility and ranking in search results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Crawl demand can be influenced by various factors such as:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\nSize and Structure of the Website:<\/strong> Websites with more pages and complex structures require more resources to crawl and index, which can affect crawl demand. A site that is easy to navigate with clear categories and well-structured content is typically easier for search engine crawlers to navigate.<\/li>\n\n\n\nFrequency of Content Updates:<\/strong> Websites that regularly update their content and add new pages tend to have higher crawl demand. This is because search engines want to ensure that their index is up to date with the latest content available.<\/li>\n\n\n\nServer Capacity and Response Time:<\/strong> Websites that have slow loading times or experience downtime frequently may not be crawled as frequently as they should. Search engines want to provide users with a positive experience, and a slow website can negatively impact user experience.<\/li>\n\n\n\nImportance and Relevance of the Website’s Content:<\/strong> Websites that have high-quality, relevant content that meets user search queries are more likely to be crawled frequently by search engines. Search engines prioritize websites with quality content that is relevant to user queries.<\/li>\n\n\n\nBacklink Profile:<\/strong> The quality and quantity of backlinks pointing to a website can also influence crawl demand. Websites with a strong backlink profile tend to have higher crawl demand, as search engines view them as more authoritative.<\/li>\n\n\n\nHistorical Crawl Data:<\/strong> Search engines track how frequently they crawl a website and adjust their crawl demand based on past performance. Websites that have been crawled frequently in the past tend to have higher crawl demand, while those that are rarely visited may see a decrease in crawl demand.<\/li>\n\n\n\nSearch Engine Algorithm Updates: <\/strong>Finally, search engine algorithm updates can also affect crawl demand. Changes to search engine algorithms can alter how frequently search engines crawl and index websites. Websites that conform to these changes and meet the updated requirements may see an increase in crawl demand, while those that don’t may see a decrease.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nIn summary, several factors play a role in determining crawl demand, including the size and structure of the website, the frequency of content updates, server capacity and response time, the importance and relevance of the website’s content, the backlink profile, historical crawl data, and search engine algorithm updates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Website owners should aim to create a website with high-quality content, a strong backlink profile, fast loading times, and a good user experience to maximize crawl demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>How to check Crawl Budget in Google Search Console?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nGoogle Search Console is a valuable tool that website owners can use to optimize and manage their website’s crawl budget. The following steps can help you use Google Search Console to manage your website’s crawl budget management:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Step 1<\/strong>: Log in to Google Search Console and follow the steps Indexing > Pages > Here you will see pages on your website Not Indexed and Indexed pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\nPage indexing Status from google search console – Feb 2023<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nStep 2<\/strong>: Go to Search Console > Setting > Crawl Stats > Open Report. There you can see Googlebot\u2019s activity over the last 90 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\nCrawl Status from google search console – Feb 2023<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nStep 3<\/strong>: Then take note of the average pages that are crawled per day.<\/p>\n\n\n\nStep 4<\/strong>: Divide the number of pages by the “Average crawled per day” number.<\/p>\n\n\n\nStep 5<\/strong>: If your result is over 10<\/strong>, you need to optimize your crawl budget value. If you get a value below 3<\/strong>, there is no problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf we calculate from our example, that the value of the 6 Feb 2023<\/strong>, indexed page is 29867<\/strong>; We see that the total number of pages scanned on 6 Feb 2023 is 3476<\/strong>. When we calculate our values according to our formula, we can find that the result is 8.592<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Factors affecting it & How to solve them<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nGoogle claims that low-value URLs are the main problem affecting crawl budget management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When there are too many URLs on the crawler’s path that are of little or no importance but still exist, the budget becomes depleted and Googlebot is unable to access more crucial resources. Let’s learn how to optimize crawl budget:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>1. Faceted Navigation in Crawl Budget<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nFaceted navigation is a method of filtering and categorizing content on a website by using different attributes or facets, such as price range, brand, color, size, and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It can affect crawl budget because search engine crawlers may see multiple URLs for each facet, leading to a larger number of pages to crawl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To optimize crawl budget for faceted navigation, it is important to use techniques such as rel=canonical, meta robots tags, and robots.txt to control which pages get crawled and indexed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Faceted navigation can create problems for crawl budget in a few ways. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nFirst, it can lead to a large number of URL variations that search engines may try to crawl, such as different combinations of facet values, which can cause a dilution of the crawl budget. <\/li>\n\n\n\n Second, it can create many low-quality pages with thin or duplicate content that can negatively affect the website’s overall quality and authority. <\/li>\n\n\n\n Third, it can lead to indexing of pages that are not relevant to searchers, which can result in poor user experience and lower search engine rankings. Therefore, it is important to optimize faceted navigation to ensure that only high-quality, relevant pages are crawled and indexed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nHow to overcome?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nTo overcome faceted navigation problems in crawl budget, here are some best practices:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nUse canonical tags to indicate the preferred URL for search engines to index.<\/li>\n\n\n\n Use noindex tags to prevent low-quality or duplicate content pages from being indexed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n Use rel=prev\/next tags to group paginated content together and avoid duplicate crawling.<\/li>\n\n\n\n Implement robots.txt to block search engine crawlers from accessing certain facets or parameters that don’t add value to the user experience.<\/li>\n\n\n\n Utilize URL parameters consistently and avoid creating unnecessary variations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n Optimize meta titles and descriptions for each faceted page to make them more unique and useful for searchers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n Monitor crawl errors in Google Search Console to identify and fix issues with faceted navigation pages.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/span>2. Session Identifiers<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nSession identifiers are unique strings of characters that are generated by web servers to track individual user sessions. These identifiers are often included in URLs and can cause issues for search engine crawlers and crawl budget. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Factors affecting: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nTo overcome session identifier problems in crawl budget, you can implement the following best practices:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nUse canonical tags:<\/strong> Use canonical tags to indicate the preferred URL for search engines to index, and ensure that session identifier URLs are canonicalized to the main URL. This can help to prevent duplicate content issues and improve crawl budget.<\/li>\n\n\n\nImplement URL parameters correctly:<\/strong> Ensure that URL parameters, including session IDs, are implemented correctly and consistently throughout the website. Avoid using different URL parameters for the same content, which can result in the creation of multiple URLs.<\/li>\n\n\n\nUse robots.txt:<\/strong> Use robots.txt to block search engines from crawling session ID URLs or other non-essential parameters that don’t add value to the user experience.<\/li>\n\n\n\nImplement 301 redirects<\/strong>: Use 301 redirects to redirect session ID URLs to the main URL or canonical version of the page. This can help to consolidate link equity and prevent duplicate content issues.<\/li>\n\n\n\nUse a consistent URL structure: <\/strong>Use a consistent URL structure for session-based pages, such as using a separate subdomain or directory, to prevent duplicate content issues and improve crawl budget.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nHow to overcome: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nTo overcome session identifier problems in crawl budget, website owners can implement URL parameter handling techniques such as using canonical tags or robots.txt to block search engines from crawling and indexing session ID URLs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additionally, implementing a consistent URL structure for session-based pages, such as using a separate subdomain or directory, can help to prevent duplicate content issues and improve crawl budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>3. Server Log File Analysis<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nServer log analysis is the process of examining the logs generated by web servers, application servers, or other types of servers to extract useful information and insights about the performance, behavior, and usage of the server and the applications it hosts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These logs are text files that record various events and actions that occur on the server, such as HTTP requests, error messages, server responses, user sessions, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Log analysis can help identify and diagnose issues with the server, such as errors, security breaches, or performance bottlenecks. It can also provide valuable information about the traffic patterns, user behavior, and usage trends of the server and its applications, which can be used to improve the user experience, optimize server resources, and inform business decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To perform server log analysis, various tools, and techniques can be used, such as log file parsers, data visualization tools, machine learning algorithms, and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The analysis process typically involves filtering, parsing, and aggregating log data, applying statistical or machine learning models to identify patterns or anomalies, and presenting the results in a user-friendly format, such as dashboards, reports, or alerts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Server log analysis reports can show various information about the requests made to a server, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nThe IP address of the client making the request<\/li>\n\n\n\n The time and date of the request<\/li>\n\n\n\n The HTTP method (e.g. GET, POST) used in the request<\/li>\n\n\n\n The URL and HTTP version requested<\/li>\n\n\n\n The response status code (e.g. 200, 404) and any error messages<\/li>\n\n\n\n The amount of data transferred in the request and response<\/li>\n\n\n\n The user agent string, indicating the type and version of the client software used to make the request<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nAdditional information that can be logged and analysed includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The referrer, indicating the page that linked to the requested resource<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The server hostname and port number<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Information about the server software and configuration<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Any cookies sent with the request or set in the response<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Custom variables and tags added to the log by the server or application code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>4. Orphan Pages<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nThese are web pages that are not linked to from any other pages within the same website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other hand, crawl budget refers to the amount of time and resources that search engines allocate for crawling and indexing a website’s content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are several factors that can contribute to the presence of orphan pages and their impact on the crawl budget. Some of these factors include:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\nPoor website architecture<\/strong>: A website with a disorganized or complex structure can make it difficult for search engines to discover and crawl all pages, leading to orphan pages.<\/li>\n\n\n\nBroken internal links<\/strong>: Internal links that lead to non-existent or broken pages can create orphan pages.<\/li>\n\n\n\nDuplicate content<\/strong>: Multiple versions of the same content can create confusion for search engines and cause them to overlook important pages.<\/li>\n\n\n\nRedirect chains<\/strong>: A series of redirects that eventually lead to a page can use up crawl budget and prevent the search engine from discovering other pages.<\/li>\n\n\n\nLow-quality content<\/strong>: Pages with thin or poor-quality content may not be deemed important by search engines and could be overlooked in the crawl.<\/li>\n\n\n\nLow authority:<\/strong> Pages that are not linked to by other pages or have a low number of external links may be considered less important by search engines, which can affect the crawl budget.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nThere are several steps you can take to overcome the problem of orphan pages in crawl budget:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\nImprove your website architecture: <\/strong>Ensure that your website is well-organized and has a clear hierarchy of pages. Use internal linking to make it easy for search engines to discover and crawl all pages on your site.<\/li>\n\n\n\nFix broken internal links:<\/strong> Regularly audit your website for broken links and fix them promptly. This will help to prevent the creation of orphan pages.<\/li>\n\n\n\nAvoid duplicate content:<\/strong> Ensure that your website has only one version of each page and use canonical tags to indicate the preferred version to search engines.<\/li>\n\n\n\nMinimize redirect chains:<\/strong> Use redirects sparingly and ensure that they lead directly to the destination page to avoid wasting crawl budget.<\/li>\n\n\n\nImprove the quality of your content:<\/strong> Ensure that your website has high-quality content that provides value to users. This can help to increase the importance of your pages in the eyes of search engines.<\/li>\n\n\n\nIncrease the authority of your pages<\/strong>: Build high-quality backlinks to your pages to increase their importance and visibility to search engines.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/span>5. Hacked Pages<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nHacked pages refer to web pages on a website that have been compromised or infiltrated by malicious actors without the website owner’s knowledge or permission. These pages can be used for various illicit activities such as phishing, malware distribution, or spamming. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hacked pages can negatively impact a website’s crawl budget, which refers to the amount of resources allocated by search engines to crawl and index a website’s pages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are several factors that can affect hacked pages problems in crawl budget:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\nNumber of hacked pages:<\/strong> The more hacked pages a website has, the more likely it is to experience crawl budget issues as search engines may reduce the resources allocated to the site.<\/li>\n\n\n\nSeverity of the hack:<\/strong> The severity of the hack can also impact crawl budget. For example, if a website is hacked with malware, search engines may flag the site as unsafe and crawl it less frequently.<\/li>\n\n\n\nQuality of the website’s security:<\/strong> A website with poor security measures is more vulnerable to hacking and may have more hacked pages. Search engines may also perceive a website with poor security as risky and reduce its crawl budget.<\/li>\n\n\n\nFrequency of hacking incidents: <\/strong>If a website has a history of being hacked, search engines may become more cautious and reduce its crawl budget to prevent indexing of potentially harmful content.<\/li>\n\n\n\nResponse time to hacked pages:<\/strong> If a website owner fails to detect and fix hacked pages in a timely manner, search engines may reduce the website’s crawl budget until the issue is resolved.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n