Indexing refers to the process by which search engines analyse and store web pages in their database (known as an index) so that they can be found and ranked when users search for relevant terms. When a website is indexed, its pages are crawled by search engine bots, which gather information about the content, structure, and keywords on the pages. This information is then used by the search engine’s algorithm to determine how and where the pages should appear in search engine results pages (SERPs).
Effective indexing is crucial for search engine optimisation (SEO) because it ensures that a website’s pages are visible and discoverable by search engines, which in turn helps the website appear in relevant search queries, driving traffic and improving visibility.