6 replies to this topic

[ttw]

Hi:

Our client launched a new website a few weeks ago. Two weeks later less than half of the pages are in Google's index. (This represents only a huge drop from the number of pages that were indexed pre-launch.)

At launch they had a few errors in their .htaccess files with respect to 301 redirects but those were corrected over a week ago.

However, it appears that their programmer made a mistake and put the “canonical” tag, (<link rel="canonical" href="http://www.mysite.com" />) --- previously found only on the homepage --- into the HEAD include file, so it was showing up on every page of the site. We are presuming that this suggests to the engines that all pages are really the homepage.

We have since re-submitted the site map. Is there anything else we can do to speed up indexing?

Rosemary

[Jill]

They'll reindex pretty quickly as long as there are links to the site from somewhere.

[Michael Martinez]

If they are blogging on their site, writing some comprehensive posts that link to other sections of their site may speed up the crawling/indexing a little (like the daily, weekly, and monthly recaps that Search Engine Land publishes). Otherwise, they just have to wait it out like Jill said.

[ttw]

The client fixed the original problem with the canonical tag and after 48 hours we saw the main Products overview page appear in Google. Now it's gone but here's what else we're seeing:

1) I can search for the pages in Google - using either site: or a keyword string from the page - and none of the pages from the client's products section appear in the SERPs.

2) When I go into G/Analytics and search for organic referrals from Google to these same pages - I see referral traffic. So the pages are indeed receiving search traffic but I don't know how people are finding them in Google if I can't find them in Google. Could this be bot traffic?

Analytics tells me which keyword resulted in driving traffic to each landing page and when I try to replicate a search in Google for these same keywords - I do not see my client's pages.

When the client launched this new site they did rename URLs in the Products section but they have correctly included 301 redirects and those are working correctly.

I'm assuming that this means that these pages are in the Supplemental results. Some of the pages in the Products section are new with no external links pointing to them but others have links to the page (before it was renamed and 301 redirected). Could that be the problem I'm seeing? Any suggestions?

Edited by ttw, 11 October 2010 - 04:29 PM.

[Sarah]

Hi,

Are you all signed out from Google Accounts when you are searching? I always find that the data i get from webmaster tools and analytics do not match up at all with what I can see in search, but if I get someone at an unrelated IP/computer to carry out a search they can usually see the results that I am being told are there (this is usually my Grandma).

Look at the map overlay to get the location of your Google traffic and see if it is a geo thing perhaps?

Sarah

[Jill]

When I go into G/Analytics and search for organic referrals from Google to these same pages - I see referral traffic. So the pages are indeed receiving search traffic but I don't know how people are finding them in Google if I can't find them in Google. Could this be bot traffic?

Because everyone sees different search results. Which is why we tell people not to check rankings.

You likely need to give it more time.

What does Webmaster Tools tell you? Are there any problems there?

[ttw]

Hi: I wanted to first thank everyone who provided suggestions (especially Jill) and to let you know that after a month of the new site launching - Google has indexed all the pages of the new site.

It was a slow and painful process for the client and us because for the first two weeks only a few of the company's products pages were in the index but Google deemed us worthy and put the pages back in the index!

Thanks

Rosemary