To get your website indexed by Google, verify the site in Google Search Console, submit an XML sitemap, use the URL Inspection tool to request indexing for important pages, and make sure pages are not blocked by robots.txt or a noindex tag. Google usually needs a few days to a few weeks to index a new page.
A very common situation for businesses in Vietnam: you launch a website or publish a new article, search for it on Google and find nothing. The cause is usually not a Google "penalty" but that the page has not been crawled yet, or has been crawled but Google has not seen enough reason to add it to the index.
What does indexing a website mean?
Indexing is the process in which Google stores and analyses a web page in its database after crawling it. Only indexed pages can appear in search results. According to Google, its search index contains hundreds of billions of web pages and is well over 100,000,000 gigabytes in size, so Google must always choose which pages are worth storing. The process has three stages:
- Crawling: Googlebot discovers and downloads the page via links or a sitemap.
- Indexing: Google understands the content and decides whether to store the page.
- Serving: the page is shown when it matches a user's query.
According to Google's official documentation, requesting a recrawl does not guarantee that inclusion happens instantly or at all; the process can take from a few days to a few weeks.
How to get your website indexed with Search Console
Step 1: Verify site ownership
Open Google Search Console and add a property. Choose the Domain type and verify with a DNS TXT record to cover http, https, www and non-www versions.
Step 2: Submit an XML sitemap
Go to Sitemaps, enter the sitemap path (usually /sitemap.xml) and submit. Note the technical limit: a sitemap file can contain at most 50,000 URLs or 50MB uncompressed; larger sites need multiple sitemaps and a sitemap index file.
A sitemap should only contain URLs that return status 200, are the canonical version and should be indexed.
Step 3: Request indexing for each important URL
- Paste the full URL into the URL Inspection bar at the top of Search Console.
- Wait for the result. If it says "URL is not on Google", choose Test live URL to confirm Google can access it.
- Click Request indexing.
The tool has a daily request quota, so prioritise service pages, new articles and pages with important updates. Requesting the same URL many times does not speed things up.
Step 4: Add internal links to the new page
Googlebot discovers pages mainly through links. A new article should be linked from the blog listing, from the related service page and from at least two older articles on the same topic. See also how to build an SEO-friendly URL structure and internal links.
Step 5: Monitor the Pages report
Under Indexing → Pages, Google lists URLs that are not indexed and why. Check this report weekly for a new website.
Why is a page not indexed by Google?
| Status in Search Console | Meaning | How to fix |
|---|---|---|
| Blocked by robots.txt | Googlebot is not allowed to access it | Edit robots.txt to unblock the folder |
| Excluded by "noindex" tag | The page asks not to be indexed | Remove noindex if you want it to appear |
| Not found (404) | The URL does not exist or was not published | Check that the page was actually built/published |
| Discovered – currently not indexed | Google knows the URL but has not crawled it | Add internal links, check server speed |
| Crawled – currently not indexed | Google read it but did not see enough value | Add unique content, avoid duplication |
| Duplicate, Google chose different canonical | Several URLs share the same content | Align canonical tags and links |
A frequent problem on websites built with React or other JavaScript frameworks: content appears only after the browser runs the code, or a new page has no static HTML yet and returns 404. Before requesting indexing, use Test live URL and look at the screenshot of what Google sees.
Is there a way to get indexed faster?
There is no way to "force" Google to index a page. What genuinely helps:
- Content that matches search intent and is not copied.
- A fast website and a stable server.
- A good mobile experience: since 5 July 2024, Google crawls websites with its smartphone Googlebot (mobile-first indexing).
- A sitemap that updates automatically when you publish, with accurate
lastmod. - Internal links from pages that already get traffic.
- Sharing the article on brand channels for early discovery signals.
Note: the Google Indexing API is only for pages with JobPosting or BroadcastEvent structured data. Using it for regular blog posts goes against Google's guidelines.
At Unitrux, every article is checked against an SEO, AEO and GEO checklist before publishing, and its indexing status is tracked afterwards. If many pages on your site are not indexed and the cause is unclear, our SEO/AEO/GEO service team can run a technical audit and recommend fixes.
Frequently asked questions about getting indexed by Google
How long does Google take to index a new website?
Usually from a few days to a few weeks. A new site with few inbound links may take longer than an established one.
How do I check whether a page is indexed?
The URL Inspection tool in Search Console is the most accurate. A site:yourdomain.com/path search on Google is only indicative.
Does requesting indexing several times make it faster?
No. Google processes requests in a queue; resubmitting the same URL does not speed it up.
Why did an indexed page disappear?
It may have been changed to noindex, started returning errors, been treated as a duplicate, or been re-evaluated for quality. Check the Pages report in Search Console for the specific reason.
Do I need to resubmit the sitemap every time I publish?
Not if the sitemap updates automatically. Google rereads sitemaps periodically; just make sure new articles appear in the sitemap with a correct modified date.
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