Crawling and indexing are two key processes used by search engines such as Google to discover, understand, and store website content. While the terms are often used together, they mean different things.
Understanding the difference can help explain why a page may not appear in search results, even if it is live on your website.
For organisers using ShowOff, you do not need to manage these processes manually through code. The platform handles the technical page structure for you. However, knowing how crawling and indexing work can help you make better decisions when creating, updating, hiding, or removing pages.
In Simple Terms
A useful way to think about it is:
Crawling = a search engine discovering and visiting a page
Indexing = a search engine storing and understanding that page so it can appear in search results
A page usually needs to be crawled first before it can be indexed.
What is Crawling?
Crawling is the process where a search engine sends out automated bots, often called crawlers or spiders, to explore websites.
These bots move from page to page by following links, reading sitemaps, and checking newly published or updated content.
What happens during crawling?
When a search engine crawls a page, it is trying to discover:
That the page exists
What content is on the page
How the page connects to other pages
Whether the page has changed since the last visit
How search engines find pages to crawl
Search engines typically find pages through:
Internal links on your website
XML sitemaps
External links from other websites
Previously known pages that are rechecked over time
In ShowOff
Within ShowOff, pages that are active and included in your website structure can be discovered by search engines more easily because the platform generates the page structure for you. If a page is removed from the sitemap or set to inactive, this can affect whether search engines continue to crawl it.
What is Indexing?
Indexing happens after crawling.
Once a search engine has crawled a page, it decides whether that page should be added to its index. The index is essentially a huge database of webpages that the search engine may show in search results.
If a page is indexed, it becomes eligible to appear in search engine results pages.
What happens during indexing?
When a page is indexed, the search engine analyses things like:
The page topic
The content on the page
The page title and headings
Keywords and relevance
Links and context
Whether the content appears useful and unique
The search engine then stores this information so it can retrieve the page later when someone searches for related terms.
Important point
Just because a page is crawled does not guarantee it will be indexed.
A search engine may crawl a page and decide not to index it if, for example:
The content is too thin
The page is duplicated elsewhere
The page has been marked not to index
The page is inactive or inaccessible
The page does not provide enough value
The Difference Between Crawling and Indexing
Although they work closely together, they are not the same thing.
Crawling
Search engine discovers and visits the page
Used to inspect content
Can happen even if the page never appears in search results
Indexing
Search engine stores the page in its database
Makes the page eligible to appear in search results
Only happens if the search engine decides the page should be included
A page can be:
Crawled but not indexed
Indexed after being crawled
Previously indexed, then later removed from the index
A Simple Example
Imagine Google is like a librarian.
Crawling is the librarian going out to find a new book
Indexing is the librarian deciding to catalogue that book and place it in the library system
If the librarian finds the book but decides it is not suitable for the library, it has been crawled but not indexed.
Why Crawling and Indexing Matter
Understanding the difference helps explain several common website situations.
1. A page is live, but not appearing in Google
This may mean:
Google has not crawled it yet
Google has crawled it but not indexed it yet
Google has decided not to index it
2. A deleted or inactive page still appears in search results
This can happen because:
The page was previously indexed
Google has not yet re-crawled the site and updated its index
This is why pages may remain visible in search results for a while, even after being removed from your website or sitemap.
3. New content can take time to appear
Publishing a page does not mean it will appear in search results immediately. Search engines need time to:
Discover the page
Crawl the page
Assess the content
Add it to the index
What Affects Crawling?
Several factors can influence whether and how often a page is crawled.
Sitemap inclusion
Pages included in your XML sitemap are easier for search engines to discover.
Internal linking
Pages linked from other areas of your website are more likely to be found and crawled.
Page status
If a page is inactive, hidden, or inaccessible, search engines may stop crawling it.
Site quality and structure
Well-organised websites with clear navigation are easier for search engines to crawl.
Frequency of updates
Pages and websites that change regularly may be crawled more often.
What Affects Indexing?
Several things can affect whether a page gets indexed.
Content quality
Pages with useful, original, and relevant content are more likely to be indexed.
Duplicate content
If a page is too similar to another page, search engines may choose not to index it.
Technical signals
Search engines may avoid indexing pages that are blocked, inactive, or intentionally excluded.
Relevance and value
If the page does not appear useful for searchers, it may not be added to the index.
How This Relates to ShowOff
If you are using ShowOff, you do not need to write code or manage technical HTML manually. The CMS handles the page structure and content formatting for you.
However, your content choices still influence crawling and indexing.
For example:
A page must usually be active to remain part of the sitemap
Good page titles, headings, and content help search engines understand the page
Removing a page from the site may stop future crawling, but it may still remain indexed for a period of time
Setting pages inactive can affect how quickly search engines stop showing them
So while ShowOff manages the technical foundation, organisers still play an important role in making sure page content is clear, useful, and correctly managed.
Inactive Pages and Search Results
A common point of confusion is what happens when a page is made inactive.
When a page is set to inactive in ShowOff:
It is removed from the sitemap
Search engines are less likely to continue discovering it
It may eventually drop out of search results
However, this does not mean it disappears from Google immediately.
If the page was already indexed before being made inactive, it may continue to appear in search results until the search engine re-crawls the site and updates its index. This can take time.
If the page is being retired permanently, it is often better to consider a 301 redirect so users and search engines are guided to a relevant replacement page instead of reaching a dead end.
Best Practices to Support Crawling and Indexing
Keep important pages active
If a page should appear in search engines, it needs to remain accessible.
Use clear page titles and headings
This helps search engines understand page purpose and content.
Include pages in site navigation where appropriate
Internal links make it easier for search engines to discover content.
Create useful, unique content
Strong content improves the chances of a page being indexed.
Use redirects when removing important pages
This helps preserve user journey and avoids losing traffic unnecessarily.
Keep your sitemap up to date
A current sitemap helps search engines discover new and updated pages more efficiently.
Common Misunderstandings
"If a page is crawled, it will appear in Google"
Not always. Crawling only means the page has been visited. It still needs to be indexed.
"If I publish a page, it will appear in search results immediately"
Not always. Search engines need time to crawl and index it.
"If I make a page inactive, it disappears from Google straight away"
Not usually. It may remain indexed until the search engine revisits the website and updates its records.
"Indexing and ranking are the same thing"
They are different. A page can be indexed but still rank poorly, or not rank for the keywords you expect.
Key Takeaways
Crawling is when a search engine discovers and visits a page.
Indexing is when that page is stored in the search engine's database and becomes eligible to appear in search results.
A page can be crawled without being indexed.
A page must usually be crawled before it can be indexed.
In ShowOff, the platform handles the technical page structure for you, so organisers do not need to code or manage HTML manually.
Even so, page status, sitemap inclusion, internal linking, and content quality all affect whether pages are crawled and indexed.
Making a page inactive removes it from the sitemap, but it may still appear in search results until search engines update their index.
Understanding the difference between crawling and indexing can make it much easier to manage expectations around SEO and page visibility, especially when publishing new pages or retiring old ones.
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