FAQ Library
Google indexing
Getting your site indexed in Google Search, fixing coverage issues and using Search Console.
- How does Google discover my new website?Google follows links from sites it already crawls and reads your sitemap. Submitting /sitemap.xml in Search Console speeds discovery from weeks to days.
- How long does it take Google to index a new page?Anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks. Sites with strong existing authority index within a day; brand-new sites usually take 1-3 weeks for the first batch of pages.
- Can I ask Google to index a specific URL?Yes. In Search Console use URL Inspection, then Request indexing. Use it for important pages — not bulk submissions, which are rate-limited.
- How do I set up Google Search Console?Add your domain at search.google.com/search-console, verify ownership via DNS TXT or HTML file (Blanca's Builder pre-fills both), then submit /sitemap.xml.
- Which verification method should I use?Domain property via DNS TXT is the most complete because it covers every subdomain and protocol. URL prefix is simpler but only covers one subdomain.
- Search Console says 'Discovered — currently not indexed'. Why?Google found the URL but chose not to crawl it yet, usually because of low perceived quality, weak internal links or crawl budget limits. Improve the page and link to it from stronger pages.
- 'Crawled — currently not indexed' — what does it mean?Google crawled the page but decided not to index it. The fix is content quality: make it more unique, more useful and link it from related authoritative pages.
- Why is my page blocked by robots.txt?Check public/robots.txt for a Disallow rule. The Blanca's Builder default allows all crawlers; a custom rule may be too broad.
- How do I submit a sitemap to Google?In Search Console choose Sitemaps and enter sitemap.xml. Google re-fetches it regularly; you do not need to resubmit after every update.
- Should I split into multiple sitemaps?Only if you have more than ~50,000 URLs or want section-level reporting. Blanca's Builder uses a single dynamic sitemap that handles tens of thousands of URLs.
- Sitemap.xml vs sitemap index — which do I need?A single sitemap is fine until ~50,000 URLs. Beyond that, use a sitemap index that links to multiple child sitemaps.
- How do I tell Google a page has been removed?Return HTTP 410 Gone for permanent removals or 301 to the new URL. Then use the Removals tool in Search Console for fast removal of sensitive content.
- I added noindex but the page still appears in Google. Why?Google re-crawls on its own schedule. Speed it up with URL Inspection, Request indexing — counter-intuitive but the noindex tag is read on the next crawl.
- What is crawl budget and should I worry about it?Crawl budget is how many URLs Google crawls per day. It only matters for sites with hundreds of thousands of URLs. Most sites should focus on quality instead.
- Does HTTPS matter for indexing?Yes. HTTPS is a ranking signal and required for many browser features. Custom domains on Blanca's Builder are HTTPS by default.
- Google chose a different canonical than I did. Why?Google may override your canonical if signals conflict — for example internal links pointing elsewhere. Audit links, redirects and hreflang to align the signals.
- Why isn't Google following my links?Either the link is inside JavaScript Google did not execute, or it has rel=nofollow. Blanca's Builder uses server-rendered links so they are always followable.
- How do AI answer engines find my site?They use the same web crawls plus their own. Clean JSON-LD, semantic HTML and clear authorship — all defaults in Blanca's Builder — make a page easier for them to cite.
- Can I block AI bots while allowing Google?Yes. Add specific User-agent: ChatGPT-User, Claude-Web, etc. blocks to robots.txt. Blanca's Builder includes a configurable preset in Settings, SEO, Robots.
- How often does Google re-index updated pages?High-value pages can be re-crawled within hours; quieter pages may take weeks. Update the lastmod date in the sitemap to signal freshness.