Google indexing

Question 1

How does Google discover my new website?

Accepted Answer

Google follows links from sites it already crawls and reads your sitemap. Submitting /sitemap.xml in Search Console speeds discovery from weeks to days.

Question 2

How long does it take Google to index a new page?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 3

Can I ask Google to index a specific URL?

Accepted Answer

Yes. In Search Console use URL Inspection, then Request indexing. Use it for important pages — not bulk submissions, which are rate-limited.

Question 4

How do I set up Google Search Console?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 5

Which verification method should I use?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 6

Search Console says 'Discovered — currently not indexed'. Why?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 7

'Crawled — currently not indexed' — what does it mean?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 8

Why is my page blocked by robots.txt?

Accepted Answer

Check public/robots.txt for a Disallow rule. The Blanca's Builder default allows all crawlers; a custom rule may be too broad.

Question 9

How do I submit a sitemap to Google?

Accepted Answer

In Search Console choose Sitemaps and enter sitemap.xml. Google re-fetches it regularly; you do not need to resubmit after every update.

Question 10

Should I split into multiple sitemaps?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 11

Sitemap.xml vs sitemap index — which do I need?

Accepted Answer

A single sitemap is fine until ~50,000 URLs. Beyond that, use a sitemap index that links to multiple child sitemaps.

Question 12

How do I tell Google a page has been removed?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 13

I added noindex but the page still appears in Google. Why?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 14

What is crawl budget and should I worry about it?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 15

Does HTTPS matter for indexing?

Accepted Answer

Yes. HTTPS is a ranking signal and required for many browser features. Custom domains on Blanca's Builder are HTTPS by default.

Question 16

Google chose a different canonical than I did. Why?

Accepted Answer

Google may override your canonical if signals conflict — for example internal links pointing elsewhere. Audit links, redirects and hreflang to align the signals.

Question 17

Why isn't Google following my links?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 18

How do AI answer engines find my site?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 19

Can I block AI bots while allowing Google?

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 20

How often does Google re-index updated pages?

Accepted Answer

High-value pages can be re-crawled within hours; quieter pages may take weeks. Update the lastmod date in the sitemap to signal freshness.