How Google Finds Your Website
Learn how Google discovers URLs, what crawling means, and how to give readers and crawlers clear routes to your blog posts.
Before You Start
This is Lesson 25 of the MoneyOnliners Blogging Academy, the first lesson in Module 4: Growing Blog Traffic. Review Lesson 24: Publishing Consistently before beginning.
Choose one public blog post for practice. Bring its final URL, a page that should link to it, and your sitemap address if you already have one. If you do not own a website yet, draw the routes on paper using a fictional blog.
Your task is to make the page reachable and document its discovery routes. This lesson does not establish whether your own page is indexed; Lesson 26 explains that separate investigation.
Google can discover a page through links on pages it already knows and through sitemap URLs supplied by a website owner. Its crawler, Googlebot, may then fetch the page. Publish an accessible page, link to it from a relevant public page, and include its final URL in an appropriate sitemap. These steps support discovery; none guarantees crawling, indexing, rankings or traffic.
Learning Objectives
- Explain the difference between URL discovery, crawling, indexing and search visibility.
- Identify three useful reader routes to an important article.
- Check that a contextual link leads to the correct public page.
- Find your sitemap and check whether the intended URL is listed.
- Recognize common access problems without changing unrelated settings.
- Record observations and prepare for the indexing lesson.
How Google Discovers and Crawls Pages
A published article needs routes that people and search engines can follow. Google may learn about a URL from a link on another page or from a sitemap. Learning that an address exists is discovery. Fetching the page at that address is crawling. Processing its content for possible inclusion in Google's index is a later stage.
Discovery Begins with an Address
Imagine a blog with an academy landing page and a newly published lesson. A normal link from the curriculum gives visitors a route to the lesson and gives Google a possible discovery path when it processes the curriculum page. A relevant older article can provide another route.
A page with no incoming internal links is often called an orphan page. A sitemap can still list it, but readers may struggle to find it through the website. Add a useful contextual link rather than relying only on an XML file.
Crawling Is a Fetch, Not a Guarantee
After discovering a URL, Google decides whether and when to crawl it. A successful fetch lets its systems examine the available page content and resources. Google does not promise to crawl every discovered URL or follow a fixed timetable for a new blog.
A page that requires a login, returns an error, or is blocked from crawling may need investigation. Write down the actual condition before changing a setting. Your browser successfully opening a page is useful evidence of public access, but it does not prove that Googlebot has fetched that page.
Discovery
Google learns that a URL exists.
Crawling
A crawler requests the page and its available content.
Indexing
Google processes the content and may include information about it in its index.
Keep Search Visibility Separate
An indexed page can still receive few visits. Relevance to a search, content usefulness, competition and other factors affect which results appear. A sitemap submission or crawl is not a ranking result. Keep access, indexing and traffic as separate entries in your notes.
Your First Check
Can a visitor start on a relevant public page, follow a clear link, and reach your intended article? Record the starting page and destination.
Use Sitemaps and Internal Links Together
Make Links Useful for Readers
Place a link where it helps someone continue a task. An academy curriculum should link to each lesson; a lesson should link to its correct previous and next pages. A related article can point to a more detailed explanation when the topic calls for it.
Use descriptive anchor text, such as “Understanding Google Indexing.” A standard HTML anchor with an href pointing to the destination is the reliable foundation of a crawlable link. A label that only looks like a button is not enough if it has no usable link.
Check the Final Destination
Open each link and confirm the lesson title and final address. A working redirect may still reach the right content, but update your own links to the intended final URL when practical. A redirect to an unrelated page does not repair a missing lesson for the learner.
Understand What a Sitemap Does
A sitemap tells search engines about URLs you consider important. It helps discovery, especially when a site has new or otherwise hard-to-find pages. It does not force Google to crawl or index every entry.
Your WordPress installation may use a sitemap generated by WordPress or by an SEO plugin. Use the sitemap your site actually produces. An address such as /sitemap_index.xml is a common plugin example, not proof that every website uses that path.
Open the sitemap index, follow the relevant post or page sitemap, and search for the exact final article URL. If it is missing, check publication status and the sitemap provider's inclusion settings. Private, duplicate or intentionally excluded utility pages do not all need to be added.
Three Routes to Record
For an academy lesson, record its curriculum link, its previous-lesson link, and a relevant related-lesson link. Record the sitemap separately. These are useful routes to test, not a required number of links for Google.
A Practical Discovery Checklist
Open the Public Article
Use a logged-out or private browser window. Confirm the correct title and full content appear at the final URL. Record any error, redirect or login requirement.
Follow an Incoming Internal Link
Start on the curriculum or a relevant published article. Click its contextual link and check the destination. Add or repair a link only where it is useful to a reader.
Review the Sitemap
Open your actual sitemap and its relevant child sitemap. Look for the final URL and record whether it is present. Submitting a sitemap in Search Console requires access to the correct property.
Check Access Concerns
Investigate a maintenance screen, server error or unexpected crawler restriction. Robots.txt manages crawling; noindex concerns indexing. Do not remove either rule across the site without understanding its purpose.
Record and Continue
Write the date, routes tested, observed problem and smallest relevant correction. Continue to Lesson 26 to understand indexed information and current live checks.
Check the public page again after a correction. A refreshed cache can change what visitors receive, but clearing cache does not establish that Google has discovered or indexed the page.
What Each Check Actually Proves
| Observation | What It Supports | What It Does Not Prove |
|---|---|---|
| Public page opens | A visitor can access the tested version. | That Googlebot has crawled it. |
| Curriculum link works | A usable internal route exists. | That Google has processed that link. |
| URL is in a sitemap | The sitemap lists the intended address. | That the address will be crawled or indexed. |
| Sitemap submitted | The owner supplied a sitemap to Search Console. | That every listed page has entered the index. |
| Indexed record exists | Google reports an indexed version. | That it ranks for your chosen search or receives traffic. |
Common Discovery Mistakes
Publishing an Orphan Page
A post is public but no useful page links to it. Add a relevant curriculum, category or contextual route.
Assuming a Sitemap Guarantees Indexing
Use it as a discovery aid. Investigate the actual page condition before assuming another submission will solve the problem.
Mixing Access and Indexing Rules
Robots.txt can restrict crawling. A noindex directive addresses indexing when a crawler can read it. These are different controls.
Buying Guaranteed Inclusion
Google does not accept payment for more frequent crawling or higher organic rankings. Treat guaranteed-placement claims critically.
Checking Only While Logged In
An administrator may see content that visitors cannot. Test the public destination separately.
Changing Too Many Settings
Record one observed problem and a relevant action. Repeated unrelated changes make the result harder to understand.
Worked Discovery Examples
These fictional scenarios illustrate decisions; they are not reported student results.
Example 1: The Unlinked Lesson
A lesson opens at its final URL, but the curriculum still points to a deleted draft. The owner updates the curriculum and previous-lesson link, then tests both routes. The repair establishes working navigation; indexing still requires separate evidence.
Example 2: The Missing Sitemap Entry
A blogger cannot find a public article in the relevant sitemap. They confirm publication and the SEO plugin's inclusion setting, correct an unintended exclusion, and recheck the generated file. They do not assume the repaired sitemap immediately changes search results.
Example 3: The Login Screen
A new blog works for its administrator but displays a maintenance login to logged-out visitors. The owner checks whether that restriction is intentional. When the site is ready to launch, they remove the unintended public barrier and retest before investigating indexing.
Build Your Discovery Record
In your workbook, record the article URL, three incoming routes, sitemap address, date checked, problem found and action taken. Write “not checked” where evidence is missing. Choose a follow-up date that fits the problem rather than treating it as a promised Google processing deadline.
Internal Links and Official Resources
Continue Learning on MoneyOnliners
https://moneyonliners.com/blogging-academy/Previous: Lesson 24 — Publishing Consistently
https://moneyonliners.com/publishing-consistently/Next: Lesson 26 — Understanding Google Indexing
https://moneyonliners.com/understanding-google-indexing/Lesson 27 — Google Search Console for Beginners
https://moneyonliners.com/google-search-console-for-beginners/Lesson 21 — Internal Linking Strategies
https://moneyonliners.com/internal-linking-strategies/Jobs & Opportunities
https://moneyonliners.com/jobs-opportunities/
Official Learning Resources
https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/how-search-worksGoogle: Sitemap Overview
https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/sitemaps/overviewGoogle: Crawlable Links
https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/links-crawlableGoogle Search Console
https://search.google.com/search-console/
https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/ask-google-to-recrawlGoogle: Robots.txt
https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/robots/introGoogle: Noindex
https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/block-indexing
Use the Google guides to review discovery, sitemap limitations and link implementation. Search Console access is needed to inspect your own property; a public lesson cannot confirm your account's indexing status.
Your Weekly Challenge
Check One Important Article
1. Write one sentence explaining discovery and another explaining crawling.
2. Test three useful incoming routes and record the sitemap entry separately.
3. Correct one supported problem, retest the public page, and record what remains unverified.
Reflection Questions
- Which public pages give readers a route to your article?
- Does every tested link reach the intended final URL?
- Is that URL in the appropriate sitemap?
- What evidence would distinguish a crawling problem from an indexing concern?
- What did you actually verify, and what will you investigate in Lesson 26?
Download the Lesson 25 Workbook
Use the Lesson 25 workbook alongside this discovery checklist. Record your sitemap, three discovery routes, observations and follow-up action. Blogging Academy · Lesson 25 · Module 4: Growing Blog Traffic.
📘 Download Lesson 25 WorkbookFrequently Asked Questions
Review the main ideas before moving to the next lesson.
Does publishing a page mean Google has found it?
No. Publication makes the page available, but discovery and crawling require separate evidence.
Does a sitemap guarantee indexing?
No. It helps communicate important URLs; Google decides whether and when to crawl and index them.
How many internal links does each page need?
There is no magic number. Provide useful contextual routes and avoid leaving important pages disconnected.
Can Google Analytics make Google crawl my pages?
Installing analytics measures activity; it is not a substitute for accessible pages, useful links or a sitemap.
Will requesting the same URL repeatedly make it crawl faster?
Repeated requests do not make crawling faster. Correct an observed issue and review the evidence rather than continually resubmitting.
What should I study next?
Continue to Lesson 26: Understanding Google Indexing to separate discovery from indexed status.