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In Chapter 16 of the book, the author discusses the importance of on-page optimization and crawlability for search engine optimization (SEO). The chapter explains how Google works by crawling webpages and feeding the data to its algorithm, which then sorts and categorizes the information. Google assigns a crawl budget to each website based on its popularity and update frequency, limiting the number of times the site is crawled. Therefore, it is essential to make the website easy and attractive to crawl in order to improve rankings.

The author lists seven important factors that increase Page Crawlability:

  1. Mobile Friendliness: Since searches on mobile devices have overtaken desktop searches, it is crucial for websites to function properly on smartphones and tablets. Google gives preference to mobile-friendly websites.

  2. Site Organization: The author compares a disorganized website to a department store where products are randomly scattered. It is important to arrange the website into logical sections or “silos” to make it easy for Google to determine the website’s topics.

  3. Producing Fresh Content: Google favors fresh content, so regularly updating the website with new content, especially through a blog, is valuable for SEO. Linking to older content from newer content also indicates to Google that the older content is still relevant.

  4. Removing Redundant and Duplicate Content: Having duplicate or similar pages targeting the same keywords can confuse Google. It is important to have clear keyword targeting boundaries between pages and remove any poor-quality or unnecessary pages.

  5. Going ‘https’: Websites that are secured with HTTPS receive a slight ranking boost from Google. Switching to HTTPS can be done through the website’s hosting company.

  6. ‘Noindexing’ and Submitting Regular Sitemaps: By using ‘noindex’ meta tags and submitting XML sitemaps to Google, website owners can influence which pages Google indexes and considers most important.

  7. Using Schema Markup: Schema Markup is a universal computer language that allows search engines to understand important aspects of a webpage. It is recommended to use schema markup where appropriate on ranking pages to increase online visibility and improve the effectiveness of website listings in Google.

The author provides action steps and resources for each factor to help readers implement these techniques effectively. Overall, the chapter emphasizes the importance of optimizing websites for crawlability to improve rankings on search engine results pages.

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