Technical SEO: How to Ace Your Site's SQI (Search Quality Insights) & Avoid Indexing Limbo

Ever feel like your website is shouting into the void? You've poured your heart and soul into creating amazing content, but Google doesn't seem to notice. You're not alone! Understanding Google's Search Quality Insights (SQI) is key to getting your site crawled, indexed, and ultimately, ranked. Think of SQI as Google's report card for your website. It covers everything from the technical nitty-gritty to the overall user experience.

In this post, we'll break down the Technical SEO elements of Quality Content, CMS for Search Engine's SQI, showing you how to diagnose issues as content, crawl, and indexing, optimize your site, and escape the dreaded "crawled – currently not indexed" purgatory.

Let's dive in!

The Power of Technical SEO: Unlocking Google's Potential

While creating stellar content is essential, it's only half the battle. Technical SEO ensures that Google can actually find, crawl, and understand that content. Without a solid technical foundation, your website's SQI will suffer, and you'll remain stuck in indexing limbo.

Section 1: SQI Demystified: What Google Really Cares About

Google aims to provide users with the best possible search results. That means websites that are relevant, trustworthy, and easy to use. SQI helps Google assess whether your site meets these criteria. Here are some key areas:

·       Relevance: Does your content match the user's search intent?

·       Authority: Is your site a credible and trustworthy source of information?

·       Usability: Is your site easy to navigate and use on all devices?

·       Technical Excellence: Is your site technically sound, with no major crawl or indexation errors?

Section 2: Analytics: Your SQI Detective (Keep in mind these are general guidelines; industry benchmarks can vary significantly. Always compare your metrics to your past performance and industry averages where possible)

Your analytics platform (Google Analytics 4 is highly recommended) is your first line of defense in understanding your site's SQI. Pay close attention to these metrics. Remember, these are general guidelines, and industry-specific benchmarks may vary.

·       Organic Traffic: Are you seeing consistent growth in organic traffic? A decline could indicate underlying SQI issues. Aim for consistent month-over-month growth, even if it's just a small percentage (e.g., 5-10%). A sudden or sustained drop warrants investigation.

·       Bounce Rate: A high bounce rate suggests that users are landing on your site and quickly leaving, indicating poor relevance or usability. A good bounce rate generally falls between 26% to 40%. A bounce rate above 70% is a cause for concern. Consider mobile to see if it is a mobile issue.

·       Time on Page: Low time on page suggests that users aren't finding your content engaging. A good average time on page is typically 2-3 minutes or more. Times below 1 minute may indicate issues with content quality or relevance.

·       Pages Per Session: A low number of pages per session indicates that users aren't exploring your site beyond the initial landing page. Aim for an average of 2-3 pages per session or higher. This suggests users are finding your site engaging and exploring other content.

·       Conversion Rate: Are you turning traffic into leads or sales? A low conversion rate could signal problems with your user experience or the relevance of your offers. Average conversion rates vary widely by industry, but a good starting point is 2-5%. To increase conversions, focus on improving your offers, calls to action, and landing page design.

Section 3: SEO Fundamentals: The Foundation of SQI

Good SEO practices are essential for a high SQI score. Focus on these core elements:

·       Keyword Research: Identify the keywords that your target audience is using and incorporate them naturally into your content.

·       On-Page Optimization: Optimize your title tags, meta descriptions, headings, and content for your target keywords.

·       Content Quality: Create high-quality, informative, and engaging content that meets the needs of your audience.

·       Mobile-Friendliness: Ensure your website is mobile-friendly and responsive.

·       Page Speed: Optimize your website for fast loading speed.

Section 4: Technical SEO: The Behind-the-Scenes Hero of SQI

Technical SEO is the foundation upon which all other SEO efforts are built. It ensures that search engines can crawl, index, and understand your website. Key areas include:

·       Crawlability:

o   XML Sitemap: Submit an XML sitemap to Google Search Console to help Google discover and crawl your pages.

o   Robots.txt: Use a robots.txt file to control which pages search engines can crawl.

o   Internal Linking: Create a clear and logical internal linking structure to help search engines navigate your website.

·       Indexability:

o   Meta Robots Tags: Use meta robots tags to control which pages search engines can index.

o   Canonical Tags: Use canonical tags to tell search engines which version of a page is the preferred version.

o   Structured Data: Implement structured data markup (Schema.org) to provide search engines with more information about your content.

·       Site Architecture:

o   URL Structure: Use a clean and logical URL structure.

o   HTTPS: Ensure your website is using HTTPS for secure communication.

Section 5: "Crawled – Currently Not Indexed": Decoding Google's Cold Shoulder

Seeing "Crawled – currently not indexed" in Google Search Console can be frustrating. It means Google has crawled your page but isn't yet including it in its index. Here's what might be happening:

·       Content Quality: Google may deem your content to be low-quality, thin, or duplicate.

o   Fix: Improve your content by adding more value, depth, and originality.

·       Crawl Budget Limitations: Google has a limited crawl budget for each website. If your site is large or poorly structured, Google may not be able to crawl and index all of your pages.

o   Fix: Optimize your crawl budget by improving your site structure, fixing broken links, and reducing the number of unnecessary pages.

·       Technical Issues: Technical issues, such as slow loading speed, broken links, or crawl errors, can prevent Google from indexing your pages.

o   Fix: Address any technical issues identified in Google Search Console.

·       New Website: New websites may take time to gain traction.

o   Fix: Continue to create high-quality content, build backlinks, and promote your website to increase its authority and visibility.

·       Ranking for Specific Queries: See your site only ranks for very specific queries

o   Fix: Broaden your site relevance for the topic

Actionable Steps to Balance SQI:

1.     Audit Your Site: Use tools like Google Search Console and Screaming Frog to identify technical SEO issues.

2.     Analyze Your Analytics: Identify areas where your site is underperforming based on key metrics.

3.     Improve Content Quality: Focus on creating high-quality, informative, and engaging content that meets the needs of your audience.

4.     Build High-Quality Backlinks: Earn backlinks from reputable websites in your industry.

5.     Monitor and Adjust: Continuously monitor your website's performance and adjust your strategies as needed.

Understanding and optimizing for Google's Search Quality Insights is an ongoing process. By focusing on creating a technically sound, user-friendly website with high-quality content, you can improve your site's SQI score and attract more organic traffic from Google. Don't let "crawled – currently not indexed" be your website's fate. Take action today and start acing your SQI!

Need a Proactive Boost?

Decoding SQI and optimizing your site for search engines can be complex. If you need expert guidance with Google Analytics, technical SEO, content optimization, or any other aspect of SEO, reach out to us at SEOSiri! We're passionate about helping businesses thrive online and would be happy to assist you with everything from understanding your analytics data to achieving overall site optimization. Let's work together to unlock your website's full potential.

Subscribe to SEO Siri for More Marketing Insights!

Connect with me on Dev.to. Connect with me on Quora. 

Thank you

Momenul Ahmad                                         

MomenulAhmad: Helping businesses, brands, and professionals with ethical  SEO and digital Marketing. Digital Marketing Writer, Digital Marketing Blog (Founding) Owner at SEOSiri, X SEO Copywriter (Remote) at Octoparse - Octopus Data Inc, X SE Ranking AI Writer Reviewer, Web Writer at Washington MORNING, X CMO at Organic Agri Pro, X Web Developer and Digital Marketing Strategist at nazrulsangeet.com a parental concern of Sangeet Bidya Bithi, (Gopalpur Shishu Shikkha Niketon), Pabna, Partner at Brand24, Triple Whale, Shopify, CookieYes-