You’ve published high-quality content, but it’s nowhere in the search results. Why does this happen?
The problem might be that search engines don’t even know your web pages exist. Often, the reason isn’t the content itself. Maybe your site has technical issues like broken links, messy site structure, or indexing errors that keep search engines from finding it.
We’ve been solving these technical SEO problems since 2000 at Matter Solutions, which helps Brisbane businesses rank higher through smart crawling and indexing approaches. Our SEO experts know exactly how web crawlers work.
So in this guide, we’ll show you how technical SEO Brisbane methods, especially the crawl and index basics, can help you get found, ranked, and read properly.
Crawl, Index, Rank: The SEO Process Explained
Think of search engines like librarians who need to find, catalogue, and recommend books. But instead of books, they’re working with millions of web pages across the entire internet. To understand this process, you need to know three things that decide if people can find your content.
What Is Crawling vs. Indexing?
Crawling and indexing are two completely different jobs that web crawlers handle. First up is crawling, where web crawlers work like tiny digital spiders moving around your website. They follow links from page to page, slowly finding everything you’ve published.
After crawling comes indexing. This is where Google reviews your content for quality, relevance, and value to decide if it deserves a spot in their massive library.
Why Pages Get Skipped or Missed
Now, just because a page gets crawled doesn’t mean it’ll actually appear in search results. Our SEO experts see this happen often when websites break JavaScript, block folders, or have weak internal linking. Duplicate content and low-quality pages also get filtered out during this process.
How to Check Crawl/Index Status
Luckily, Google Search Console makes checking this stuff pretty straightforward. This free tool shows you exactly which pages made it into Google’s index and which ones got rejected, helping you spot problems early.
But while the process makes sense, specific obstacles might still keep your pages invisible.
Why You’re Invisible: Common Indexing Issues Holding You Back
Ever notice how some competitors always show up in Google search while your content barely appears? Poor indexing might be the reason, blocking your best work from being seen.
Most technical SEO Brisbane problems fall into predictable patterns, though. Once you know what to look for, fixing them becomes much easier.
Duplicate Content
Duplicate content confuses Google because it can’t decide which version deserves to rank. This happens when the same information appears on multiple pages across your website. You’ll see this a lot with product descriptions copied straight from suppliers.
Thin/Low Quality Content
Next, low-quality pages with hardly any useful information get tossed aside pretty quickly. The reason is that Google wants to show users valuable, detailed content that genuinely helps solve their problems. So, those short pages filled with generic fluff rarely make it through.
Poor URL Structure
Messy URLs with random numbers or confusing paths make it even harder for search engine bots to understand your content. What you want is clear, descriptive URLs that make it easier for both crawlers and visitors to find their way around your site.
Overuse of Noindex or Canonical Tags
These technical SEO tags tell search engines to ignore certain pages. A Noindex tag tells Google “don’t show this page in search,” while a Canonical tag tells Google “this is the main page” when there are similar pages.
So if you use them incorrectly, like pointing a new product page to an old one with a Canonical tag, Google may show the old page in search.
Pro Tip: You can audit these issues using tools like Screaming Frog combined with Google Search Console data. This combination reveals exactly which indexing issues need immediate attention on your websites.
Now that we’ve covered the problems blocking your content, let’s talk about one of the most underrated solutions that can help fix many of these issues at once.
Internal Linking: How to Boost Your SEO and Page Visibility
Even the most helpful pages can get completely lost if they don’t have proper support (internal linking) from the rest of your website. These internal links act like bridges that help search engine bots find and understand your most important material.
What Internal Links Do
First, let’s make it clear what internal links are for. They serve three main jobs in your SEO strategy.
- Web crawlers can easily find new pages when your content is well-linked.
- They pass power from your top pages to those that need a lift.
- Links also show Google how your site is organised and highlight your main topics.
Together, these benefits mean your site is easier to navigate, and your important content gets noticed by both visitors and search engines.
Link to “Orphan” Pages from Stronger Ones
Now, some pages end up as orphans, sitting alone without any links connecting them to the rest of your website. These lonely pages almost never appear in search results because search engines can’t find them easily. But the solution is simple: just connect them to your popular content.
Use Keyword-Rich Anchor Text Naturally
Are your clickable texts giving your readers a clear idea of what’s on the other side? If they don’t line up, both users and search engines might struggle to follow, which can hurt engagement and SEO.
So, now’s the time to swap out any “click here” links with something meaningful, like “technical SEO guide,” so everyone understands where it leads.
Keep Links Crawlable
Finally, avoid using JavaScript-only links that search engine crawlers can’t follow. You can check your links in a few ways:
- View your page’s source code to see if the link is a standard <a href> tag.
- Use Google Search Console’s URL Inspection tool to see if Google can crawl the link.
We recommend sticking to simple HTML links, as they make it easier for search engine bots to find and follow your pages.
Pro Tip: Don’t stuff 100 links on a single page. That just looks messy and dilutes the authority you’re trying to pass around your site. While there’s no one-size-fits-all answer, focusing on the quality and relevance of your internal links is more important than sheer quantity.
Nail Technical SEO to Get Your Content Found
So, now you know that if Google can’t crawl or index your content properly, nobody will ever see it in search results. That’s the harsh reality.
But you also know now the basic and more thorough fixes that can improve your search rankings. So, are you ready to stop technical errors from holding back all your hard work?
Matter Solutions can help your Brisbane business create the groundwork for sustainable search growth. Get in touch with our team today to see what we recommend for your specific situation.
