Crawl depth - crawl depth and SEO
Crawl depth is a technical SEO term that is often overlooked but plays a crucial role in how search engines interact with your website. Learn more about it in this article.
What is crawl depth?
Crawl depth is an expression of how many clicks or "steps" a web crawler has to take from the front page to reach a specific page. The front page will have a crawl depth of 0, a subpage with a direct link from the front page, footer or navigation will have a crawl depth of 1 and so on.
The deeper a page is placed in your website's structure, the higher the crawl depth - and the harder it is for search engines like Google to find and index it. A high crawl depth can therefore affect your site's visibility in search results, making crawl depth an important technical SEO factor.
Imagine your website as a complex building with many floors and rooms. The front page is the lobby and each additional click represents the movement through doors and up stairs to reach a specific room.
The more spaces (or clicks) it takes to reach a particular page, the more likely the search engine is to miss it in its crawl. This can be problematic, as even the most valuable content can end up being overlooked if it's buried deep within your website's structure.
Especially for large websites, such as e-commerce platforms or information portals with many pages, it's important to keep track of crawl depth to ensure that all content is discovered and indexed correctly.
A flat structure where the most important pages are accessible within two or three clicks from the front page is considered an optimal crawl depth. This makes it easier for search engines to find and index content quickly. Conversely, a deep structure can mean that pages are overlooked or not crawled as often, which can lead to important content not appearing in search results.
How does crawl depth affect your SEO?
Crawl depth doesn't just affect search engines; it also impacts the user experience. A complex and hard-to-navigate structure can frustrate visitors trying to find specific information.
If users struggle to find what they're looking for, they may quickly leave your site, which can increase your bounce rate and lower engagement - factors that can indirectly affect your SEO rankings.
In the following sections, we'll dive deeper into what crawl depth is, why it's important, and how you can optimize your website to ensure your most important pages get the visibility they deserve.
Why is crawl depth crucial for SEO?
- Indexing efficiency: Search engines have a limited crawl budget - that is, a limited number of pages they will crawl on your website within a given time frame. Pages with high crawl depth are not crawled as often as those closer to the front page, which can mean they are not updated or indexed correctly.
- Link Equity: Pages that are closer to the front page generally receive more link equity, which can improve their ranking in search results. If important pages are hidden deep in the hierarchy, they may not receive enough link equity to rank well.
- User experience and conversion: A well-structured website makes it easier for users to find the information they are looking for. This can lead to lower bounce rates and higher conversion rates. For example, if a user lands on your front page and has to click through multiple categories and subcategories to find a product, they may become impatient and leave your site. A simpler structure can help keep users engaged and improve overall performance.
- Timeliness: Pages with a low crawl depth are crawled more often, meaning new content or updates are discovered and indexed faster by search engines. This is especially important for websites that frequently update their content, such as news sites or e-commerce platforms with frequent product changes.
- Improved SEO performance: By ensuring your most important pages have a low crawl depth, you increase their chances of being indexed and ranked correctly. This leads to better visibility in search results, which can generate more organic traffic and strengthen your overall SEO strategy.
How to optimize your crawl depth
To ensure your website is optimally indexed by search engines, it's important to keep your crawl depth low. The fewer clicks it takes to reach your most important pages, the easier it will be for both users and search engines to find them.
Here are some effective strategies to optimize your website structure and reduce crawl depth:
Simplify your navigation: Work with a flatter structure where all important pages can be reached with a maximum of three clicks from the front page. Consider adding links to important pages in the main menu or linking directly to them from popular blog posts.
Use internal links strategically: Internal links help both users and search engines navigate your website. By adding links from pages with low crawl depth to those with higher crawl depth, you can reduce the deeper pages' position in the hierarchy.
Optimize your URL structure: Keep your URLs simple and descriptive. Avoid complex parameters and deep folder structures as this makes it harder for both users and search engines to find your pages.
Update and maintain your sitemap: An up-to-date XML sitemap makes it easier for search engines to find and crawl your pages. Make sure that all important pages are included and that the sitemap is updated regularly.
If you have many subpages with a high crawl depth, you can also consider creating a so-called HTML sitemap, which is basically just a subpage with a list of links to all your subpages. You can therefore place your HTML sitemap in the footer of your website. That way, none of your subpages will have a crawl depth of more than 2.
You can read more about both XML and HTML sitemaps here.
Implement breadcrumb navigation: breadcrumbs give both users and search engines a better understanding of your website's structure. It also helps search engines understand the relationship between different pages, which can improve indexing.
Reduce redundant and thin content: Pages with very little content or duplicate content can take up crawl budget and reduce the effectiveness of your SEO. Identify and improve or remove these pages to ensure search engines focus on your most valuable pages.
Analyze your crawl depth with Screaming Frog
I highly recommend using Screaming Frog to analyze your website's crawl depth. Here you can get a clear overview of how search engines like Google navigate through your content. With Screaming Frog, you can quickly identify pages that are too deep in your website's structure and optimize their visibility.
Here's a simple way to gain insight into your crawl depth:
- Crawl your website: Start by crawling your entire website by entering the URL in Screaming Frog and click "Start". The tool will now scan all pages and links on your website.
- Filter by HTML pages: Go to the "Internal" tab and select "HTML" in the filter menu. This will only give you URLs that refer to subpages - i.e. the pages that search engines and users will typically interact with.
- Export data: Export the data to a spreadsheet so you can work with the information in a more organized way. This allows you to easily analyze and sort data.
- Filter for indexable pages: Remove all non-indexable pages (for example, redirected and no indexed) from your dataset. This ensures that you only work with the pages that search engines and users should be able to find.
- Sort by crawl depth: Sort the "Crawl Depth" column in descending order so that the pages with the highest crawl depth appear at the top. This makes it easy to find the pages that require the most clicks to reach from the front page.
- Identify key pages: Find the pages that have a crawl depth of over 3. Consider whether it is necessary to reduce their depth by adding internal links or changing their position in the navigation structure.
- Prioritize optimization: Focus on optimizing the most important pages first. This could be pages with high traffic potential or pages that are important for your conversion goals.
Common crawl depth issues - and how to fix them
- Too complex website structure: Websites with many subcategories and nested pages can create a complicated structure that is difficult for both users and search engines to navigate. Simplify your structure by consolidating similar content and reducing the number of categories and subcategories.
- Missing internal links: If your website lacks sufficient internal links, it can be difficult for search engines to find deeper pages. Make sure that all pages - especially those that are several clicks away from the front page - are linked to from other parts of your site.
- Orphan pages: Pages that are not linked to from other pages on your website, known as orphan pages, are hard for search engines to find. Use tools like Screaming Frog or Google Search Console to identify these pages and add internal links to them.
- Broken links and redirect chains: Broken links and complex redirects can disrupt crawling and prevent search engines from reaching deeper pages. Conduct regular audits to identify and fix these issues.
Summary on crawl depth
Crawl depth is a critical factor in how search engines and users interact with your website. By optimizing your structure, navigation and internal links, you can ensure that your most important pages are easily accessible and indexed correctly. This leads to better SEO performance, improved user experience and ultimately a more successful online presence.
Do you want to optimize your website and ensure it gets discovered by search engines? At Amplify, we specialize in technical SEO and can help you streamline your website structure to reach its full potential. Let's Amplify!
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