Every other week (or so it seems), someone asks me how to make Google crawl their site faster. They’ve usually been told by some SEO gooroo that there’s a secret code, special tags, or magical setting in Search Console that’ll make Googlebot sprint to their site like it’s running the hundred metres.
Let’s be clear: There isn’t.
Google’s John Mueller has just confirmed what some of us have been saying for years – there’s no persistent shortcut to faster crawling. It’s like trying to make your postman deliver to your house first – they’ve got their rounds to do, and no amount of willing them to come to your door is going to change that.
Why Are People Obsessing Over Crawl Speed?
The Rankings Panic
There’s a long-running myth that faster crawling means better rankings. It doesn’t. Think of it this way – Googlebot is like a postman collecting letters. Having them pick up your letter first doesn’t make your message more important – it just means it got to the sorting office sooner.
The Content Urgency
Some businesses think faster crawling means their new content will rank instantly. Again, not how it works. Google needs time to understand and evaluate your content, no matter how quickly they find it. (Submitting new content via GSC is a good thing to add to your checklist to make sure Google knows about it, but it’s only going to get it added to a list of URLs to crawl, not make Google crawl it NOW!)
When Faster Crawling Actually Matters
Breaking News and Time-Sensitive Content
If you’re a news site covering breaking stories, yes, you want Google to find that content quickly. That’s why Google News has specific protocols for news publishers.
Major Site Changes
When you’ve done a significant update or fixed serious issues, you might want Google to discover these changes faster. That’s legitimate.
Critical Error Fixes
If you’ve had pages wrongly noindexed or other technical problems, getting them crawled quickly can matter.
What You Can Actually Do
Use Your Search Console Wisely
You can request individual URLs to be crawled. But only 10 URLs a day, and it’s better used on URLs that are new or have significantly changed. Use it like your phone’s emergency calls – only when you really need it.
Keep Your Technical House in Order
Clean site structure, good internal linking, and a proper XML sitemap will help Google crawl your site efficiently. It’s like having clear house numbers and a well-lit path to your front door.
Focus on Quality Over Speed
Instead of obsessing about crawl speed, focus on making your content worth crawling. A fast-crawled rubbish page is still a rubbish page.
Common Crawling Myths
“More Internal Links Mean Faster Crawling”
Adding loads of internal links doesn’t make Google crawl faster – it just helps them understand your site structure better.
“Updating Your Sitemap Forces Faster Crawling”
Updating your XML sitemap helps Google discover changes, but it doesn’t make them crawl any faster.
“Paying for Faster Hosting Speeds Up Crawling”
Better hosting helps your site perform better for users, but it doesn’t make Googlebot visit more often.
Stop Focusing On Crawl Speed
Stop worrying about crawl speed unless you have a genuine reason to need faster crawling. Focus instead on creating a site that’s worth crawling – good content, solid structure, and genuine value for your users.
Remember: Google’s crawling your site just fine. They’ve been doing this for decades, and they’re pretty good at it by now.
I didn’t include this myth in my SEO Myths Debunked guide, but I should have. There are over 70 other myths in there though so you might wanna grab a copy.
