What is website reindexing – and why does it matter?
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This is really useful to know if you regularly update your website (like adding new text, changing images, or tweaking SEO titles).
One of our clients – we built their online store – regularly adds new products. They got a bit *** when these updates didn’t show up on Google.
We wrote them some instructions – and now we’re adapting them for you too, so you don’t have to lose your patience over something simple.
The solution? Website indexing.
What is website reindexing?
When uncle Google visits your website, it reads your content and adds it to its index – basically a huge database Google uses to decide what to show when someone searches for something.
If Google doesn’t know you’ve changed something, it won’t show it in search results.
Reindexing means telling Google: "Hey, there’s something new here – come take another look!"
It helps when you:
change text, titles, or SEO descriptions,
replace images or add them,
fix errors on the page,
publish a new subpage or content,
add new products to your store,
want Google to quickly notice changes.
How do you reindex a website?
You’ll need a free tool called Google Search Console. If you haven’t set it up yet and don’t feel very tech-savvy, it’s best to ask your web agency or developer to help.
Steps for reindexing
Go to https://search.google.com/search-console and log in with your Google account.
In the top left corner, select your website (called a "property") – if you have more than one.
At the top search bar (where it says “Inspect any URL”), enter the full URL of the page you updated (e.g.,
https://www.your-company.com/about-us).Press Enter – Google will check if this page is already in its index.
If it is, you’ll see a message like "URL is on Google."
Click the “Request Indexing” button.
Wait a few seconds while Google processes the request.
When it’s done, you’ll see a message that your reindexing request was successfully submitted.
This way, you're actively letting Google know there’s something new to see.
How often should you reindex?
No need to do it daily, but it’s a good idea:
after major content changes,
after a website redesign,
after optimizing SEO content,
if your changes aren’t showing on Google or Facebook.
Reindexing is a small step that makes a big difference in how quickly and correctly your website shows up online.
Need help with it?
Feel free to reach out – we do this every day.
Is your website misbehaving?
We’ll take a look and show you where the problem is – and how to fix it. Click the button and tell us what’s bugging you.