Week 1: Technical foundation
Before asking Google to index anything, ensure the site is crawlable:
- Remove staging noindex and password protection
- Configure robots.txt — allow Googlebot, block only admin paths
- Set up HTTPS with valid certificate
- Create and submit XML sitemap in Search Console
- Verify domain property in Search Console (DNS or HTML tag)
- Fix mobile usability and Core Web Vitals basics
If the homepage fails these checks, nothing else will index. Read Why is my website not indexed? for common blockers.
Week 2: Content and structure
- Publish 5–10 core pages with unique, useful content
- Build internal link structure — every page reachable within 3 clicks
- Add Organization and WebSite schema markup
- Submit homepage and key pages via How to submit URLs to Google
- Set up Do sitemaps speed up indexing? with only indexable URLs
Avoid launching with hundreds of thin template pages on day one — Google may deprioritize the entire domain.
Week 3: Discovery signals
- Earn initial backlinks (directories, partners, press)
- Share on social — indirect discovery signal
- Submit priority URLs through indexing service
- Enable What is Auto Index? if publishing daily
- How to check if a URL is indexed homepage and core pages — expect partial indexation
Typical timeline: How long does Google indexing take?
Week 4: Scale and monitor
- Expand content based on what indexed successfully
- Run Bulk URL index checks if you have 50+ URLs
- Review Search Console Coverage weekly
- Fix any Discovered – currently not indexed pages per What to do when a URL is not indexed
- Plan Bulk URL indexing workflow for programmatic expansion
Quick reference checklist
| Day | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Search Console + sitemap |
| 3 | Homepage submit + internal links |
| 7 | First index check |
| 14 | Expand content + recheck |
| 30 | Full coverage audit |
Understand indexing basics in What is Google Index? before scaling.
Post-30-day: what to expect
By day 30, a healthy new site should have:
- Homepage and 5–10 core pages indexed
- Sitemap showing "Success" in Search Console
- Zero critical Coverage errors
- Index rate above 50% for submitted URLs
If you are below these benchmarks, revisit Why is my website not indexed? before publishing more pages. Adding volume to an unfixed technical foundation wastes content investment.
FAQ
See below for new domain sandbox myths and when to start link building.
