How Yandex Search Works Crawling Indexing and Ranking Explained

How Yandex Search Works

To ensure your site appears in search results, Yandex must first discover it using its crawling and indexing systems.

How Yandex Search Works Crawling Indexing and Ranking Explained

Step 1: Crawling the Site

Crawling is the initial phase where Yandex robots systematically visit websites to gather information. These robots determine:

• Which sites to visit
• Frequency of visits
• Number of pages to crawl on each site

When crawling, robots rely on several sources to identify pages, including:

• Internal and external links
• Sitemap files (XML sitemaps provided by site owners)
• Yandex Metrica data (user behavior insights)
• Directives in the robots.txt file (rules governing crawl behavior)

Key Factors Affecting Crawling:

• Page size: Pages larger than 10 MB are not indexed.
• Link availability: Crawling continues until the link is publicly accessible and not restricted by robots.txt.

HTTP Status Codes and Their Effects:

• 200 OK: Page will be crawled and indexed.
• 3XX (Redirects): Robot will follow the target of the redirect.
• 4XX or 5XX: Page will not appear in search results. Pages previously indexed will be removed if they return these codes.
• 429 (Too Many Requests): Temporarily protects the page from removal, allowing corrections to be made. However, prolonged use of 429 may slow crawling due to perceived server issues.

Additional Tools for Crawling:

Yandex supports HTTP/2, which enhances loading speed and reduces server load without impacting crawling frequency or ranking.

How Yandex Search Works Crawling Indexing and Ranking Explained

Step 2: Data Loading and Processing (Indexing)

During indexing, Yandex analyzes and stores the page content in its database. Key elements considered include:

• Meta tags: Content from description, title, and Schema.org microdata for generating snippets.
• Directives: Pages marked with noindex are excluded from search results.
• Canonical Tags: Specify priority URLs for duplicate content.
• Content Analysis: Text, images, and videos are assessed. Duplicate pages may be ignored.

Recommendations for Better Indexing:

• Ensure unique and structured content.
• Use canonical tags wisely for duplicate or similar pages.
• Optimize meta descriptions and headings for clarity and relevance.

Step 3: Building a Search Database

From the collected information, Yandex algorithms determine which pages qualify for search results. Factors influencing this decision include:

• Relevance: Pages with original, useful, and well-structured content are prioritized.
• Demand: Pages with high competition or low user interest may not be added.
• Duplicates: Identical or highly similar content across pages is filtered out.

Step 4: Forming Search Results

Yandex evaluates page quality using advanced algorithms that consider:

• Relevance to user queries
• Clarity and usefulness of content
• User-friendliness: Proper text structure, headings, and formatting enhance readability.

Factors Affecting Visibility in Results:

• Only high-quality, relevant pages are displayed in search results.
• Pages may be excluded if they lack user demand, have duplicate content, or do not meet quality benchmarks.

Conclusion

Yandex’s search process ensures that users receive the most relevant and valuable results. To optimize your site for Yandex:

• Ensure clear, structured, and original content.
• Use meta tags and directives effectively.
• Monitor site performance using tools like Yandex Webmaster and Yandex Metrica.

By understanding these steps, you can improve your site’s chances of being indexed and ranked effectively.