Google: Database Speed Matters More Than Page Count for Crawl Budget
Google has confirmed that most websites don’t need to worry about crawl budget—unless you have over one million pages. But there’s a new twist: database speed now plays a bigger role than ever before.
Gary Illyes from Google’s Search Relations team shared on a recent podcast that your database’s performance can impact your crawl budget more than your site’s page count. This advice is a timely reminder for website owners and SEO professionals.
The One Million Page Rule Remains
Google still uses the one million page threshold as a guideline for crawl budget concerns. If your site has fewer pages, you likely don’t need to worry. But even smaller sites can face crawl issues if their database is slow or inefficient.
Illyes explained, “I would say 1 million is okay probably.” That “probably” means there’s room for exceptions, especially if your site’s technical setup isn’t optimal.
Database Speed Now Takes Center Stage
The big news? Slow databases can hurt your crawl budget more than having a large number of pages. If your site makes expensive database calls, your server will struggle to keep up with Googlebot’s requests.
A site with 500,000 pages and slow database queries may face more crawl issues than a site with two million fast-loading static pages. That’s why it’s essential to review your site’s database performance—especially if you use dynamic content or real-time data.
Indexing Uses More Resources Than Crawling
Many believe crawling is the biggest drain on resources. But Google says otherwise. Illyes revealed, “It’s not crawling that is eating up the resources, it’s indexing and potentially serving or what you are doing with the data when you are processing that data.”
So, blocking Googlebot isn’t the answer. Instead, focus on making your content easier for Google to process after crawling. This is where strong SEO and content marketing strategies from Cyberset can help.
Why the Threshold Hasn’t Changed
The one million page rule has been around for years. Even as the web grows with more JavaScript, dynamic content, and complex sites, Google’s threshold remains. Their systems have evolved to handle larger sites, but the basic math hasn’t changed.
Google continues to balance efficiency improvements with new features. As Illyes put it, “You saved seven bytes from each request that you make and then this new product will add back eight.” This constant push and pull keeps the crawl budget threshold stable.
What You Should Do Now
Here’s how to respond to Google’s latest advice:
- Sites Under 1 Million Pages: Keep focusing on quality content and user experience. Crawl budget isn’t a major concern for you. Enhance your SEO with Cyberset’s search engine optimization and content marketing services.
- Larger Sites: Make database efficiency your top priority. Review query execution times, caching, and how fast dynamic content loads. Cyberset’s custom website development and ecommerce website development can help optimize your site’s performance.
- All Sites: Focus more on indexing optimization than crawl prevention. Make your content easy for Google to process. Consider Cyberset’s website design and WordPress web design solutions to improve site structure and speed.
Technical Checks for Better Crawl Efficiency
- Monitor database query performance regularly.
- Check server response times.
- Optimize content delivery and implement proper caching.
- Ensure your site’s architecture is clean and efficient.
Plan Ahead for SEO Success
Google’s crawl budget guidance has stood the test of time. Most sites don’t need to worry about it, but database efficiency is now a key factor for larger sites. If you want to future-proof your SEO, start focusing on technical performance today.
For developers, this means prioritizing query optimization and caching. For marketers, it’s about making content easy to find and process. Cyberset offers a full range of services, including social media marketing, email marketing, and pay per click marketing to help you reach your audience.
Whether your site is large or small, optimizing your database and site speed will keep you ahead of the curve. Partner with Cyberset to ensure your website is ready for whatever Google’s next update brings.
