What exactly is Google Cache? All Webmasters Need to be aware of
Google's crawlers are always looking through the web for the most recent and relevant sites.
When crawlers are able to index a site's content but don't just use it for results in search. They also create backups for each page, then save the backups in the database known as Google Cache.
The article will introduce Google Cache and how to check it. In addition, we'll discuss how Google Cache is helpful -as well as when you should not depend on it too much.
Check out our Video guide on how to Google Cache
What exactly is Google Cache?
A Google cached site can be described as an raw HTML backup of the content of a page which was deemed to be an element of Google search results. Google Cache as a whole comprises these backup pages.
The two main reasons for this are:
At the top of any cached page is a banner that displays three options:
- This is the URL that appears on the page which is cached -- This typically is the page that you intended to access. Sometimes, as with an redirected URL it is possible that the URL may be different.
- The date on which the version was created. It's possible to check if the page you're seeing was published in the last few days or weeks. It's not the only date the site was crawled, we'll examine that some detail.
Why Google Cache Is Essential
If you are a webmaster, there are other reasons to think about why Google Cache is crucial. It is your hope that your website will never go down or have difficulties, however, this can happen. Having a cache makes the website's content available to users regardless of whether the site is running properly.
How do I View Google Cache
How you go about getting into the cached Google page from the Google results of a search depends on the kind of device you're using. If you're using a web browser for your computer, there two options to reach it:
- You can follow a link which will lead you to the cached version of some page that appears in Google results when searching.
- It's possible to direct navigate to the site.
On mobile devices users are limited to an option of using the direct URL.
Accessed Page Viewed From Google Search Results
If you've been able to view cached pages in the search results, you may want to learn about this article since Google has changed how you discover cached links at the beginning of 2021.
For the first step, you must search for the webpage you wish to visit with Google. Then, in the middle of the URL in the results of your search, you should see three vertical dots. If you click on them there will be the pop-up with the words "About this search result":
This feature is currently working on testing. This feature is designed to allow you to learn more about the site (like the safety of it) prior to you click.
In the lower left of the pop-up, there's the option that says"Cached" just to the left on the right side of the window. Hit it to view the page that has been cached.
Sometimes, it's possible that you don't have a cachedbutton. It could be that the webpage was not cached. We'll examine what that means within a minute.
If you're on a mobile device, you may not see the button on every webpage. If so, continue reading to learn how to get access to the pages that are cached.
Modifying the URL to allow to view the Cached Page
In order to use this method, you have to know the address of the website you would like to visit. Enter cache:website.xyz into the search box.
For instance, cache:.com will bring you directly to the homepage of cached.
Other Viewing Tools to view Google Cache
It is not necessary to use any additional software for browsing cached websites. Google makes it extremely effortless for you to access them natively. There are a few software alternatives that you might like.
and the Google Cache Checker of Small SEO Tools lets you check the dates and URLs cached for as many as five pages at a time:
Looking at older versions of a page using Google Cache
It says your page has been cached from yesterday but you'd like to view the page from earlier in this week. What is the best way to do this by using Google Cache?
Unfortunately, no.
Google does not show the exact version of the page which has been cached. To see previous website versions using tools like the Wayback Machine, which is an archive of earlier versions of websites.
Find out what we chose to appear!
Benefits of Utilizing Google Cache as a Website Owner
But Google Cache is difficult to beat for being quick and straightforward to use. This makes it an excellent method to check certain elements of your web pages.
Five ways you can benefit from Google Cache as a website owner.
1. Check for Duplicate Content
There are times when you click the cached link only to land on a completely different page that you had hoped to be on.
Take the time to look through the two pages in order to discover the ways to distinguish the two pages.
2. Make sure that Google respects your Canonical Tags
Perhaps the duplicate content of your site was created intentionally. Yet, you've inserted canonical rel=rel=canonical tags that inform Google what version of your site to browse to.
Check out your Google Cache version of one or more pages you don't would like to be visited. The search should take users to the cache on the main page.
3. Check to see if your marketing efforts Get Crawled
You're now ready to boost your SEO efforts or make content and would like to be certain that Google is indexing the changes.
An instant glance on the cached copy of page will show that it's been frequented.
4. Watch for changes on the Websites of Competitors
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5. Find a New Version of Your Website
Although Google Cache won't be able to replace your full backup, the Google Cache version of your site will not be able to substitute your entire backup, it does sometimes show you how your website looked prior to disaster striking. Cache can also be used to recover old information or code that has been removed.
Google Cache's Limits Google Cache
Google's cache can provide helpful details, and could assist you if something looks strange. However, Google Cache is not without its restrictions.
Google Cache Doesn't Provide the Date Your Page was last Crawled
Let's get started with one of the most common misperceptions.
A lot of people believe that the cache gets constantly refreshed each time Googlebot is crawling a webpage. Other posts on the issue will instruct readers to look at the cache and see the frequency at which your site is being crawled.
It's not true.
This is confirmed by John Mueller of Google told us that on an internet Help forum in which it is titled:
"In most cases there is no need to refresh the cached pages each time we browse a page. For instance when the pages don't change significantly, we may choose to retain the original date."
This is a fantastic suggestion for anyone searching for details on what frequency it occurs, the reasons behind, and the which robots Google has been using to crawl your website, forget about the cache. The information is available accessible through Google Search Console. The crawl report is accessible in the Settingsin the sidebar on the left.
You'll find this data at the level of the domain. Google Search Console will not tell you how often every page is visited.
The Page Might Not Be Correctly Rendered
A few steps have been made with regard to this problem. It appears that Google's Web Rendering Service, which renders live web pages web was built on an outdated version of Chrome. Therefore, modern browsers often rendered cached webpages in a different manner than the method Google rendered the actual page.
Since the year 2019 Google Web Rendering Service uses the most recent version of Chrome.
The incorrect page is shown
In the previous article, we discussed how duplicate content or improper canonical tags may result in Google Cache to display the inappropriate page. As you might imagine, this can limit the value of using the cache to discover specific websites.
Some Pages Are Not Cached
It might be surprising, but the truth is that many pages aren't cached , not even once.
The common perception is that websites that aren't cached aren't cached because Google doesn't consider it important, but this isn't the case. We'll look at why that a website might not be cached the next time.
Where can I locate my cached web page?
Some pages that are visited are cached. If you're not seeing the cached version of the page, don't worry! It's not an indication that your website isn't in the index.
If you're concerned that the URL really isn't being indexed or indexed, Google Search Console's URL Inspector will confirm.
To show that web pages that are that are indexed do not necessarily have caches check out the Google's John Mueller. In Twitter, he responded to a query from a user about an uncached webpage:
"We don't store all the pages we index. This means that it can happen. In some cases, it may take a long time or we don't store it in any way."
The user also would like to know whether sites that were not cached were not always of poor quality, he replied:
"That + it can be all kinds of pages for strange technical glitches. It's something different and it's not an accurate representation of the way we rank."
A page that's not cached may be worth a look. There are several possibilities you can explore.
Your Website Is Based on JavaScript
Google is more efficient in indexing websites that utilize JavaScript when compared with other sites. But most JavaScript pages are not cached or not being indexed.
Caching can be prevented through Meta Tags. Meta Tag
It could be that's your intention. But if you didn't realize that there was a tag Noindex or noarchive tag on the page eliminating it could fix the issue with your cache.
The Page is Duplicate (or Google Thinks It Is)
If Google found that your two pages were duplicates, discover ways to distinguish them. Consider the different search intentions on each page.
Troubleshooting Issues With Your Website's Cached Pages
The page you are creating doesn't need to be cached. However, should you want to see it happen, there are certain things you can do.
Send Your Page's URL to Google
If you're worried Google hasn't yet indexed your site in any way, check Google Search Console.
You can enter the page's URL within the URL inspector search bar found at the top of Search Console. If you receive the response "URL appears in Google," the page is being indexed. If your page was changed recently, but you aren't sure if Google was capable of indexing the most recent version, then click "Request indexing"to solicit Google to re-index it.
Check for Common Site Problems
There are a variety of causes why your website might not be cached, as would large JavaScript or duplicate web pages.
How to Remove Pages From Google Cache
We think that Google Cache is quite useful however, you may not want to have an old version of your site that is kept on Google's servers for various reasons. For instance you're not interested in having your pages for outdated products to be available.
A way to stop cached pages on your website is to use the noindex as well as the noarchive tags that are mentioned earlier. They are the best long-term solution for those who want to maintain your site's content but don't wish to cache them.
It is also possible to ask Google directly to eliminate URLs that are not in Google Cache. To do this, go to Google Search Console and click Removalsin the sidebar. Select "New Request". There are two options: Temporarily Remove URLand Clear Cache URL.
Temporary removal implies that the website will not be displayed on Google search results for approximately six months. The site will be removed out of the cache as well. It will also be indexable and then cached again (if you don't want that taking place, then you'll have to add an Meta tag).
Cleaning the cached URL is exactly the same as clearing cached URLs. The cache is cleared however , the website will be updated after it has been visited.
If you'd like an older version of your website to be removed, this is an excellent solution to get it. Also, you can force Google to update your site's cache by making the site to be listed after you have modified the cache.
Summary
Google Cache may not be what the reports suggest it to be. The cache isn't able to determine what your site's crawler count was in the past. It will not help your site rank in Google or other search engines. In some cases, the version stored of your site may be a little odd, unfinished or simply not right.
Are there any concerns left regarding Google Cache? We'd love to hear about them in the comments, and we'd like to have your feedback!
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