Check whether search systems can access your product site

List the pages that should be discoverable

Start with a page inventory grouped by purpose: product explanation, service information, documentation, articles, and utility pages. Identify which pages are intended for public search and which should remain private or absent from results. A crawlability audit without that intent can recommend exposure the product does not want.

For a workshop tool, the public setup guide may be discoverable while individual attendee lists are private. Record ownership and the expected route for each page type. This creates a clear basis for inspecting access controls, robots directives, canonical tags, and the links connecting the public site.

Inspect the deployed response

Open the actual public URL and verify the response status and destination after any redirects. Check that the expected page is served, not an error screen with a successful status or a generic fallback used for missing paths. Inspect important host and path variations deliberately.

A locally working page does not establish production accessibility. Static export routes, redirects, and custom-domain configuration can differ after deployment. Record the tested URL, response, and date. If a page is not meant to exist, return an appropriate response rather than serving a convincing but irrelevant page at every unknown address.

Check controls and access boundaries together

Review robots rules and page-level indexing directives against the page inventory. Robots controls influence crawler access; they are not a substitute for authentication or authorization protecting private information. Ensure intended public pages are not accidentally excluded, while private workflows have appropriate access controls.

A blocked fetch can also prevent a system from seeing instructions contained on the page. Avoid making a change in one control without considering the others. For a documentation section, inspect representative routes and templates rather than assuming the root page’s settings apply everywhere. Keep the reason for each deliberate exclusion visible.

Confirm the main content is available

Inspect the page as delivered and rendered, especially when essential content depends on JavaScript. Verify that headings, explanations, images with useful alternatives, and navigable links are present where expected. Do not assume that an animated interface proves the underlying content is accessible to every crawler.

Google can process JavaScript in many situations, but rendering introduces considerations that should be checked rather than guessed. A server-rendered or statically exported explanation can simplify access when it fits the product architecture. The relevant choice depends on the page’s actual content and behavior, not a blanket instruction to remove all client-side features.

Follow the route to important pages

Check whether product and documentation pages can be reached through ordinary links from useful entry points. Important pages should not depend only on a site search interaction or a form submission. Review any orphan routes and whether their purpose belongs in the current information structure.

After fixes, use available inspection tools and indexing reports to observe what systems report. A successful fetch is technical evidence; indexing and search appearance are separate observations. Keep unresolved conditions in the audit and assign ownership. The goal is an accurate access map, not a claim that passing a checklist guarantees discovery.

• Inventory public and private page types.
• Check deployed responses and representative redirects.
• Inspect robots and indexing directives together.
• Verify main content and navigable internal links.

Technical access leaves the reader’s route unresolved. Give product pages, guides, and references distinct purposes and enough context for people arriving directly from search.Plan product-site information architecture around user decisions