Frequency at which search engines revisit pages for updates, influenced by content freshness, site authority, and crawl budget allocation.
Recrawl rate refers to how frequently search engines return to crawl previously indexed pages to check for updates, changes, or new content. Unlike initial crawling of new URLs, recrawling focuses on pages that search engines have already discovered and indexed, helping maintain current information in search results.
The frequency varies dramatically based on multiple factors. High-authority sites like major news outlets might see critical pages recrawled within minutes, while smaller sites may experience recrawl intervals of weeks or months. This disparity directly impacts how quickly content updates appear in search results and influences overall SEO performance.
Why It Matters for AI SEO
AI-powered search systems have heightened the importance of recrawl rates because they rely on fresh, accurate data to train models and generate responses. When Google's AI Overviews or other generative features pull information from outdated cached versions of pages, it can lead to misinformation in AI-generated answers. Modern AI systems also consider content velocity and freshness signals more heavily than traditional ranking algorithms. Pages with faster recrawl rates signal to search engines that the content is dynamic and valuable, potentially boosting rankings for time-sensitive queries. This creates a feedback loop where better recrawl rates improve AI visibility, which can further increase crawl frequency through higher user engagement.
How It Works
Search engines determine recrawl frequency through algorithmic assessment of several key factors. Content change frequency is primary—pages that update regularly earn more frequent recrawls. Site authority plays a crucial role, with established domains receiving more crawl attention. Page importance within your site architecture, measured through internal linking and user engagement, also influences recrawl priority. You can monitor recrawl patterns using Google Search Console's Coverage report and URL Inspection tool, which show last crawl dates. Tools like Botify and Screaming Frog can track crawl patterns across your entire site over time. To improve recrawl rates, focus on publishing regular content updates, maintaining strong internal linking to important pages, and ensuring fast page load speeds. XML sitemaps with accurate lastmod dates can also signal content changes to search engines.
Common Mistakes
Many SEO practitioners incorrectly assume that submitting URLs repeatedly through Search Console will force more frequent recrawling. In reality, excessive resubmission can waste crawl budget and may even signal low-quality content management. Another common mistake is updating lastmod dates in XML sitemaps without making actual content changes, which can erode search engine trust in your site's signals over time.