Describes non-linear crawl behavior where search engines jump across site sections instead of sequential crawling. Seen in large log-file analyses.
Understanding Zigzag Crawl Pattern (Bots)
Let us talk about an interesting behavior of search engine robots: What is Zigzag Crawl Pattern (Bots)? This concept describes how bots do not always crawl your site in a straight, linear path, like from page 1 to page 2 to page 3. Instead, they often jump around based on importance, freshness, and how often a page changes.
Why This Pattern Matters to Us
This “zigzag” behavior means that the way we link our internal pages becomes super important. We must make sure our most valuable pages are easy to reach from many places, not just one long chain. A good internal linking structure is key to efficient crawling.
Impact on CMS Platforms
To benefit from the Zigzag Crawl Pattern (Bots), we need a CMS that allows for flexible and strong internal linking. Our platform choice affects how well we can guide those bots. Let us look at how different systems help us manage this.
WordPress
WordPress is fantastic because we can use categories, tags, and internal link plugins to create a strong web of content. We must make sure our sidebar or footer links direct bots to our most important pillar pages. This ensures they find the key pages, even when zigging and zagging.
Shopify
For Shopify, the main structure is categories and product collections. We need to link related products and collections together in the descriptions and on the collection pages. This helps bots jump from one related item to another efficiently.
Wix
Wix makes site navigation simple, and we should use that simplicity to our advantage. We must ensure every important page is only two or three clicks away from the homepage. A shallow site structure helps bots find everything quickly, regardless of the pattern.
Webflow
Webflow gives us control to create a clean, purposeful internal linking architecture. We should use its CMS collection system to automatically link related content, like case studies and blog posts. Clean, purposeful links are highly effective for bots.
Custom CMS
With a custom CMS, we must ensure our development team builds a robust internal linking system that avoids orphaned pages. We need a clear site map and internal search pages that act as central hubs. This guarantees that no valuable page is missed during the crawl.
Zigzag Crawl Strategy Across Industries
How we manage internal links to guide the bots depends on what kind of business we run. We adjust our linking strategy to highlight our most important content.
Ecommerce
For an online store, we must use internal links to connect products based on shared features, brand, or use. If a bot starts on one product, we want it to quickly zigzag to ten related items to ensure full coverage. This also helps customers find more to buy.
Local Businesses
A local business needs a clear navigation that links services to service areas and testimonials. We must link from a city page to all related services in that city. This ensures all our local authority pages are crawled frequently.
SaaS (Software as a Service)
SaaS companies should build topic clusters in their documentation and blog, linking posts to a central “pillar” page. This creates a highly organized web that makes it easy for bots to zigzag through all our content. We guide them from a general topic to specific details.
Blogs
Bloggers must frequently link new posts back to older, related content to give them fresh life. We should use a “Related Posts” section that links to several other articles. This encourages the bot to keep crawling deeper into our site.
FAQ
What is the main goal of the Zigzag Crawl Pattern?
The main goal is for Google to crawl our most important and newest pages more often than our less important ones. It is about prioritizing based on how valuable a page is to the search engine.
How can I use my internal links to influence the crawl?
We should point more internal links from high-authority pages to the pages we want crawled most frequently. We must make sure our best content is easy to find, no matter where the bot starts its zigzag.
What is an orphaned page?
An orphaned page is a page on our site that has no internal links pointing to it from any other page. Bots cannot easily find these pages, which can be a problem for the Zigzag Crawl Pattern (Bots).
Should I use a sitemap to fix bad internal linking?
A sitemap is very helpful for bots to discover pages, but it does not replace strong internal linking. Internal links show Google which pages we think are most important and deserve the most crawl time.
