Cached page

What is a cached page?

A cached page is a snapshot or stored copy of a webpage saved by search engines or web browsers. When search engines like Google crawl the web, they take these snapshots and store them in their database. This allows users to view older versions of websites even when the original page is unavailable or has been updated. Cached pages essentially serve as a backup of web content at a specific point in time, preserving text, images, and basic formatting as they appeared when the page was last crawled.

How do cached pages work?

When search engines crawl websites, they create copies of each page they visit and store these versions on their servers. These stored copies become the cached versions of the pages. Each time a search engine recrawls a site, it may update its cached version if the content has changed. Browsers also create caches, storing website data locally on your device to speed up future visits to the same site. These cached copies contain the HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and other resources needed to display the page, though they might not include all dynamic content or the most recent updates made to the original site.

Why are cached pages important for SEO?

Cached pages play several crucial roles in SEO. First, they provide evidence that search engines have successfully crawled and indexed your content. By examining cached versions, you can confirm which content search engines have processed and stored. Second, caching helps search engines understand your site even during server downtime, potentially preserving your search visibility during technical issues. Third, the frequency with which your cached pages get updated can indicate your crawl priority with search engines. Sites that are cached more frequently often have higher authority or relevance in their niche. Finally, cached pages sometimes reveal how search engines interpret your content, including which parts they emphasize or potentially ignore.

When should you access a cached page?

Accessing cached pages becomes valuable in several scenarios. When a website is temporarily down or experiencing technical problems, cached versions allow you to still view its content. If you're researching information that has been recently removed or modified, cached pages can provide access to previous versions. They're also useful for verifying when content changes were made or what a page looked like before recent updates. SEO professionals often check cached versions to understand how search engines view their sites, identify crawling issues, or troubleshoot indexing problems. Additionally, cached pages can load faster than live pages when you're on a slow internet connection and only need to access basic content.

How can you view and manage cached pages?

To view cached pages in Google, click the three dots next to a search result and select "Cached." Alternatively, type "cache:website.com" in Google's search bar. For Bing, hover over the search result's three dots and click "Cached." Browser caches can be accessed through developer tools (press F12 in most browsers) under the "Application" or "Storage" sections.

To manage how your own site is cached, you can use the cache-control HTTP header to set how long browsers should store your content. The robots.txt file can include directives like "noarchive" to prevent search engines from storing cached versions altogether. For more granular control, meta tags such as <meta name="robots" content="noarchive"> prevent caching of specific pages. The Google Search Console also offers tools to request removal of outdated cached content or to request recrawling when you've made significant updates you want reflected in the cached version.