Cached pages is an undeniably useful tool when you come across a web page that is performing poorly, or temporarily down for some reason.

At its most bones, Google crawls web pages and so makes raw HTML copies of them -- a cached page. This tin can enable y'all to view a website that is ho-hum or non responding, and it tin can also help SEO experts figure out indexation issues with a site.

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What is a buried page?

A cached folio is a fill-in of the raw HTML and content of a page taken at a single point in time to exist stored on a server and retrieved later.

For example, when Google crawls a web page, information technology will have a screenshot of that page and alphabetize the content for hereafter reference. Additionally, Google volition provide the appointment of the final time the folio was indexed on the cache page, i.e. "This page is a snapshot of the page as information technology appeared on Feb 20, 2020".

If you've come across a page that isn't responding, or if you want to brand sure your site is beingness properly indexed, keep reading to effigy out how buried pages can help you solve both.

How to View Cached Pages

  1. In Google'south search box, type the website or page you're trying to see.
  2. Beside the URL, click the downwardly pointer.
  3. Select "Cached".
  4. You are at present viewing the cached page.
  5. Alternatively, type the word "cache" in front of the web page's URL. i.due east. "cache:https://examplesite.com".

1. In Google'southward search box, blazon the website or page you're trying to run into. Beside the URL, click the down arrow. Select "Cached".

Cached dropdown underneath arrow next to SERP URL

2. Yous are now viewing the cached page.

Cached page with message at the top that reads: "This is Google's cache of [URL]. It is a snapshot of the page as it appeared on [Date]. The current page could have changed in the meantime."

2. Alternatively, type the word "enshroud" in front end of the web page'due south URL. i.e. "cache:https://examplesite.com".

Google search query that reads: cache:https://ww2.hm.com/en_us/index.html

It's important to note, the cache is the part of the website written in plain HTML -- information technology doesn't also salve JavaScript. Webmaster Trends Analyst at Google, John Mueller, verifies this, stating on his Twitter:

John Mueller's Tweet that reads: The cached page should just be the HTML page, if the iframe is on there, the browser can show it. x-frame-options is a way to prevent that on modern browsers.

JavaScript content is typically inaccessible from the cache, but that doesn't mean it wasn't indexed -- to check how a Google bot views your website, effort using the Fetch and Render tool in Google Search Console instead.

Next, permit's explore how you can use Google Cache for website optimization.

How to Utilize Google Enshroud

  1. Apply Google Cache if you're on a web folio that is wearisome or unresponsive.
  2. Utilize Google Cache to cheque when a particular folio was final visited by a Googlebot.
  3. Check how your website is indexed online.

1. Use Google Cache if yous're on a spider web page that is deadening or unresponsive.

If y'all're trying to find information on a website just it seems the folio is down (or just ho-hum), you lot might try alternate to the Google Enshroud version. Of course, the page might not look aesthetically identical, but you'll be able to come across the HTML from the concluding fourth dimension a Googlebot crawled the page.

2. Use Google Cache to check when a item page was last visited by a Googlebot.

If you want to know the last time a Googlebot visited a sure folio, but don't have access to server logs, you lot tin now see when the page was final visited by checking out the Cache version of the page. Information technology can exist helpful to see the last time the page was successfully fetched by a bot -- if you've made changes that brand the page unresponsive, you might need to know which changes yous need to united nations-do.

iii. Check how your website is indexed online.

You might exist curious to meet whether your website is cached online. If it's not cached, there are a few potential reasons -- outset, you lot'll want to cheque in that location is no content="noarchive" attribute in the source lawmaking of the page. If the folio is non-indexable or blocked from itch, it won't exist cached. Alternatively, if a page is new, information technology might accept a little while for the cache to become available.

If it'due south non able to exist buried, it's still visible online. But if you want your site viewers to have the choice of viewing information technology in a cache-version if your site is deadening or unresponsive, you might consider excavation deeper to figure out what the problem is.

Editor'southward note: This post was originally published in February 2019 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

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Originally published Oct 15, 2020 one:00:00 PM, updated October fifteen 2020