Google has recently started to index CSV documents, marking a shift from its prior reliance on CSV data through structured data to boost search results. A silent amendment to their Search Central guidelines reveals the new capability of indexing .csv documents.
This evolution means there’s an avenue for these files to be indexed. Conversely, for those wishing to prevent their .csv documents from being indexed, alterations to the robots.txt might be necessary to block these files.
What is a CSV? Essentially, CSV (Comma-separated values) files are text-based documents that hold data in a structured, table-like form, viewable as spreadsheets. Such files store raw textual data, devoid of stylistic features like font types, images, or clickable links.
CSVs prove invaluable for tasks such as uploading URL lists for tools like Screaming Frog to crawl, but their primary use remains data organization within spreadsheets.
A Fresh Feature: CSV Indexing The introduction of CSV file indexing by Google is novel, as searches specific to “filetype” for CSVs do not currently yield any CSV results.
Typical searches include:
- filetype:csv site:.gov
- filetype:csv site:.edu
- filetype:csv site:.com
Google’s Past Interactions with CSV Files An intriguing facet of Google’s indexing journey with CSVs is its Dataset search interface, which was already making use of CSVs, but seemingly only when paired with structured data.
Historical guidelines from Google’s Developer portal, accessible through Archive.org, indicate that CSVs met criteria for dataset search features. Tabular data being showcased in search results started around 2018, especially when supplemented with structured data.
The foundational guidelines stated:
“Datasets become more discoverable with auxiliary details like their title, descriptive summary, the creator, and how they’re distributed when they’re structured…”
Several examples were provided, like:
- Data within a table or CSV
- Structured files containing data
- Multiple files forming a comprehensive dataset
- Proprietary files holding data
In 2022, Google made revisions to these guidelines, which then redirected to their more recent Search Central Guidelines.
This renewed documentation emphasizes Google’s reliance on structured data to highlight CSVs in their dataset search interface.
Yet, a looming question remains: With these modifications, will Google soon be actively crawling through CSV files to enhance search results, in conjunction with data annotated in structured formats?
Tying Google’s CSV Indexing to a Recent Algorithm Update? Defining core algorithm updates entails recognizing when Google enacts “substantial” modifications to its primary algorithm.
There’s speculation on whether Google’s decision to index CSV files coincided with the core algorithm shift.
It’s worth pondering if Google has either revamped its crawling mechanism to recognize CSVs or if this capability was inherent but previously untapped.
