Why Are Pages Not Being Indexed? : Reasons and It’s Solutions
Google Search Console (GSC) is a free web service provided by Google that helps website owners monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot their site’s presence in Google Search results. It offers a range of valuable insights and tools to optimize a website’s performance. With GSC, users can track search performance, including clicks, impressions, and average position for specific keywords.
It also provides data on which queries bring visitors to a site, how individual pages are performing, and the number of backlinks pointing to the site. Additionally, it helps identify and fix technical issues like crawl errors, mobile usability, and security issues such as malware or hacks. By submitting sitemaps and monitoring URL indexing, GSC plays a crucial role in ensuring that a website remains search-engine-friendly, driving organic traffic and improving visibility on Google.
Indexing in Google Search Console: Ensuring Your Website is Searchable
The Indexing section in Google Search Console (GSC) is crucial for ensuring that your website’s pages are correctly indexed and appear in Google search results. It provides insights into how well Google’s search engine crawlers understand and index your site’s content. Through this section, you can monitor the status of your pages—seeing which URLs are indexed, which are excluded, and why. It also allows you to submit new pages or updated content for indexing, helping them appear in search results faster. If there are issues, such as pages being blocked by robots.txt or having errors like "noindex" tags, GSC alerts you so you can resolve them. Ensuring proper indexing through GSC is vital for improving search visibility, user reach, and overall SEO performance.
In this Blog we are going to discuss Why are Pages not being indexed ? And What are the Solutions we can apply to make those pages indexed ,So Performance of the website will increase.
ALTERNATE PAGE WITH PROPER CANONICAL TAG
In Google Search Console, the “Alternate page with proper canonical tag” message appears when Google identifies a page that is an alternate version of another page, but has a correct canonical tag pointing to the preferred or original version. A canonical tag tells search engines which version of a URL should be considered the main one to avoid duplicate content issues. While this is not an error, it’s an indication that the page in question is not being indexed as its own entity but rather as part of a broader content set.
To resolve any concerns related to this issue, ensure that the canonical tag is correctly implemented on the alternate page and points to the correct preferred version. Additionally, review your content strategy to see if the alternate page should be unique enough to stand alone. If needed, update or differentiate the content on that page. This practice helps Google understand your content hierarchy better, avoiding indexing confusion and improving SEO efficiency across your site.
DUPLICATE WITHOUT USER SELECTED CANONICAL
The "Duplicate without user-selected canonical" status in Google Search Console indicates that Google has detected multiple pages with similar or identical content, but none of these pages have a canonical tag specifying which version should be prioritized in search results. As a result, Google selects a canonical page on its own, which may not align with your preferences. This can dilute your SEO efforts and confuse search engines about which page to rank, leading to lower visibility.
To fix this, review the pages marked as duplicates and select the page you want Google to treat as the main or preferred version. Add a canonical tag in the HTML of the duplicate pages, pointing to the preferred URL. This tag tells Google which page should be indexed and displayed in search results, consolidating ranking signals and avoiding duplicate content issues. Additionally, ensure that your internal linking strategy supports the preferred URL, and avoid creating unnecessary duplicate pages. Implementing proper canonicalization improves your site’s search rankings and ensures a streamlined, user-friendly experience.
PAGE NOT FOUND 404
A "Page Not Found (404)" error in Google Search Console occurs when a user or search engine crawler tries to access a page that doesn't exist on your website. This could happen due to deleted pages, incorrect URLs, or broken links. While occasional 404 errors are normal, having too many can harm user experience and affect your website's SEO, as it may lead to wasted crawl budget and diminish site credibility in search engines.
To resolve 404 errors, first identify all URLs returning the error through the Coverage report in GSC. Then, take one of the following actions:
Redirect the URL: If the page has been permanently removed or replaced, implement a 301 redirect to guide users and search engines to a relevant page.
Fix broken links: If the 404 is due to a typo or broken link, update the link to the correct URL.
Recreate the missing page: If the page was deleted but is still valuable, consider restoring or recreating it with updated content.
BLOCKED DUE TO OTHER 4XX ISSUE
The "Blocked due to other 4xx issues" status in Google Search Console indicates that certain pages on your site are returning 4xx errors, other than the common 404 (Page Not Found). These errors signal that the server was unable to fulfill the request, leading to pages being blocked from indexing. Common 4xx errors include 403 (Forbidden), 410 (Gone), and 401 (Unauthorized), which can prevent Google from accessing and crawling those pages, negatively impacting your SEO and site visibility.
To fix 4xx errors, follow these steps:
Identify the specific 4xx error: Check Google Search Console’s coverage report to understand which URLs are affected and what kind of 4xx error is being returned.
Resolve permissions issues (403): If it’s a 403 error, check your site’s permissions and ensure that Google’s crawlers and users have access to the page.
Restore or redirect missing content (410): For 410 errors, the page has been permanently removed. If necessary, implement a 301 redirect to a relevant page or recreate the missing content.
Fix authorization issues (401): If a 401 error is involved, verify that your pages aren’t incorrectly gated behind login pages or restricted access, unless it’s intentional
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5.SERVER ERROR 5XX
A "Server Error (5xx)" in Google Search Console occurs when your website’s server fails to fulfill a request made by users or search engine crawlers, resulting in a temporary or permanent issue that blocks access to your pages. Common 5xx errors include 500 (Internal Server Error), 502 (Bad Gateway), 503 (Service Unavailable), and 504 (Gateway Timeout). These errors prevent Google from indexing affected pages, which can lead to reduced visibility in search results and a poor user experience.
To resolve 5xx server errors:
Identify the specific error: Review the Google Search Console coverage report to determine which pages are experiencing 5xx errors and the exact nature of the issue.
Check server status and resources: Ensure that your hosting server is functioning properly. Server overload, misconfigurations, or resource limitations can lead to 5xx errors. Consider upgrading your server capacity if frequent 5xx errors are related to high traffic.
Fix backend code or configuration issues: For 500 or 502 errors, check your server logs for misconfigured scripts, plugins, or backend code that may be causing the failure, and correct these issues.
Monitor server downtime (503): If you receive 503 errors, it means your server is temporarily unavailable. Check for scheduled maintenance or unexpected downtime and ensure the issue is resolved quickly.
Optimize server response time (504): For 504 errors, check if your server or hosting provider is experiencing latency or connection issues and optimize server response times.
6. DUPLICATE,GOOGLE CHOOSE DIFFERENT CANONICAL THAN USER
The "Duplicate, Google chose different canonical than user" status in Google Search Console indicates that while you've set a canonical tag for a page, Google has decided to ignore your preference and selected a different URL as the canonical version. This often happens when Google’s algorithm believes the other URL is a better representation of the content, which can cause SEO problems by splitting ranking signals between duplicate pages.
To resolve this issue:
Verify the canonical tag: Ensure that the canonical tag you’ve set is correct and points to the most relevant version of the page. Double-check the URL structure, as inconsistent or improper formatting can cause Google to overlook your selection.
Review duplicate content: Check if the content on the page you’ve set as canonical is too similar to other versions. If necessary, make it more unique and valuable to reinforce its importance as the primary version.
Improve internal linking: Make sure your internal links point to the URL you want as the canonical version. Strong internal linking signals to Google which page you prioritize.
Ensure consistent URL usage: Avoid having multiple URLs with parameters or unnecessary variations that could confuse search engines.
Use 301 redirects if necessary: If you no longer need certain duplicate pages, consider implementing 301 redirects to the canonical version to consolidate link equity and avoid confusion.
7. CRAWLED BUT CURRENTLY NOT INDEXED
The "Crawled - Currently Not Indexed" status in Google Search Console means that Google has successfully crawled the page but has chosen not to include it in its search index at the moment. This can happen for a variety of reasons, including low-quality content, duplicate content, poor internal linking, or simply because Google has not prioritized indexing the page yet.
To resolve the issue of "Crawled - Currently Not Indexed":
Improve content quality: Ensure that the page offers unique, valuable, and comprehensive content. Thin or low-quality pages are less likely to be indexed, so aim to provide content that is relevant, informative, and engaging for users.
Enhance internal linking: Strengthen the page’s internal links by linking it from other relevant pages on your site. This signals to Google that the page is important and may increase its chances of being indexed.
Check for duplicate content: Ensure that the page isn’t too similar to other pages on your site. If duplicate content exists, consider consolidating it or using canonical tags to indicate which version should be prioritized.
Review technical SEO factors: Ensure the page is crawlable by Google. Double-check for any “noindex” tags, proper use of robots.txt, and other technical barriers that may be inadvertently preventing indexing.
Submit for indexing: If the page is updated or optimized, use the "URL Inspection" tool in Google Search Console to manually request indexing, speeding up the process.
8. DISCOVERED,CURRENTLY NOT INDEXED
The "Discovered - Currently Not Indexed" status in Google Search Console means that Google has identified the URL, but has not yet crawled or indexed it. This can occur when Google has deemed the page less important, or if it hasn’t had the resources to crawl and index it due to site prioritization or technical reasons. Left unaddressed, this can impact your site's ability to rank in search results.
To fix the "Discovered - Currently Not Indexed" issue:
Enhance content quality: Ensure that the page offers unique, valuable content that’s worth indexing. Pages with thin or low-value content are often deprioritized for indexing.
Check site crawlability: Verify that there are no technical issues preventing the page from being crawled, such as an incorrect robots.txt directive, noindex tags, or other crawl-blocking factors.
Strengthen internal linking: Link the page from other relevant and high-traffic pages on your site. Strong internal linking signals to Google that the page is important and worth crawling and indexing.
Submit a sitemap: If the page is part of new or important content, ensure that your sitemap is updated and submitted via Google Search Console. This helps Google prioritize which pages to crawl and index.
Request manual indexing: If the page is urgent or important, you can use the "URL Inspection" tool in GSC to manually request indexing.
9. SOFT 404
A "Soft 404" error in Google Search Console occurs when a webpage appears to be a 404 (not found) error, but instead of returning a proper 404 status code, it returns a 200 status code (indicating the page was successfully loaded). This typically happens when the page displays a message stating that the content is not available or similar but still delivers a valid page. As a result, Google may get confused about the page's status, leading to indexing issues and potentially harming your SEO.
To resolve Soft 404 errors, follow these steps:
Identify Soft 404 pages: Use the coverage report in Google Search Console to find the pages flagged as Soft 404s. Review each page to determine why Google considers it a Soft 404.
Implement the correct status code: For pages that genuinely do not have content and are not meant to exist, ensure they return a proper 404 or 410 status code. This signals to search engines that the page is not available, allowing Google to remove it from its index.
Enhance user experience: If the page has valuable information that users might need, consider redirecting it to a relevant, active page or creating a custom 404 page that provides helpful navigation options, such as links to popular content or a search function.
Review content quality: If a page is intended to provide content but is deemed a Soft 404 due to low-quality content, enhance it to offer valuable and relevant information. This can prevent it from being misidentified as a Soft 404 in the future.
Resubmit for indexing: After addressing the issue, use the "URL Inspection" tool in Google Search Console to request re-evaluation of the affected pages.
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