Fixing Indexing Issues in Google Search Console

by | May 12, 2025 | Indexing, Technical SEO

Google Search Console (GSC) is one of the most powerful tools for website owners, SEOs, and developers. One of its most important functions is highlighting indexing issues—problems that prevent your pages from being included or properly ranked in Google search results.

Where to Find Indexing Issues

Go to Google Search Console for your verified site.

Navigate to Pages under the Indexing tab.

You’ll see a breakdown of:

    • Indexed pages

    • Not indexed pages

    • Specific reasons why certain URLs weren’t indexed

Common Indexing Issues and Fixes

1. Crawled – Currently Not Indexed

What It Means:
Google has crawled the page but hasn’t indexed it yet. This is usually temporary.

Causes:

  • Low-quality or thin content

  • Duplicate content

  • Page not valuable enough to index

  • Crawl budget prioritisation

Fix:

  • Improve content quality (add unique, helpful information)

  • Check for duplicate versions (canonical or pagination issues)

  • Build internal links to the page to increase importance

  • Resubmit the URL in GSC via the URL Inspection Tool

2. Discovered – Currently Not Indexed

What It Means:
Google knows about the page (via sitemap or links) but hasn’t crawled it yet.

Causes:

  • Crawl budget limitations (large sites)

  • Server performance issues

  • Google deprioritising the URL

Fix:

  • Make sure the page is included in your sitemap

  • Link to the page from high-authority internal pages

  • Improve overall site speed and server health

  • Use the URL Inspection Tool to request indexing

3. Soft 404

What It Means:
The page displays content, but Google thinks it resembles a 404 error (e.g., “Page not found” message).

Causes:

  • Pages with no real content or “not available” messages

  • Misconfigured redirects

  • Incorrect use of noindex tags

Fix:

  • Add valuable, unique content to the page

  • Ensure it returns the correct 200 status if it’s meant to exist

  • If it’s intentionally removed, return a proper 404 or 410 status

4. Duplicate Without User-Selected Canonical

What It Means:
Google found a duplicate version of the page but is unsure which one to index.

Causes:

  • Duplicate pages without canonical tags

  • Parameters creating multiple URLs with same content

Fix:

  • Add a <link rel="canonical"> tag pointing to the preferred version

  • Consolidate duplicate content if possible

  • Use URL parameters in GSC or robots.txt to limit duplicates

5. Alternate Page with Proper Canonical Tag

What It Means:
This page is a duplicate and has a canonical pointing to another page—Google indexed the canonical version.

Fix:
No action needed unless this is unintentional. If the canonical is incorrect:

  • Update the canonical tag

  • Reinspect the correct URL in GSC

6. Page with Redirect

What It Means:
The page is redirected, and therefore the original URL is not indexed.

Fix:

  • Ensure the redirect is intentional (e.g., 301 redirect to a new location)

  • Update internal links to point directly to the final destination

  • Remove outdated or broken redirect chains

7. Blocked by Robots.txt

What It Means:
Google is prevented from crawling the page by your robots.txt file.

Fix:

  • Remove the block from robots.txt if you want the page indexed

  • Make sure the page has a 200 response and is accessible

  • Resubmit the page in GSC

8. Blocked Due to Unauthorized Request (401)

What It Means:
The page requires authentication, so Google cannot access it.

Fix:

  • Remove authentication if the page should be public

  • Or exclude it from sitemaps and internal linking if it’s meant to stay private

9. Blocked Due to Access Forbidden (403)

What It Means:
Googlebot is denied access—typically due to server-level permissions or firewall rules.

Fix:

  • Allow Googlebot user agent via server/firewall

  • Check and fix permission settings on the server

10. Excluded by ‘noindex’ Tag

What It Means:
The page includes a <meta name="robots" content="noindex"> tag, telling Google not to index it.

Fix:

  • Remove the noindex tag if you want the page indexed

  • Double-check whether the exclusion is intentional

Tips to Keep Your Site Well-Indexed

  • Submit and maintain an updated XML sitemap

  • Avoid unnecessary duplication

  • Regularly check URL Inspection Tool for status and live crawling info

  • Use internal linking to signal page importance

  • Monitor server performance and crawl errors

How to Request Indexing in Google Search Console

  1. Go to URL Inspection Tool

  2. Paste your full page URL

  3. Click Request Indexing

  4. Wait for confirmation and monitor indexing over the next few days

Final Thoughts

Indexing issues in Google Search Console are a critical part of your site’s SEO health. Fixing these problems ensures that your content is discoverable, rankable, and visible in search results. By addressing them promptly and maintaining good technical SEO hygiene, you can keep your site performing at its best.

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