10 Common Google Indexing Issues & How to Fix Them

Struggling to get your website pages to show up on Google? You’re not alone. Many website owners face the frustrating reality of their content not appearing in search results, which can significantly impact traffic and visibility. The good news is that this blog will guide you through the common Google indexing issues and how to fix them. By the end, you’ll have the knowledge and tools to tackle these problems head-on, ensuring your site gets the visibility it deserves.

What Are Google Indexing Issues

Being indexed by Google is essential for your website to appear in search results. Without indexing, your pages won’t show up when users search for relevant keywords, resulting in missed opportunities for attracting organic traffic and potential customers.

Common symptoms of indexing issues include:

• Your web pages aren’t showing up in Google search results.
• A sudden drop in organic traffic.
• Google Search Console errors such as “Crawled – currently not indexed” or “Discovered – currently not indexed.”

Using Google Search Console is crucial for diagnosing and addressing these issues. Regularly monitoring and resolving these errors can significantly improve your site’s visibility and performance.

How to Tell Which Indexing Issue I Have

Google Search Console is a powerful tool for diagnosing indexing issues. Here’s how to use it:

1. Access Google Search Console: Log in to your account and select your website.
2. Navigate to Page Indexing Report: In the left navigation, go under ‘Indexing’ and click on ‘Pages’ to see a breakdown of why most of your pages aren’t being indexed. Alternatively, you can put the direct URL of the page you want to fix into the search bar at the top to get detailed information about that page.
3. Review Errors and Warnings: Look for issues like “Crawled – currently not indexed” or “Excluded” pages.

In addition to Google Search Console, you can use tools like Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, and SEMrush to diagnose indexing issues. These tools can crawl your site, identify problematic pages, and provide insights into how Googlebot views your website.

Sometimes, Google Search Console or other platforms won’t tell you exactly what is wrong with your page or why it isn’t being indexed. Understanding the common issues that Google will tell you about, as well as those it won’t, and knowing how to fix them is crucial for your website to reach its organic goals.

11 Google Indexing Issues & How to Fix Them

Understanding and fixing common Google indexing issues is crucial for improving your site’s search visibility. In the following sections, we’ll dive into 11 specific indexing problems, providing detailed explanations and practical solutions to help you resolve them efficiently.

#1 Noindex Tag or Header Is Blocking Googlebot

A noindex tag or disallow directive in robots.txt can prevent Googlebot from indexing your pages. These directives are often used intentionally to exclude certain pages from search results, but if applied incorrectly, they can unintentionally block important pages from being indexed.

Fix:

• Remove unnecessary noindex tags: Check for and remove any unnecessary noindex tags.
• Review robots.txt: Ensure your robots.txt file doesn’t block important pages.
• HTTP headers: Check for noindex directives in HTTP headers and remove them if needed.

#2 Incorrect Canonical Tags

Incorrect canonical tags can cause indexing issues by telling Google to index the wrong version of a page. Canonical tags are used to indicate the preferred version of a page when you have multiple URLs with similar or duplicate content. When these tags are not set up correctly, Google may index the duplicate or less important version of the page, leading to diluted SEO efforts and potential ranking issues.

For example, if you have multiple pages with similar content, such as www.example.com/page1 and www.example.com/page1?ref=123, the canonical tag should point to the main URL you want Google to index.

Fix:

• Proper implementation: Ensure each page has the correct canonical tag pointing to the preferred version. Use the canonical tag to indicate the primary URL that you want to be indexed.
• Consistency: Check for consistency in your canonical tags across your site. Make sure that all pages with similar or duplicate content point to the correct canonical URL.

#3 Orphan Pages

Orphan pages are pages on your site that have no internal links pointing to them, making it difficult for Googlebot to find and index them. These pages are isolated within your website’s structure and cannot be reached by following links from other pages.

As a result, they often remain invisible to search engines, which rely on links to discover and crawl content. Orphan pages can occur due to site redesigns, content migrations, or simply being omitted from the navigation.

Fix:

• Identify orphan pages: Use a crawler tool like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs to find pages without internal links.
• Add internal links: Link to orphan pages from relevant, high-authority pages on your site. Integrate them into your main navigation or related content to ensure they are discoverable by Googlebot and users.

#4 Not Mobile-Friendly

With mobile-first indexing, having a mobile-friendly website is crucial. If your site isn’t optimized for mobile devices, it may not be indexed properly. Google prioritizes mobile versions of websites for indexing and ranking, meaning a site that doesn’t perform well on mobile can suffer in search results. Poor mobile optimization can lead to issues like slow loading times, unreadable text, and difficult navigation, all of which negatively impact user experience and indexing.

Fix:

• Responsive design: Ensure your site uses a responsive design that works well on all devices.
• Mobile-friendly navigation: Simplify navigation for mobile users.
• Test with Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool: Use this tool to identify and fix mobile usability issues.

#5 Low-Quality Content

Low-quality content can negatively affect your site’s indexing and ranking. This includes thin content, duplicate content, or content that provides little value to users. Google prioritizes content that is informative, engaging, and relevant to users’ search queries. Pages with low-quality content may not be indexed or ranked well, leading to reduced visibility and traffic.

Fix:

• Enhance readability: Improve the readability and structure of your content.
• Add value: Ensure your content provides valuable information to your audience.
• Originality: Avoid duplicate content and focus on creating unique, high-quality content.

#6 Recent Web Redesign

A recent website redesign can disrupt indexing, especially if changes in URL structure, navigation, or content layout are not properly managed. When you redesign your site, you might change the URLs of your pages, alter the internal linking structure, or move content around. These changes can confuse Googlebot, making it difficult for it to crawl and index your new site correctly.

For example, imagine you had a blog post at www.example.com/blog/old-post and during the redesign, the URL changed to www.example.com/articles/new-post. If Googlebot tries to access the old URL and it no longer exists, it will result in a 404 error, signaling that the page is missing. If these changes are not properly handled, it can lead to significant drops in your search engine rankings and organic traffic.

Fix:

• Update sitemaps: Ensure your new URLs are included in your sitemap and that the sitemap is up-to-date.
• 301 redirects: Set up 301 redirects from old URLs to new ones to maintain link equity and guide Googlebot to the correct pages. This ensures that any links pointing to the old URLs are redirected to the new URLs, preserving your site’s SEO value.
• Check for broken links: Use tools like Screaming Frog to identify and fix any broken links that might have resulted from the redesign.
• Re-index the site: Submit your updated sitemap to Google Search Console to inform Google of the changes.

#7 Redirect Loops

Redirect loops occur when a URL redirects to another URL in a loop, preventing Googlebot from reaching the final destination. This endless cycle can confuse search engines and users, leading to indexing issues and poor user experience. Redirect loops often happen due to misconfigured redirects or improper site migrations.

Fix:

• Identify redirect loops: Use tools like Screaming Frog to find redirect loops.
• Fix redirects: Correct the redirect chains to ensure they point to the correct URLs.

#8 Received a Google Penalty

Google penalties can severely affect your site’s indexing and visibility. These penalties can be either manual or algorithmic and are usually a result of violating Google’s guidelines. Manual penalties are imposed by Google’s team when they identify issues like spammy backlinks or thin content, while algorithmic penalties are automatically applied by updates to Google’s algorithms, such as Penguin or Panda updates.

A manual penalty might occur if Google finds unnatural links pointing to your site, or if your content is considered low-quality or deceptive. Algorithmic penalties, on the other hand, may be triggered by broader issues such as keyword stuffing, duplicate content, or poor user experience signals. Recognizing and addressing these penalties is crucial for restoring your site’s health and visibility.

Fix:

• Diagnose penalties: Use Google Search Console to identify penalties. Check the “Manual Actions” section for any manual penalties and review traffic drops or ranking changes that may indicate algorithmic penalties.
• Recover from penalties: Follow Google’s guidelines to fix issues. This may include disavowing bad links using the Disavow Tool, removing or improving low-quality content, and ensuring your site adheres to Google’s quality standards. Regularly monitor your site’s performance and make necessary adjustments to maintain compliance with Google’s guidelines.

#9 Poor Site Structure

Poor site structure can make it difficult for Googlebot to crawl and index your site efficiently. When your site has a complicated navigation system, or if important pages are buried deep within the site (several clicks away from the homepage), it can create barriers for both search engines and users.

For instance, if your site’s architecture is too deep, meaning users and search engines have to navigate through multiple layers to reach essential content, those pages may not get indexed properly. Similarly, if your internal linking is haphazard or non-existent, it becomes challenging for Googlebot to understand the relationship between different pages on your site, leading to incomplete or incorrect indexing.

A poor site structure might also involve having duplicate content, unclear categories, and a lack of a coherent hierarchy. This can confuse Googlebot, resulting in lower rankings and less visibility in search results.

Fix:

• Flatten hierarchy: Simplify your site structure to make important pages more accessible. Aim to have key content within a few clicks from the homepage.
• Internal linking: Create a logical internal linking structure to connect related pages. This helps Googlebot understand the relationship between pages and improves the crawlability of your site.
• Accessibility: Ensure key pages are easily accessible from your homepage. Use clear, descriptive menu items and categories to guide users and search engines.
• Organize content: Group related content into categories and subcategories that make sense both to users and search engines. 
• Use breadcrumbs: Implement breadcrumb navigation to help users and search engines understand the location of a page within the site hierarchy.

#10 Suspicious or Hard-to-Read Code

Poor coding practices or excessive use of JavaScript can hinder Googlebot’s ability to crawl and index your site. When code is messy or too complex, it can create barriers for search engines, making it difficult for them to understand and index your content. This can result in lower search visibility and rankings.

Fix:

• Clean up code: Simplify and clean up your site’s code.
• Server-side rendering (SSR): Use SSR or dynamic rendering to make content more accessible to Googlebot.
• Test with URL Inspection tool: Use Google’s URL Inspection tool to test how Googlebot sees your pages.

Other Common Google Search Console Indexing Errors

In addition to the issues we’ve covered, there are several other common Google Search Console indexing errors that can impact your site’s visibility.

Alternate page with proper canonical tag

This error occurs when Google finds an alternate page on your site that has a proper canonical tag pointing to another URL. While the canonical tag is intended to consolidate duplicate or similar content, it can cause indexing issues if not used correctly. This can happen if the canonical tags are not consistent or if they point to the wrong pages, confusing Googlebot about which version of the page to index.

To fix this issue, follow these steps:

1. Check if these pages are correctly canonicalized.
2. Check if your internal link structure needs work.
3. Check for crawl budget issues.

Crawled – currently not indexed

This error indicates that Googlebot has crawled your page but has not yet indexed it. Several factors can cause this, such as low-quality content, crawl budget issues, or the page being very new. Pages with this status may eventually be indexed, but it’s crucial to understand why they are not being indexed promptly to ensure your important content gets indexed efficiently.

To fix this issue, follow these steps:

1. Provide high-quality content.
2. Perform a manual review of the affected pages.
3. Work on your website structure and improve internal linking.
4. Limit your duplicate content.
5. Manually submit a request to Google to re-crawl your specific URLs:
   1. Go to URL Inspection, enter the URL address, and hit “Request Indexing.”
   2. Alternatively, go to Indexing → Pages → “Crawled – Currently Not Indexed.” Choose “All known pages,” and hit “Validate Fix.”
6. Use temporary sitemap.xml.

Duplicate without user-selected canonical

This error occurs when Google detects duplicate content on your site but cannot find a user-selected canonical tag to indicate the preferred version of the page. Without a canonical tag, Googlebot may struggle to determine which version of the content to index, leading to potential issues with duplicate content and dilution of SEO efforts. Properly implementing canonical tags helps consolidate duplicate content and improve indexing accuracy.

To fix this issue, follow these steps:

1. Submit the canonical URL in your sitemap so that Google crawls and indexes it.
2. Redirect duplicate pages to the canonical page using 301 redirects.

Why Fixing Indexing Issues in Google Search Console Is Important

Addressing indexing issues is crucial for maintaining your site’s search visibility and ensuring that your content is accessible to users. When your pages are properly indexed, they can appear in relevant search results, driving organic traffic and enhancing your site’s overall performance.

A well-indexed site not only improves search rankings but also enhances user experience. Users can easily find the information they’re looking for, which increases engagement and boosts conversion rates. This positive user interaction signals to Google that your site is valuable and trustworthy, further improving your SEO.

Regularly monitoring and resolving indexing issues in Google Search Console is essential for the long-term health of your website. By staying proactive, you can quickly identify and fix problems before they impact your site’s performance.