Imagine spending hours creating high-quality content, only to find out later that Google hasn’t indexed your pages. Frustrating, right? 😩
If your pages aren’t indexed, they won’t show up on Google Search Results, meaning zero visibility and no organic traffic. The good news? Google Search Console (GSC) can help you diagnose and fix indexing issues quickly.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through:
- Why your pages aren’t indexed
- The meaning of each indexing issue in GSC
- Proven solutions to fix them
- SEO best practices to improve indexing
By the end, you’ll know exactly how to make your pages Google-friendly and AdSense-approved.
1. What Does “Pages Aren’t Indexed” Mean?
When Google crawls your website, it decides which pages to index and which to exclude. Indexed pages are eligible to appear in search results, while non-indexed pages are ignored.
Using Google Search Console, you can find out why pages are missing from the index and fix the root cause.
2. Common Reasons Why Pages Aren’t Indexed
Here are the most frequent issues you’ll see in Google Search Console (based on your report):
2.1. Crawled – Currently Not Indexed ✅ (Highest Priority)
- Meaning: Google crawled your page but decided not to index it.
- Possible causes:
- Thin or low-quality content
- Duplicate or near-duplicate pages
- Lack of internal linking
- No search demand for the content
- How to fix:
- Improve content depth and quality
- Add more relevant keywords
- Strengthen internal linking
- Submit the URL via the URL Inspection Tool
- Remove unnecessary, low-value pages
2.2. Discovered – Currently Not Indexed
- Meaning: Google found your URL but hasn’t crawled it yet.
- Causes:
- Crawl budget limitations
- Poor website structure
- Server performance issues
- Fix:
- Improve website speed
- Create an XML sitemap and submit it
- Use internal links to boost crawl priority
- Request indexing manually in GSC
2.3. Excluded by ‘noindex’ Tag
- Meaning: Your page has a noindex meta tag, preventing Google from indexing it.
- Fix:
- Remove the
noindextag if you want the page indexed - Check robots.txt and ensure the URL isn’t blocked
- Remove the
2.4. Not Found (404)
- Meaning: Google tried to crawl your URL, but it doesn’t exist.
- Fix:
- Redirect dead pages using a 301 redirect
- Update internal links pointing to these URLs
- Check if these URLs have backlinks using Ahrefs or SEMrush
2.5. Page with Redirect
- Meaning: The URL redirects to another page, so Google won’t index it separately.
- Fix:
- Ensure redirects point to the correct URL
- Avoid redirect chains or loops
2.6. Alternate Page with Proper Canonical Tag
- Meaning: Google detected a duplicate page and indexed the canonical version instead.
- Fix:
- Verify the canonical tag points to the correct parent URL
- Consolidate duplicate content wherever possible
2.7. Duplicate Without User-Selected Canonical
- Meaning: Google found duplicate content but no canonical tag.
- Fix:
- Set the canonical URL in your HTML
- Merge similar pages into one authoritative page
2.8. Blocked Due to Other 4xx Issues
- Meaning: Googlebot tried to access the page but received a 4xx error (e.g., 401, 403).
- Fix:
- Verify these pages are intentionally blocked
- Fix access permissions if they should be indexed
2.9. Soft 404
- Meaning: The page looks empty or irrelevant, even though it returns a 200 status code.
- Fix:
- Add useful, original content
- If the page is unnecessary, redirect it to a relevant URL
3. Best Practices to Improve Page Indexing
To make your website SEO-friendly and AdSense-safe, follow these tips:
- Create unique, high-quality content
- Use proper internal linking
- Optimize page speed & mobile experience
- Submit an updated XML sitemap
- Use the URL Inspection Tool in GSC
- Avoid duplicate content
- Regularly monitor indexing reports
Common Google Indexing Issues & How to Fix Them
| Indexing Issue | Meaning | Possible Causes | Solution / Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crawled – Currently Not Indexed | Google crawled your page but decided not to index it. | Thin content, duplicate pages, poor internal linking, low demand | Improve content quality, add relevant keywords, strengthen internal linking, request indexing. |
| Discovered – Currently Not Indexed | Google knows the URL exists but hasn’t crawled it yet. | Crawl budget limits, slow website, poor linking | Submit XML sitemap, boost internal linking, improve speed, request indexing via URL Inspection Tool. |
| Excluded by ‘noindex’ Tag | Page has a noindex tag preventing Google from indexing it. | Incorrect meta tags or robots.txt setup | Remove the noindex tag if indexing is required, review robots.txt settings. |
| Not Found (404) | Google tried crawling but the page doesn’t exist. | Deleted or broken URLs | Fix broken links, set up 301 redirects, update internal links, preserve backlinks if any exist. |
| Page with Redirect | URL redirects to another page, so it isn’t indexed separately. | Intentional or incorrect redirects | Use correct 301 redirects, avoid redirect chains or loops. |
| Alternate Page with Proper Canonical | Google detected a duplicate and indexed the canonical version instead. | Duplicate content, multiple URL variations | Verify canonical tags point to the correct page, consolidate similar content. |
| Duplicate Without User-Selected Canonical | Google found duplicates but no canonical tag to guide indexing. | Missing canonical tags | Set canonical URLs, merge duplicate pages, and avoid thin variations of content. |
| Blocked Due to Other 4xx Issue | Googlebot encountered a 4xx error (e.g., 401, 403). | Restricted pages, permission issues | Check if blocking is intentional; if not, fix access permissions and remove restrictions. |
| Soft 404 | Page returns 200 status code but looks like an empty or irrelevant page. | Empty content, thin pages | Add unique, useful content; otherwise, redirect to a relevant page. |
SEO Tips for Faster Google Indexing
- Publish long-form, value-rich articles
- Target low-competition, high-intent keywords
- Update old posts regularly
- Build high-quality backlinks
- Share content on social platforms for better discovery
Conclusion
Having non-indexed pages is common, but ignoring them can hurt your SEO and AdSense approval chances. With Google Search Console and a few optimizations, you can ensure Google crawls, indexes, and ranks your pages effectively.
Start by fixing crawled but not indexed and discovered but not indexed issues first. Improve your content, strengthen your linking, and monitor results regularly.
