Top 5 Fixes - Pages Not Indexing on Google (Full Guide)

This guide provides a straightforward, step-by-step solution for websites not being indexed by Google, requiring no expert SEO knowledge and offering free fixes within minutes. It breaks down indexing errors into three main categories: crawling issues, rendering problems, and content errors, addressing each with practical solutions.

Content errors can stem from a lack of value, misleading or biased information, and duplicate content. To combat this, unique, trustworthy content is essential, with the addition of credible links for controversial topics. Soft 404 errors, caused by missing content or excessive redirects, can be resolved by avoiding placeholder text and ensuring proper redirect management.

Crawling errors, often seen in larger sites over 10,000 pages due to crawl budget limitations, can be fixed by removing unimportant pages like tags or old content. For smaller sites facing this, linking new pages to indexed ones with relevant anchor text can signal value. Slow site speed, orphan pages missing from sitemaps, server issues, and accidental blocking via robots.txt are also covered, along with the importance of checking canonical URLs to prevent duplicate content confusion.

• Google indexing issues can be categorized into crawling, rendering, and content errors.
• Content errors include lack of value, misleading/biased information, and duplicate content. Solutions involve creating unique, trustworthy content and linking to credible sources.
• Crawling errors, often due to crawl budget limitations for sites over 10,000 pages, can be addressed by removing unnecessary pages or linking new ones to indexed pages.
• Other common issues include soft 404 errors, slow site speed, orphan pages, server problems, and accidental blocking via robots.txt.
• Ensuring proper sitemaps, canonical URLs, and avoiding duplicate content are crucial for successful indexing.

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Content Errors Explained [00:45]

• An error appearing on Google Console after Google has read the content signifies it has decided not to index the site.
• This can occur if the website's content lacks value, is misleading (e.g., conspiracy theories), or doesn't answer specific user search queries.
• Biased or unfair content can also lead to this error; linking to credible websites that share similar opinions can build Google's trust.
• Duplicate content is a common cause, as Google may see it as a duplicate page and refrain from indexing.
• The key is to ensure content is unique, trustworthy, and original.
• Soft 404 errors, appearing when pages have missing content and are considered spam, can be fixed by avoiding multiple redirects to the same link and checking CMS platforms for redirect issues.
• Pages with placeholder or empty text are treated as non-existent or return a 404 error; if they don't return the same code, they are flagged as soft 404s and remain unindexed.

The key is to be unique and trustworthy making sure that your content is original.

This section explains common content-related reasons why a website might not be indexed by Google, emphasizing originality, value, and avoiding misleading or duplicate information. It also details how to resolve soft 404 errors and the implications of placeholder text.

Crawling Errors: Website Accessibility Issues [02:14]

• This error means Google was unable to crawl the website, often occurring on sites with more than 10,000 pages.
• Larger websites may exceed the allotted crawling budget, which is the time Google allocates to crawl each site based on its size.
• Pages exceeding this budget will remain unindexed.
• To fix this, remove unimportant pages like tags, search pages, outdated content, or spam pages to save crawl budget.
• If a smaller site (under 10,000 pages) experiences this, it suggests Google doesn't trust or see enough value in the page.
• Linking such pages to an indexed page with relevant anchor text can signal value to Google.
• Slow site speed is another reason for this error, especially if the site has a lot of media; using a free speed plugin can help improve page speed scores.
• Orphan pages, which are inaccessible to users but exist on the site, can also cause this. This often happens when new pages aren't added to the sitemap or if the sitemap is outdated.
• Checking and updating the sitemap to include all necessary pages can resolve this.
• Server issues can also lead to crawling problems; checking with a service provider or developer is recommended.
• Pages might also be accidentally blocked by being added to the robots.txt file, which is intended to block certain pages from users and search engines.
• Outdated or spam pages can be added to robots.txt to prevent indexing.
• Using the "no index" tag on pages you want to block from indexing is another option.
• When blocking pages, ensure that pages submitted for indexing are not inadvertently blocked.

Google hates slow sides and if you have a lot of media on your site it probably hates yours too.

This part of the guide addresses crawling errors, which prevent Google from accessing and indexing website pages. It covers issues related to site size, crawl budget, content value, site speed, sitemaps, server problems, and the robots.txt file.

Canonical URLs and Duplicate Content [04:34]

• Checking canonical URLs is crucial to avoid duplicate pages.
• This error typically arises when multiple pages with similar content exist, but the correct canonical URLs haven't been set up.
• Mapping the correct URLs ensures the Google bot isn't confused.
• It's important to only use links pointing to the canonical URL for internal or external linking.

Checking your canonical URL is also important to avoid duplicate Pages.

This final section highlights the significance of correctly setting canonical URLs to prevent search engines from encountering duplicate content, which can hinder indexing.