In search engine optimization, a careful review of the search console might uncover a concerning anomaly: a page indexing error marked as “Crawled – Currently Not Indexed.” This discovery sets off a cascade of critical questions. One may wonder if the root of the problem lies in content-related issues, incorrect configurations in the robots.txt file, or, more alarmingly, manual penalties imposed by Google.
As the count of pages labeled as “Crawled – Currently Not Indexed” swells, the urgency to identify and address the underlying reasons intensifies. This trend signals a need for a comprehensive exploration of the factors contributing to this issue.
In this post, we take a deep dive into the “Crawled – Currently Not Indexed” issue within Google’s search console. Our main objective is to unravel the causes of this error and offer actionable strategies for its swift rectification. Confronting this issue head-on is crucial for protecting your website’s traffic and preserving its search rankings.
Understanding Crawled – Currently Not Indexed Issue
To ascertain whether your website is affected by the Crawled – Currently Not Indexed error, conducting a brief verification process is advisable. This involves accessing the indexing tab within your search console and examining the status of your website’s pages. SEO service providers expertly navigate the “Crawled – Currently Not Indexed” challenge, ensuring clients’ websites gain the visibility they deserve.
If you don’t encounter the aforementioned error, it’s commendable, and you can take a moment to acknowledge your achievement. However, it’s still prudent to continue reading. Having a comprehensive understanding of this issue is crucial, as it’s impossible to predict when it might occur on your website. By familiarizing yourself with how to address it, you can preemptively mitigate potential challenges and ensure your website maintains optimal performance in search engine rankings.
The Crawled – Currently Not Indexed error, as displayed in the search console, indicates that Google’s bots have successfully identified the pages listed but have refrained from indexing them for various reasons. Consequently, these pages will not be included in Google’s search results—a scenario that every website owner aims to avoid.
The primary obstacle in resolving this issue lies in Google’s reluctance to disclose the specific reasons behind its decision not to index certain pages. However, drawing from our extensive experience in assisting clients with rectifying this issue and elevating their pages to prominence in Google’s search results, we have identified five effective methods to address Crawled – Currently Not Indexed pages.
3 Ways To Fix Crawled – Currently Not Indexed Pages
Content Quality
Google’s decision not to index a page often arises from its similarity to another page already present in its index, constituting duplicate content. If your content lacks additional value and closely resembles existing content, Google may opt not to include it in its index.
This practice aligns with Google’s ongoing efforts to enhance the relevance and usefulness of its search results, a process known as the Helpful Content Update, which the company regularly implements.
Furthermore, if the content on your page seems generated through spinning techniques or is irrelevant to the information specified in the meta title and H1 tag, it violates Google’s guidelines. Google prioritizes indexing pages that offer valuable and relevant information to users.
The ‘Crawled – Currently Not Indexed’ status is common on forums and websites where users generate content, as these platforms often struggle to maintain control over content quality.
From Google’s perspective, allocating resources to crawl and index pages that do not add value to users’ search experience is inefficient. Once a page is flagged as ‘crawled – currently not indexed,’ Google’s bots will revisit it only if significant changes are detected, indicating potential improvements in quality or relevance.
Suppose you suspect your content’s quality is why Google hasn’t indexed your pages. In that case, consulting resources such as the Google Quality Raters Guidelines and Google Search Essentials (formerly known as webmaster guidelines) is advisable. These resources offer insights into what Google considers high-quality content and can help identify areas for improvement.
It’s important to note that Google may initially index a page but later remove it from the index if similar content is found elsewhere on the internet or if an algorithm update determines the content is of low quality. Therefore, monitoring the index status of your content closely using tools like the search console and addressing any content issues promptly is crucial to maintaining visibility in Google’s search results.
Also Read: Unlock 2024’s Top SEO Trends: Start Implementing Today for Maximum Visibility!
Technical SEO
The second most common reason for pages ending up as Crawled – Currently Not Indexed is technical errors that hinder Google’s crawling process. Here are some technical SEO issues that can trigger this status:
- Robots.txt File Blocking: The robots.txt file is used to communicate with search engine crawlers about which pages or sections of a website they should or shouldn’t crawl. Accidentally blocking important pages using this file means that search engines can access these pages to crawl them, but they won’t be indexed because the robots.txt file specifically instructs the search engine not to do so.
- Noindex Tags: These are HTML meta tags that explicitly tell search engine crawlers not to index a particular page. While search engines will still crawl pages with noindex tags, they will honor the directive not to include them in search engine results pages (SERPs).
- Canonical Tags Issues: Canonical tags are used to indicate the preferred version of a web page when multiple versions with similar content exist. If canonical tags are misused or incorrectly implemented, search engines may crawl the page but choose not to index it, especially if they believe another version is the canonical (preferred) one.
- Redirect Errors: Constant redirection of a page can confuse search engine crawlers. While they may initially crawl the original URL, they may not index it if they detect a loop or a chain of redirects, as this can indicate a problem with the page or website structure.
- Server Issues: If a website experiences downtime or responds slowly during crawling, search engines may still attempt to crawl it. However, due to the instability of the server, they may decide not to index the content to avoid serving outdated or unavailable pages to users.
- Faulty Sitemap: A sitemap is a file that lists all the pages on a website, helping search engines discover and crawl them more efficiently. If a sitemap is outdated or contains errors, search engines may crawl the URLs listed in it but fail to index them properly due to inconsistencies or inaccuracies.
- JavaScript Rendering Issues: Modern websites often use JavaScript to load content dynamically. If search engine crawlers cannot correctly render a JavaScript-heavy page; they may crawl but not index it, mainly if essential content is hidden or inaccessible to the crawler.
- Pagination and Infinite Scroll Issues: Pagination and infinite scroll are techniques used to display large amounts of content dynamically across multiple pages. Improper implementation can confuse search engines, causing them to struggle with indexing these pages correctly, especially if they cannot access all content or perceive each page as unique or canonical.
- Blocked Resources: CSS and JavaScript files are essential for rendering a web page correctly. If these resources are blocked from search engine crawlers, the page may still be crawled, but it won’t be indexed due to incomplete rendering, as the crawler won’t fully understand the page’s content and structure.
Build Authority And Trust
When Google encounters similar or identical content across multiple websites, it must determine the most authoritative and valuable version for users. Backlinks are critical in this process, serving as trust signals. They act as endorsements or recommendations from other websites, indicating to Google the value, credibility, and index-worthiness of a piece of content.
A significant number of high-quality backlinks to a specific version of content sends a strong signal to Google about its authority and relevance. Consequently, this version is more likely to be crawled, indexed, and ranked higher in search engine results pages (SERPs).
Conversely, content similar to others but lacking backlinks may be deemed less authoritative. Despite being crawled by Google, the absence of trust signals can result in it not being indexed, as Google prioritizes content with widespread endorsement.
This trend is especially noticeable with large-scale article submissions and press releases, which often lack backlinks. Despite being published across numerous sites, such content may not appear in SERPs due to its lack of trustworthiness in Google’s eyes.
Therefore, content creators and SEO professionals should focus on producing unique, high-quality content and cultivating a strong backlink profile. This signals to search engines the trustworthiness and authority of their content, improving its chances of being indexed and ranked favorably.
Encountering your pages’ Crawled – Currently Not Indexed status can be frustrating, but it’s not insurmountable. Understanding the underlying causes and implementing the outlined strategies can increase your website’s chances of being indexed and discovered on Google. SEO requires consistent efforts in improving content quality, technical SEO, and authority-building, yielding long-term results.
If you’re seeking to enhance your website’s SEO and address challenges like the Crawled – Currently Not Indexed issue, consider reaching out to Stan Ventures. We can serve as your reliable partner in navigating the intricate landscape of SEO, ensuring your content is not just crawled but prominently indexed and found by your target audience.
Also Read: Google’s Update E-A-T — How it Affects Your Industry (and What to do about it)!
Conclusion
In conclusion, resolving the Crawled – Currently Not Indexed issue requires a thorough strategy incorporating technical expertise, content refinement, and diligent oversight. This involves implementing appropriate indexing directives, addressing technical issues, refining content for relevance and quality, and regularly analyzing Google Search Console data.
It’s important to highlight the necessity of proactive measures and ongoing maintenance to maintain visibility and ensure that valuable content receives the attention it deserves from search engines. With a strategic and persistent approach, overcoming the Crawled – Currently Not Indexed issue is achievable, resulting in improved search engine visibility and increased organic traffic.
FAQs
How do I fix Crawled – Currently Not Indexed?
To fix Crawled – Currently Not Indexed, follow these steps: Check robots.txt for crawler blocks, review meta tags for noindex, ensure high-quality, original content, submit an XML sitemap, use Fetch as Google tool, optimize internal linking, improve page load speed and mobile-friendliness, check for server issues, and be patient for indexing updates.
Why does Google crawl a page but not index it?
Google may crawl a page but not index it due to factors like noindex meta tags, low-quality or duplicate content, or technical issues. Pages blocked by robots.txt or deemed irrelevant may also remain unindexed. Ensuring high-quality, original content, proper meta tags, and resolving technical issues can improve indexation.
What does it mean when something is not indexed?
When something is not indexed, it means that it hasn’t been included in the database of a search engine like Google, making it unavailable for search engine users to find through queries.
What is the difference between discovered currently not indexed and crawled?
The difference lies in the stage of the indexing process. Discovered – Currently Not Indexed indicates Google has found the page but hasn’t indexed it yet, possibly due to various reasons like low quality or duplicate content. Crawled means Google has accessed the page’s content, but it doesn’t necessarily imply indexing; it’s merely the first step in the process.
