How to Check Indexing Status and Solve Errors in Google Search Console

Indexing is the process by which search engines like Google discover and store your web pages in their database. Ensuring that your pages are properly indexed is crucial for their visibility in search results. Here’s how to check the indexing status of your pages and resolve any indexing errors:

How to Check Indexing Status

1. Log in to Google Search Console:
   • Go to Google Search Console and sign in with your Google account.
2. Select Your Property:
   • From the dashboard, select the property (website) you want to check.
3. Go to Coverage Report:
   • In the left-hand menu, click on Coverage under the Index section. This report shows the status of your pages and any indexing issues.
4. Inspect Individual URLs:
   • For detailed insights, use the URL Inspection tool:
     • Go to URL Inspection in the left-hand menu.
     • Enter the full URL of the page you want to inspect.
     • Click on Enter or the search icon.

Common Indexing Errors and How to Solve Them

Here’s a list of common indexing errors you might encounter, along with solutions:

1. 404 Not Found
   • Description: The page is not found on the server. It may have been deleted or the URL is incorrect.
   • Solution:
     • Fix Broken Links: Ensure the URL is correct and fix any broken internal or external links pointing to it.
     • Redirect: If the page has been moved, set up a 301 redirect to the new URL.
     • Restore Page: If the page was accidentally deleted, restore it to its original location.
2. 403 Forbidden
   • Description: Googlebot is denied access to the page. This might be due to server permissions or restrictions in the robots.txt file.
   • Solution:
     • Check Permissions: Ensure that the page is accessible to all users and not restricted by IP or authentication.
     • Update robots.txt: Verify that your robots.txt file isn’t blocking the page and update it if necessary.
3. 500 Internal Server Error
   • Description: The server encountered an error while processing the request.
   • Solution:
     • Server Logs: Check server logs to identify the cause of the error and resolve it.
     • Contact Hosting Provider: If you can’t diagnose the issue, contact your hosting provider for assistance.
4. Crawled – Currently Not Indexed
   • Description: Google has crawled the page but hasn’t indexed it. This might be due to low-quality content or duplicate content.
   • Solution:
     • Improve Content: Ensure the content is unique, valuable, and relevant.
     • Check for Duplicate Content: Use canonical tags to point to the preferred version if there are duplicates.
     • Fetch as Google: Request indexing via the URL Inspection tool if you’ve made significant changes.
5. Excluded by ‘noindex’ Tag
   • Description: The page has a noindex meta tag, which tells search engines not to index it.
   • Solution:
     • Remove ‘noindex’ Tag: If you want the page to be indexed, remove the noindex meta tag from the page’s HTML.
6. Blocked by robots.txt
   • Description: The page is blocked from crawling by the robots.txt file.
   • Solution:
     • Update robots.txt: Edit your robots.txt file to allow crawling of the page. Remove or adjust any Disallow directives affecting the page.
7. Soft 404
   • Description: The page returns a 200 OK status code but has content indicating that the page is not found (e.g., a “Page Not Found” message).
   • Solution:
     • Correct Status Code: Ensure that pages returning a “not found” message return a proper 404 status code.
     • Fix or Redirect: If the page has moved or is incorrectly showing a “not found” message, fix the content or set up a proper 301 redirect.
8. Redirect Error
   • Description: Issues with redirection, such as redirect loops or incorrect redirects.
   • Solution:
     • Check Redirects: Use tools like Redirect Checker to identify and fix redirect loops or incorrect redirects.
     • Update .htaccess: Ensure your .htaccess file is correctly configured if you’re using Apache.
9. Indexed, Not Submitted in Sitemap
   • Description: The page is indexed but wasn’t included in the submitted sitemap.
   • Solution:
     • Update Sitemap: Ensure the page is included in your sitemap and resubmit it in Google Search Console.

How to Fix Errors Using Google Search Console

1. View Details:
   • In the Coverage report, click on the error to see more details and affected URLs.
2. Request Indexing:
   • After fixing an issue, go to URL Inspection, enter the URL, and click Request Indexing to prompt Google to re-crawl and re-index the page.
3. Monitor Status:
   • Regularly check the Coverage report to ensure that the issues are resolved and that new errors do not appear.

Conclusion

By using Google Search Console’s Coverage and URL Inspection tools, you can effectively monitor and resolve indexing issues on your website. Understanding and fixing common errors helps ensure that your pages are properly indexed and visible in search results, improving your site’s overall SEO performance.