This document provides guidance for publishers whose Google Search Console (GSC) reports show a significant number of pages not indexed due to the following reasons:

1. Crawled - currently not indexed

2. Discovered - currently not indexed

3. Alternative page with proper canonical tag

4. Not found (404)

5. Page with redirect

6. Excluded by 'noindex' tag

For each scenario, we’ll explore the causes, troubleshooting steps, and actionable solutions to help improve indexing.

Crawled - Currently Not Indexed

What It Means:

Google has crawled the page but has chosen not to index it. This typically happens when Google determines the page doesn’t provide enough value or relevance to be indexed.

Common Causes:

• Low-quality or thin content.
• Duplicate content without proper canonical tags.
• Pages with little or no traffic or engagement.
• Technical issues like slow loading times or poor mobile usability.

Steps to Resolve:

1. Evaluate Content Quality:

• Ensure the page has unique, high-quality, and valuable content.
• Avoid thin content or pages with little substantive information.

2. Check for Duplicate Content:

• Use canonical tags to indicate the preferred version of duplicate pages.
• Consolidate similar pages if necessary.

3. Improve Page Performance:

• Optimize page speed and ensure mobile-friendliness.
• Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify and fix performance issues.

4. Enhance Internal Linking:

• Ensure the page is linked from other relevant pages on your site.
• Use a clear site structure to help Google understand the page’s importance.

5. Monitor and Resubmit:

• Use GSC’s URL Inspection Tool to check the page’s status.
• Request re-indexing after making improvements.

Discovered - Currently Not Indexed

What It Means:

Google has discovered the page (e.g., through sitemaps or internal links) but hasn’t crawled it yet. This often happens due to crawl budget limitations or low priority.

Common Causes:

• Large websites with many low-priority pages.
• Poor site architecture or lack of internal linking.
• Crawl budget issues (common for very large sites).
• Blocked by robots.txt or noindex tags (though this would typically show a different status).

Steps to Resolve:

1. Optimize Crawl Budget:

• Prioritize important pages in your sitemap.
• Remove or noindex low-value pages (e.g., filters, session IDs).

2. Improve Internal Linking:

• Ensure important pages are linked from high-traffic pages.
• Use a clear and logical site hierarchy.

3. Submit a Sitemap:

• Create and submit an XML sitemap to GSC.
• Regularly update the sitemap to reflect new or updated pages.

4. Check for Blocking Issues:

• Ensure the page isn’t blocked by robots.txt or noindex tags.
• Use the URL Inspection Tool to verify crawlability.

5. Monitor and Request Crawling:

• Use the URL Inspection Tool to request indexing for important pages.
• Be patient, as crawling may take time for large sites.

Alternative Page with Proper Canonical Tag

What It Means:

Google has identified another page as the canonical (preferred) version of the content, so the current page is not indexed. This is not necessarily an issue if the canonical tag is correctly implemented.    

Common Causes:

• The page is a duplicate or near-duplicate of another page.
• The canonical tag points to another URL.
• The page is intentionally marked as non-canonical.

Steps to Resolve:

1. Verify Canonical Tags:

• Ensure the canonical tag points to the correct preferred version of the page.
• Use the URL Inspection Tool to check canonicalization.

2. Consolidate Duplicate Content:

• If the page is a duplicate, consider merging it with the canonical version.
• Redirect the non-canonical page to the canonical version if appropriate.

3. Check for Conflicting Signals:

• Ensure there are no conflicting signals (e.g., hreflang tags pointing to different pages).
• Use consistent internal linking to the canonical page.

4. Monitor Indexing Status:

• Use GSC to monitor the indexing status of the canonical page.
• Ensure the canonical page is indexed and performing well.

5. Reassess Content Strategy:

• If the page is intentionally non-canonical, ensure it serves a purpose (e.g., for internal use or specific audiences).
• Consider removing or noindexing pages that don’t need to be indexed.

General Best Practices for All Scenarios:

Regularly Audit Your Site: Use tools like Screaming Frog or Sitebulb to identify technical issues.

• Monitor GSC Reports: Keep an eye on the Index Coverage report for trends and anomalies.
• Focus on Quality: Prioritize high-quality, unique, and valuable content.
• Stay Updated: Follow Google’s guidelines and algorithm updates to ensure compliance.

Not found (404)

What It Means:

A 404 error indicates that the page no longer exists or cannot be found on your website. This happens when:

• The page has been deleted.
• The URL has been changed without a proper redirect.
• There are broken internal or external links pointing to the page.

Steps to Resolve:

Step 1: Identify the Cause

• Use GSC’s Coverage Report to find URLs with 404 errors.
• Check if the page was intentionally removed or if it’s a broken link.

Step 2: Fix the Issue

1. Restore the Page (if needed):
   • If the page was accidentally deleted, restore it from backups or recreate it.
   • Ensure the URL matches the original.
2. Fix Broken Links:
   • Use tools like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs to find and fix broken internal links.
   • Update or remove external links pointing to the 404 page.

Step 3: Monitor and Validate

• Use GSC’s URL Inspection Tool to check if the 404 error is resolved.
• Regularly monitor the Coverage Report for new 404 errors.

Page with Redirect

What It Means:

This error occurs when a page has a redirect (e.g., 301 or 302) instead of serving the content directly. While redirects are not inherently bad, they can cause issues if:

• There are multiple redirects (redirect chains).
• The redirect points to an irrelevant or broken page.
• The redirect is unnecessary.

Steps to Resolve:

Step 1: Identify the Redirect

• Use GSC’s Coverage Report to find URLs with redirects.
• Use tools like Screaming Frog or Redirect Path (Chrome extension) to analyze redirect chains.

Step 2: Fix the Issue

1. Remove Unnecessary Redirects:
   • If the redirect is unnecessary, remove it and serve the content directly.
2. Shorten Redirect Chains:
   • Ensure there are no more than one or two redirects in a chain.
   • Directly redirect the old URL to the final destination.
3. Update Internal Links:
   • Update internal links to point to the final destination URL instead of the redirected URL.
4. Check External Links:
   • If possible, ask external websites to update their links to the final destination.

Step 3: Monitor and Validate

• Use GSC’s URL Inspection Tool to check if the redirect issue is resolved.
• Regularly audit your site for redirect chains.

Excluded by Noindex Tags

This error occurs when a page is excluded from indexing because it has a noindex tag. This tag tells search engines not to index the page. Common causes include:

• The page was intentionally marked as noindex like reader login page, no result found page (404).
• If the tag page contains less than 4 posts it will be mark as noindex.
• The page is a duplicate or low-priority page.

Steps to Resolve:

Step 1: Identify the Cause

• Use GSC’s Coverage Report to find URLs excluded by noindex tags.
• Check the page’s HTML source code or HTTP headers for the noindex tag.

Step 2: Fix the Issue

1. Remove the Noindex Tag (if needed):
   • If the page should be indexed, remove the noindex tag.
   • Example: Remove <meta name="robots" content="noindex"> from the page’s <head> section.
2. Check for Conflicting Signals:
   • Ensure the page is not blocked by robots.txt or other directives.
   • Use GSC’s URL Inspection Tool to check for crawlability.
3. Reindex the Page:
   • Use GSC’s URL Inspection Tool to request indexing after removing the noindex tag.
4. Audit Low-Priority Pages:
   • If the page is intentionally noindexed, ensure it serves a purpose (e.g., thank-you pages, internal tools).

Step 3: Monitor and Validate

• Use GSC’s Coverage Report to confirm the page is no longer excluded.
• Monitor the page’s indexing status and traffic.

General Best Practices

Regular Audits: Use tools like Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, or SEMrush to audit your site for errors.

Monitor GSC Reports: Regularly check the Coverage Report and Indexing Report in GSC.

Fix Errors Promptly: Address errors as soon as they are detected to avoid negative impacts on SEO.

Useful Resources:

• Crawled - currently not indexed
• Discovered - currently not indexed

• Alternative page with proper canonical tag
  

• Google’s Guide to Title Tags and Meta Descriptions
• Keyword Placement Best Practices
• Internal Linking
• Crawlability and Indexing
• XML Sitemaps
• Google Search Console URL Inspection Tool
• Google’s SEO Starter Guide
• Google Search Central - Noindex
• Google Search Central - Coverage Report

By addressing the specific reasons for "Not Indexed" pages and implementing the recommended solutions, publishers can improve their site’s indexing and overall search performance. Regularly monitor GSC and make adjustments as needed to ensure optimal visibility in search results.