Google index

Indexing is eligibility. Ranking is selection and order on a results page. You need both to get traffic.

Google keeps one canonical URL per set of duplicates. Variants like tracking parameters or HTTP can be crawled but end up filed under the canonical. Only the canonical is shown as the indexed version.

Use Search Console’s Page indexing report for the whole site. It lists URLs as Indexed or Not indexed with the reason. Use the URL Inspection tool for a single URL, for example "/pricing" or "/guides/getting-started".

• Check Indexed total versus the number of pages you actually want indexed. If you have 120 live pages and only 40 indexed, you have a problem.
• Review Not indexed reasons. Common ones on small sites: Discovered, currently not indexed, Crawled, currently not indexed, Duplicate without user-selected canonical, Excluded by ‘noindex’, Blocked by robots.txt, Soft 404.
• Compare the Indexed count with your sitemap count if you submit one. Large gaps mean Google is not keeping many of the URLs you offer.

1. 1

   Make a single, crawlable canonical URL

   Pick one URL. Use a rel=canonical tag that points to it. Redirect variants like http to https, and remove tracking parameters from internal links.

2. 2

   Allow crawling and indexing

   Do not block the URL in robots.txt. Do not set a noindex tag or X-Robots-Tag. Return HTTP 200, not 404 or 302 for a permanent page.

3. 3

   Link it from your site

   Add at least one internal link from a page that is already indexed. Place it in the main content or navigation so it gets found quickly.

4. 4

   Add it to your XML sitemap

   List the canonical URL. Keep the sitemap reachable at /sitemap.xml and submit it in Search Console’s Sitemaps section.

5. 5

   Request indexing after you fix issues

   Use the URL Inspection tool’s Request indexing once per page when it is ready. Do not spam requests for unchanged pages.

A fixed page looks like this: one clean URL in your nav, indexable, linked from your homepage, present in the sitemap, and passing URL Inspection as “URL is on Google”.

• If the reason is Discovered, currently not indexed, add stronger internal links and wait. Publish links from pages that already get impressions.
• If the reason is Crawled, currently not indexed, improve the page. Thin or templated content often gets dropped. Add unique copy, images and useful detail.
• If the reason is Duplicate without user-selected canonical, set the canonical, fix parameters and consolidate with redirects.
• If the reason is Excluded by ‘noindex’, remove the tag from pages you want indexed and keep it only on utility pages like /cart or /login.
• If the reason is Blocked by robots.txt, allow crawling or move private content behind authentication so it is not public at all.
• If it is a Soft 404, add substantial content, fix titles and headings, and return 200 only for real pages. Redirect dead pages to the nearest relevant URL.

• Index bloat from faceted URLs or session parameters. Keep them out of links, and canonicalise to the clean version.
• Publishing many near-duplicate pages at once. Google will crawl them but keep only one. Merge or prune instead of scaling templates.
• Accidental noindex on a template. Check layout files and page builders before you ship.
• Thin placeholder pages. Do not ship empty “Coming soon” URLs. Wait until the content is real.
• Relying on impressions as proof of indexation. Use the Page indexing report or the URL Inspection tool to be sure.