Google Search Console 101: A Guide to Common Indexing Statuses

by | Sep 2, 2025 | SEO

Google Search Console 101: A Guide to Common Indexing Statuses and How to Fix Them

Understanding your Google Search Console reports is a crucial step in optimising your website for search. When Google crawls your site, it reports on the status of each page—whether it’s indexed, excluded, or has an error. This is not just a report; it’s a diagnostic tool that reveals your site’s health.

Here is a breakdown of the most common indexing statuses and how to resolve them.

1. 404 Error: Not Found

A 404 error means Google tried to find a page at a specific URL but couldn’t. This often happens when a page has been moved or deleted and a user or bot clicks an old link.

How to Resolve:

  • If the page was intentionally removed: If it was a low-value page with no backlinks, you can often do nothing. Google will eventually drop it from its index. However, if the page was important or had inbound links, create a 301 redirect to a new, relevant page. This tells Google the page has moved permanently, preserving its SEO value.
  • If the 404 is a mistake: Correct the URL in your internal links and sitemaps. If the page was accidentally deleted, restore it. If you moved the page, implement a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one.

2. Soft 404

A soft 404 is a confusing signal. It means a page returns a successful 200 OK status code (telling Google it’s a valid page), but the content on the page looks like an error to users and search engines.

How to Resolve:

  • If the page no longer exists, your server should return a proper 404 Not Found or 410 Gone status code.
  • If the page has moved, use a 301 redirect to send users and bots to the new location.
  • If the page has thin or empty content, add valuable, original content to make it worthwhile for indexing.

3. “Excluded by ‘noindex’ tag”

This status means Google has discovered a page but was explicitly told not to index it because of a noindex tag. This is a normal and useful status for pages you don’t want in search results, such as login or thank you pages.

How to Resolve:

  • If the page should NOT be in Google’s index, do nothing. The status is the desired outcome.
  • If the page SHOULD be in Google’s index, remove the noindex tag. This is often found in the <head> section of the HTML or controlled by your site’s CMS or SEO plugin settings.

4. “CRAWLED – currently not indexed”

This is a critical signal. It means Google has visited the page but has decided not to add it to its index. This is not a technical error; it’s a quality judgment. Google doesn’t see the page as valuable enough for its search results.

How to Resolve:

  • Improve Content Quality: The most common reason is thin, low-quality, or duplicate content. Enhance the page with original, in-depth, and helpful information.
  • Strengthen Internal Links: Add more internal links from other high-quality pages on your site to signal the importance of this page to Google.

5. “DISCOVERED – currently not indexed”

This status indicates Google knows about the page’s existence but has not yet crawled it. This is usually a symptom of a larger site quality or “crawl budget” issue, where Google has prioritised other parts of your site.

How to Resolve:

  • Manually request indexing for important pages using the URL Inspection Tool in Search Console.
  • Eliminate low-quality content from your site. A large number of thin or duplicate pages can signal to Google that your site isn’t worth a full, in-depth crawl.
  • Improve Internal Linking: A well-structured internal link hierarchy helps Google find and prioritise your most important content.

6. “Duplicate, Google chose different canonical than user”

A canonical URL is the “master” version of a page with duplicate or very similar content. This status means you’ve told Google your preferred canonical URL, but its systems have chosen a different one. This happens when your signals are contradictory.

How to Resolve:

  • Align All Canonical Signals: Ensure your canonical tags, internal links, and sitemaps all consistently point to your preferred canonical URL.
  • Check for Redirects: Your canonical tag should always point to the final destination of a redirect, not an intermediate URL.

By understanding and addressing these common statuses, you can significantly improve your site’s indexing and search visibility.

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