In the world of SEO, monitoring your website’s performance through Google Search Console is essential. One common issue that many website owners encounter is the “Discovered – Currently Not Indexed” status. This status indicates that Google has identified the URL but has not yet indexed the page. While this might seem concerning, it’s important to understand why this happens and how you can address it.
Why Pages May Not Be Indexed
Google doesn’t automatically index every page on a website, and this isn’t necessarily a problem. However, understanding why certain pages aren’t indexed can help you improve your site’s overall SEO health.
Technical Reasons
Server Issues: If your server is slow or experiencing difficulties, Googlebot may struggle to crawl all of your pages efficiently. A slow or overloaded server can lead to incomplete crawls, resulting in some pages not being indexed.
Large Number of Pages: For websites with a vast number of pages, especially those with millions of URLs, it can take Googlebot longer to crawl and index all the content. This delay can result in some pages being marked as “Discovered – Currently Not Indexed.”
Quality Reasons
- Low-Quality Content: Google prioritizes indexing high-quality content. If a page contains thin, irrelevant, or duplicated content, Google may decide it’s not worth indexing.
- Pattern of Low-Quality Content: If Google detects a pattern of low-quality content across your website, it may choose to skip indexing similar pages. This is particularly concerning for websites with many low-value pages, as it can impact overall site performance.
What to Do If Your Page Isn’t Indexed
If you believe a particular page should be indexed, there are several steps you can take to improve its chances:
- Check the Content Quality: Review the page to ensure it provides valuable, relevant, and unique content. High-quality E-E-A-T content is more likely to be indexed by Google.
- Improve Internal Linking: Strengthen the internal linking structure by linking the page to other relevant content on your site. This not only helps users navigate your site but also signals to Google that the page is important.
- Monitor Server Performance: Use Google Search Console’s crawl stats and server response sections to identify any technical issues. Ensuring your server is fast and reliable can help Googlebot crawl and index your pages more effectively.
It’s normal for websites to have some pages that aren’t indexed, and this is usually not a major issue. However, if you believe certain pages should be indexed, addressing any technical or quality issues is crucial. By following the steps outlined above—improving content quality, enhancing internal links, and monitoring server performance—you can increase the likelihood of your pages being indexed and appearing in search results. This proactive approach will ultimately help improve your site’s SEO and visibility in Google Search.
