SEO glossary · Updated
Indexing in SEO: how pages get into Google, and why some don't
Indexing is when a search engine analyzes a crawled page and stores it in its index, the database it draws search results from.
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Indexing is the second stage of search. After crawling a page, Google analyzes its text, images, links and markup, works out what it's about and which URL is the canonical version, and stores it in the Google index. Only indexed pages can appear in results.
Google doesn't index everything it crawls. It indexes pages it judges useful and not duplicates of something already in the index.
Why a page isn't indexed
| Search Console status | Usual cause |
|---|---|
| Excluded by noindex tag | A noindex in the robots meta tag or X-Robots-Tag header |
| Alternate page with proper canonical tag | The canonical points to another URL (often correct) |
| Duplicate, Google chose different canonical | Google picked another version as the main one |
| Crawled, currently not indexed | Google fetched it but didn't see enough value to index it yet |
| Discovered, currently not indexed | Google knows the URL but hasn't crawled it yet |
| Soft 404 | The page looks like an error page but returns 200 |
| Blocked by robots.txt | Google can't fetch it |
How to check
- Search Console's Page indexing report lists every reason pages aren't indexed.
- URL Inspection shows the status of one URL and lets you request indexing.
- A site:yourdomain.com search gives a rough idea, not an exact count.
Indexing services
Services that promise to force pages or backlinks into Google's index can't make Google index content it doesn't want to. Google's Indexing API is only for job posting and livestream pages. For everything else: a sitemap, internal links, Search Console's URL Inspection, and content worth indexing. Bing and some other engines also accept IndexNow submissions.
Check it on your own site
What the free audit tests for this
- Indexability
- Canonical
- Soft 404
- Page fetch
One URL, about 20 seconds, no login. You get the result of every check and the exact fix for the top three issues.
Audit your website freeFAQ
How long does Google take to index a page?+
Anywhere from hours to weeks. Requesting indexing in Search Console and linking the page from important pages can help discovery, but Google decides.
Why is my page crawled but not indexed?+
Google fetched it but chose not to index it yet, often because it's thin, very similar to other pages, or Google doesn't see enough value. Improve the content and internal links.
What is indexification?+
The name of a paid backlink indexing service. Such services can't make Google index links or pages it doesn't consider valuable.
Sources
- In-depth guide to how Google Search works — Google Search Central (2025-12-18)
- Robots meta tag, data-nosnippet and X-Robots-Tag specifications — Google Search Central
- Page indexing report — Search Console Help
- Indexing API quickstart — Google Search Central