We're finding it's more common when we take over a client's SEO work that the content strategy they have been working hard on or even paying for hasn't even been indexed by Google.
This means that Google hasn't crawled the pages and therefore will not appear in Search results. There are various reasons for this but there is are simple ways to find out and to fix them. If you are writing regular content and your traffic and search visibility is not increasing then it could be that your blogs and pages are just not being listed in Google Search. The only sure fire way to know is to conduct a thorough website audit and check Google Console to provide the actual pages that are not being targeted.
"Indexing issues can make your website invisible to potential customers. Fixing them is essential to ensure you're seen and stay competitive online."
Steve Irvine - CEO Lionsorbet
Why is my content not being indexed?
First of all let’s understand why your pages are not being indexed. There are several common reasons why your pages might not be showing up in Google searches, from Crawling issues with Google’s bots to Content issues such as how it’s written and quality. Let’s delve further:
Crawling Problems
Google’s Attention: Google can only look at a limited number of pages on your site. If you have many pages or some are not seen as important, they might be skipped.
Server Issues: If your website has technical problems when Google tries to visit, it won’t be able to see those pages.
Slow Pages: Pages that take a long time to load might not be fully checked by Google.
Content Problems
Very Little Content: Pages with very little information might be ignored by Google.
Repeated Content: If your pages have the same or very similar information, Google might only show one of them.
Poor Quality Content: Pages with low-quality or spammy content are less likely to be shown by Google.
Technical Problems
Noindex Tag: If a page has a tag telling Google not to show it, it won’t appear in searches.
Blocked Pages: Your website might have settings that block Google from looking at certain pages.
Redirects: Pages that automatically send visitors to another page might not be shown.
Website Settings
Errors in Coding: Mistakes in your website’s coding can prevent pages from being shown.
Sitemap Issues: If your sitemap (a list of your pages) isn’t set up correctly, Google might miss some pages.
Penalties
Violations: If Google finds that your site has broken their rules, they might stop showing certain pages or the entire site.
New or Recently Updated Pages
Timing: New or recently changed pages might take a while before they show up in Google searches.
External Factors
Links to Your Pages: Pages that don’t have backlinks from other websites might be seen as less important.
Complicated URLs: Pages with complicated web addresses might be harder for Google to understand and show.
Google Consoles Pages Screen will provide an outline of pages that are not being indexed.
How Can I fix my Indexing Issues?
There are several tried and tested methods to work out if you have any indexing issues and then fix them so that appear Google Search.
Submit your Sitemap
STEP 1: Login into Google Console https://search.google.com/search-console/ If you don't have an account with your website, set one up and verify the domain.
STEP 2: Scroll down to Sitemap on the left hand menu and ensure your sitemap has been submitted. This is generally found at yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml for Shopify Websites, check with your website host or designer to confirm this for you. This tells Google what pages are on your website and where to find them.
Check for Indexed Pages
Click on Pages on the left hand menu and scroll down to where it says "Crawled - currently not indexed" and "Discovered – currently not indexed" If you're lucky there won't be any listed. If you're not so lucky, click into each of these options and see what pages have not been indexed.
If there are any blogs, or pages listed here copy the link and request indexing from Google.
Request Indexing
STEP 1 : Index each page manually. Look at the search bar at the top of the console page that says "Inspect any URL in yourdomain.com" Paste your URL in here and press enter. A pop up will appear as Google retrieves the URL
STEP 2 : The page will generally now display a message saying "URL is not on Google" - Click the REQUEST INDEXING button and Google will look to see if the URL can be indexed.
These steps are quite manual but worth the time to do and pushes Google to index your web pages.
TOP TIP ✅ - When you have published a new service page or blog post, open up Console and submit your link for indexing. This can speed the process up and gives you peace of mind that your pages are being indexed.
Site Audit & Health Check
Review your website to find and fix technical problems and improve content. A simple and ongoing SEO plan can help manage this effectively.
Use tools such as SEMRUSH or NEILPATEL to run a Site Audit.
Request a professional Site Audit from Lionsorbet to provide a detailed report of your websites health and issues along with a plan to fix them.
Need Help Managing your Site Health & SEO
We work with luxury goods retailers to advise on their SEO and Digital Marketing Strategy, helping them put a plan together to obtain consistent growth in traffic sales and enquiries.
