- The Page indexing report lives under Indexing → Pages and shows how many URLs Google has indexed plus every reason other URLs are not indexed.
- Open a reason to see sample URLs, fix the shared cause on the site, then press Validate fix so Google rechecks the URLs.
- Not every status is a problem. Page with redirect, Alternate page with proper canonical tag and duplicate URLs often need no fix when they are intentional.
- Validation is a request to recheck, not a promise. Google says validation can take up to about two weeks or longer, and it does not guarantee indexing or ranking.
- For one URL, use URL Inspection. It shows the index status, the canonical Google picked and whether the page is in a sitemap.
Where is the Page indexing report?
Open Google Search Console for your verified property and choose Indexing → Pages in the left menu. The report shows a chart of indexed and not indexed URLs over time, then two groups: Indexed and Not indexed. Each reason in the Not indexed group has a count and a row you can open. Google's Page indexing report help describes the report's sections and what the numbers cover.
The report is about Google's index for this property, not about traffic. A URL can be indexed and still get no clicks, and a URL can be missing from the index while its content appears under a different URL that Google chose as the canonical. Read the status first, then look at the page itself.
What do Indexed and Not indexed mean?
Indexed means Google has added the URL to its index and can show it in search results. Not indexed means Google knows about the URL but has not added it, and the report gives the reason.
- Indexed. The URL is in Google's index. That makes it eligible to appear in results, but it does not guarantee a ranking or impressions.
- Not indexed. Google is not showing the URL in results. The reason tells you whether Google was blocked, the page was excluded on purpose, the page is a duplicate, or Google chose not to index it.
Some reasons describe a page Google never fetched, such as Blocked by robots.txt or Discovered - currently not indexed. Others describe a page Google fetched and then excluded, such as Excluded by 'noindex' tag or Crawled - currently not indexed. That difference decides what you check first.
Page indexing statuses: meaning and fix
Match the status to its cause, then decide whether it needs a fix at all. The table covers every reason Google lists in the Page indexing report and whether the usual answer is to fix it or leave it.
Page indexing statuses, meaning and fix
| Status | What it means | Fix or leave? |
|---|---|---|
| Not found (404) | The URL returned a 404 because the page does not exist or was removed. | Fix if it should be live Restore the page or 301 it to the closest live page. Leave it as a 404 or 410 when the page is gone on purpose. |
| Soft 404 | The URL returns a success code but looks missing, empty or like an error page. | Fix Add the real content, or return a real 404 or 410 when the page no longer exists. |
| Server error (5xx) | Google reached the URL but the server answered with a 5xx error. | Fix Check the server and application logs, fix the failing request, then validate. Repeat 5xx errors can slow crawling. |
| Redirect error | The URL is in a redirect chain, a redirect loop, or redirects to an invalid URL. | Fix Point it at the final live URL in one hop and remove the loop. |
| Page with redirect | The URL redirects to another URL. | Leave Normal when the redirect is intentional. Make sure the target is the canonical page you want indexed. |
| Blocked by robots.txt | A robots.txt rule stopped Google from crawling the URL. | Fix if it should index Remove the blocking rule. Leave it when the block is deliberate. |
| Excluded by 'noindex' tag | The page asked Google not to index it with a noindex robots meta tag or X-Robots-Tag header. | Fix if it should index Remove the noindex and let Google recrawl. Leave it when the exclusion is deliberate. |
| Alternate page with proper canonical tag | Google treated the URL as a duplicate and the page correctly points its canonical at another URL. | Leave Normal. Make sure the canonical target is the page you want indexed. |
| Duplicate without user-selected canonical | Google found duplicate URLs and picked a canonical itself because no canonical was set. | Usually leave Add a self-referencing canonical if this URL should be the indexed one; otherwise leave Google's choice. |
| Duplicate, Google chose different canonical than user | You set a canonical, but Google chose a different URL as the canonical. | Usually leave Review the signals, then strengthen the canonical you want with internal links and sitemaps. Google may still keep its choice. |
| Crawled - currently not indexed | Google crawled the page but chose not to index it for now. It may or may not be indexed later. | Fix Improve or merge thin and duplicate content, add internal links, and check the canonical. |
| Discovered - currently not indexed | Google knows the URL but has not crawled it yet, often because crawling it then was expected to overload the site. | Fix or wait Link to the page from indexed pages and check server speed. Brand-new pages can simply need time. |
| Blocked due to unauthorized request (401) | The server asked for authentication, so Google could not crawl the URL. | Fix Allow public access to any page you want indexed. |
| Blocked due to access forbidden (403) | The server refused Google's request with a 403. | Fix Check firewall, CDN and server rules that block Googlebot. |
Which statuses are normal and need no fix?
Redirects, correct canonicals and deliberate exclusions are normal reasons to be not indexed, so do not "fix" them without a reason. These usually need no action:
- Page with redirect when the old URL intentionally sends visitors and Google to a live page.
- Alternate page with proper canonical tag when the URL is a duplicate and points at the page you want indexed.
- Duplicate URLs when Google's chosen canonical is the page you want people to land on.
- Excluded by 'noindex' tag or Blocked by robots.txt when you excluded the page on purpose, such as a private, thin or internal search URL.
- Not found (404) when the page is gone and you do not want a replacement.
Focus on URLs you want people to find in search, especially pages in your sitemap or pages that used to rank. Google's sitemaps overview notes that a sitemap helps discovery but does not guarantee crawling or indexing.
How do I fix a status and use Validate fix?
Open the reason, inspect sample URLs, fix the shared cause on the site, then press Validate fix so Google rechecks the URLs.
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Open the reason
In Indexing → Pages, click the row for the status you want to fix. Google shows a description of the reason and a sample list of affected URLs.
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Look for a shared cause
Open a few sample URLs. If they share a template, plugin, CDN rule, redirect pattern, robots rule or canonical, fixing that one source fixes the whole group. A single URL is covered in the guide to Crawled and Discovered - currently not indexed.
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Fix it on the site
Change the page or server response, not the report. For a block or noindex, remove it. For a 404 that should be live, restore or redirect the page. For a server error, fix the failing request. The free indexability checker shows the status, redirects, robots.txt rules, noindex and canonical for one URL.
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Confirm the fix live
Reload the URL and check the response yourself. A robots.txt fix can be checked with the robots.txt tester, and sitemap entries with the sitemap validator. A robots.txt fix can take effect sooner than a page recrawl because Google may cache the old file for a while.
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Press Validate fix
Back in the report, open the reason and choose Validate fix. Google rechecks the sample URLs and shows a validation status. If you fixed only some URLs, validation can fail for the rest; fix those and validate again.
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Wait and recheck
Google says validation can take up to about two weeks or longer. Validation is a request to recheck, not a promise that every URL will be indexed or rank. Use our Google Search Console guide for the other reports around this one.
How do I check one URL?
Paste the URL into Search Console's URL Inspection tool to see what Google knows about that exact page. It shows whether the URL is on Google, the last crawl information, the canonical Google selected, and whether Google found it through a sitemap or a referring page. A live test fetches the current page and reports what Google sees now. The URL Inspection help explains the indexed and live views. Use URL Inspection when the report's sample list is not enough or when you need to confirm a single page after a fix.
Does Bing have the same report?
Bing does not have an identical Page indexing report, but Bing Webmaster Tools has URL Inspection and Site Explorer for the same questions. URL Inspection shows one URL's index status, crawlability and response code, and Site Explorer shows what Bing has discovered for a site. Use them together with IndexNow or the Submit URLs tool when a page is new or has changed. Our Bing Webmaster Tools guide covers the setup.
Questions and answers
Page indexing report questions
What is the Page indexing report in Google Search Console?
It is the report under Indexing → Pages that shows how many URLs Google has indexed and every reason other URLs are not indexed. Open a reason to see sample URLs, fix the cause on the site, then press Validate fix.
Why are my pages not indexed in Google Search Console?
Open the reason for each group in the Page indexing report. Blocks such as robots.txt, noindex, a 401 or a 403 have their own statuses; 404s, redirects and duplicates may be normal; Crawled and Discovered - currently not indexed usually point to thin content, weak internal links, the canonical or server speed.
Which Page indexing statuses need no fix?
Page with redirect, Alternate page with proper canonical tag and duplicate URLs are normal when the redirect, canonical or chosen URL is the page you want indexed. A deliberate noindex, robots.txt block or 404 also needs no fix. Focus on pages you want people to find in search.
How long does Validate fix take in Search Console?
Google says validation can take up to about two weeks or longer. Validation is a request to recheck the URLs, not a guarantee that they will be indexed or rank.
Does Bing have a Page indexing report?
Bing Webmaster Tools does not have an identical report, but URL Inspection shows one URL's index status, crawlability and response code, and Site Explorer shows what Bing has discovered for the site.
Sources
- Page indexing report — Search Console Help on the Indexed and Not indexed groups and every reason in the report
- URL Inspection tool — Search Console Help on checking one URL's index status, canonical and live view
- HTTP status codes and network errors — Google Search Central on 404s, soft 404s, 5xx errors and redirects
- Consolidate duplicate URLs — Google Search Central on canonical URLs and how Google picks one
- Robots.txt introduction — Google Search Central on robots.txt rules and crawling
- Block indexing with noindex — Google Search Central on noindex meta tags and X-Robots-Tag
- Learn about sitemaps — Google Search Central on sitemaps helping discovery without guaranteeing indexing
