Did you receive an email from Google saying that some of your web pages were not indexed?
I get this question a lot, and most people are scared because they feel that it means that the search engine will no longer show their website. Let me explain what is behind it and why it is not that scary most of the time.
What is no-indexing, and why is it useful?
No-indexing is the process of removing a web page from the search engine. This can be necessary for various reasons, including removing outdated or irrelevant content, duplicate content issues, thin content, or automatically created pages necessary for different technical problems.
As a website owner, you have the power to decide which pages should not be found. For instance, you might choose to no-index a PDF upload or landing pages for special occasions. There can be many different reasons for this decision, but the point is that you’re in control most of the time.
But sometimes Google finds pages that are no longer helping your visitors, and they get no-indexed without your permission.
That is the scary part.
Google Search Console?
have you never heard about it before?
Google Search Console is a powerful tool for managing website indexing and no-indexing issues. It provides website owners with valuable insight into how their website performs in search results, including which pages are indexed, how often they are crawled, and any indexing error that may impact their visibility. Website owners can ensure their content is indexed correctly and optimized for search engine visibility, improving their online presence and user engagement.
When to No-index a Page
Google can no-index pages for various reasons, including outdated content, duplicate content, low-quality content, sensitive information, and pages with temporary purposes.
Outdated content, such as old news articles or outdated tutorials, is no-indexed to avoid cluttering search results and to avoid disappointing visitors. ( Would you hate searching for how to create a FB business page and find my article about it from 2010? Sure, it won’t be relevant anymore. )
Duplicate content, which is content that appears in multiple locations on the web, will be also no-indexed. For example, an e-commerce website may have multiple product pages with identical content, which can confuse search engines and lead to no-indexing to prevent the dilution of search results with redundant information.
Low-quality or thin content can get removed to maintain the quality of search results. For example, a website with numerous low-quality blog posts that offer little value to users may be no-indexed to improve the overall user experience.
Sensitive information, such as personal or confidential data, may prompt Google to no-index pages to protect user privacy and security. For instance, a website that inadvertently exposes sensitive customer information may have those specific pages no-indexed to prevent unauthorized access to private data.
Finally, pages with temporary purposes, such as event announcements or promotional landing pages for limited-time offers, will be no-indexed to avoid misleading users.
The impact of no-indexing
The impact of no-indexing on SEO can be significant. When pages are no-indexed, it can affect a website’s overall visibility and ranking in search results. If important or high-quality pages are no-indexed, it can decrease organic traffic and hinder the website’s ability to attract visitors through search engines. Additionally, no-indexing can impact a website’s overall relevance and authority, potentially affecting its overall SEO performance.
Therefore, it is important that you look at the no-indexed pages one by one and consider why they got no-indexed and what to do about it if those pages are important. ( Not all pages are important. If the contact page is deindexed, that is completely OK; visitors will find it on your website anyway. But if your home page gets deindexed, that is a big issue, and you must act. )
How to fix indexing and no-indexing issues
There are several ways to tell the search engine to remove certain pages from search results. I don’t want to discuss those in this article because they are technical topics.
Diagnose the issues and fix them
Fixing no-indexed pages involves identifying the cause and taking corrective actions.
Accidental deindexing can happen when certain tags or settings unintentionally block search engines from including your web pages in search results. By fixing any accidental no indexing, you can make sure that your content is visible to search engines, which can help improve your website’s visibility and attract more visitors.
Having high-quality content is crucial for doing well in search engine results. Suppose your content is thin, duplicated, or doesn’t meet Google’s standards. In that case, it is important to focus on making your content more valuable and relevant to users, providing helpful and comprehensive information. By improving your content, you can boost your website’s performance in search results and reduce the risk of being excluded due to poor content.
Technical issues like broken links or server errors can also cause problems with indexing and potentially exclude pages from search results. It is essential to ensure that your website is working correctly and accessible to search engines.
After you have done your best to fix the issue, use the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console to request re-indexing, and wait.
Patience is the key here. Re-indexing doesn’t happen instantly. Allow Google some time to recrawl your site and update its index. Monitor your Search Console coverage report for changes.
Here at Turek Design I help clients solve these issues so they do not lose rankings and I help them add new optimized content.
Feel free to schedule a consultation and learn more about your website on a Website SEO Evaluation.
