Search Console page indexing statuses, explained
Every reason in the Pages report of Google Search Console, in plain words: what it means, whether it costs you traffic, and what to do about it.
Not indexed
Pages Google found but keeps out of search. Many of these are expected: redirects, duplicates with a canonical, pages you marked noindex. Look for pages you want in search.
| Status | What it means | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Crawled - currently not indexedGoogle fetched the page but hasn't added it to the index. | Google fetched the page but hasn't added it to the index. | Depends |
| Discovered - currently not indexedGoogle knows the URL but hasn't crawled it yet. | Google knows the URL but hasn't crawled it yet. | Depends |
| Alternate page with proper canonical tagThe page points to another URL as canonical, and that URL is indexed. | The page points to another URL as canonical, and that URL is indexed. | Usually fine |
| Duplicate without user-selected canonicalThe page duplicates another, declares no canonical, and Google chose a different URL. | The page duplicates another, declares no canonical, and Google chose a different URL. | Depends |
| Duplicate, Google chose different canonical than userThe page names a canonical, but Google picked another URL. | The page names a canonical, but Google picked another URL. | Depends |
| Soft 404The page looks like an error page but returns a success code. | The page looks like an error page but returns a success code. | Fix it |
| Blocked by robots.txt (guide coming soon)A robots.txt rule stops Google from crawling the page. | A robots.txt rule stops Google from crawling the page. | Depends |
| Excluded by 'noindex' tag (guide coming soon)A noindex directive tells Google not to index the page. | A noindex directive tells Google not to index the page. | Depends |
| Server error (5xx) (guide coming soon)The server returned a 500-level error. | The server returned a 500-level error. | Fix it |
| Redirect error (guide coming soon)The redirect chain was too long, looped or led to a bad URL. | The redirect chain was too long, looped or led to a bad URL. | Fix it |
| Page with redirect (guide coming soon)The URL redirects elsewhere, so the target is indexed instead. | The URL redirects elsewhere, so the target is indexed instead. | Usually fine |
| Not found (404) (guide coming soon)The page returned 404, usually because it was removed. | The page returned 404, usually because it was removed. | Depends |
| Blocked due to unauthorized request (401) (guide coming soon)The page asks for a login Googlebot doesn't have. | The page asks for a login Googlebot doesn't have. | Depends |
| Blocked due to access forbidden (403) (guide coming soon)The server refused Googlebot access. | The server refused Googlebot access. | Fix it |
| Blocked due to other 4xx issue (guide coming soon)Another 4xx client error stopped the page from loading. | Another 4xx client error stopped the page from loading. | Fix it |
Indexed, with a warning
Pages that are in Google's index but with a problem worth checking.
| Status | What it means | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Indexed, though blocked by robots.txt (guide coming soon)The page is indexed even though robots.txt blocks crawling. | The page is indexed even though robots.txt blocks crawling. | Depends |
| Page indexed without content (guide coming soon)The page is indexed, but Google couldn't read its content. | The page is indexed, but Google couldn't read its content. | Fix it |
Status names follow Google's Page indexing report help, checked on 2026-10-19. Where the Search Console interface words a status differently, we use the interface wording.
Check a URL from the report
Redirects, status code, robots.txt, noindex and canonical in one check. Each problem links to the status it causes in Search Console.
FAQ
No. Redirected URLs, duplicates that point to a canonical, filtered and sorted versions of a page, and pages you marked noindex are supposed to stay out. Look at the “Not indexed” list for pages you actually want in search; those are the ones to work on.
Anywhere from days to weeks; Google says indexing is never instant, even after you request it. Requesting indexing in URL Inspection can shorten the wait for a new or changed page, but Google recrawls pages on its own, so it's only worth it after an important change.
It asks Google to recheck the URLs listed under an issue after you've fixed the cause. Google says validation typically takes up to about two weeks and sometimes longer. The status moves from Started to Looking good to Passed, or to Failed if enough pages still have the issue.
Want us to look at your Search Console?
We go through the Pages report, crawl the site and tell you which statuses cost you traffic and which are harmless, with the fixes in priority order.