When using Google Search Console, many site owners come across the status message “Crawled — currently not indexed” and often misunderstand its implications. The instinctive reaction is usually one of concern. Some may assume that Googlebot encountered an error like a 404, a soft 5xx, a robots.txt block, or a meta noindex tag. While it’s natural to worry, that’s not what is happening in this case. Understanding what this status means and how it affects your site can help you manage your website’s presence in Google Search more effectively.
What Does “Crawled — Currently Not Indexed” Mean?
First, let’s break down the terminology. In Google Search Console, the status “Crawled” signifies that Googlebot has successfully accessed and processed the URL of a page. This means the page has passed several important checks to ensure that it is accessible, error-free, and ready to be indexed. However, the fact that it’s listed as “currently not indexed” suggests that while Googlebot was able to crawl the page, Google has decided not to index it in the search results at this moment.
Some people see the “Crawled” status and immediately worry that something went wrong. They might assume that Googlebot encountered a 404 error (page not found), a server issue, or a robots.txt file blocking it. However, that’s not the case. For a page to be classified as “Crawled,” it must pass several critical checks that would indicate access or technical issues. In fact, if Googlebot encountered any errors during the crawl process—such as a blocked resource, 404 error, or server error—the page would not be marked as “Crawled.” Instead, you would see different status messages like “Blocked,” “Noindex,” “4xx,” “3xx,” “5xx,” or “Server Error,” depending on the nature of the problem.
What Happens During Crawling?
Crawling is the process where Googlebot, Google’s web crawling bot, discovers and retrieves web pages from across the internet. During this process, Googlebot checks a page’s URL to determine whether the content is accessible and whether there are any issues that could prevent it from being indexed. This stage is crucial for ensuring that Google has full access to the page’s content.
To clarify, when Googlebot crawls a page, it processes the URL by fetching it and checking for various things, including:
- Access to the page: Is the page available to Googlebot? For example, there should be no server issues, redirects, or firewall blocks that prevent the bot from reaching the content.
- Blocked resources: Googlebot needs to be able to retrieve all resources that make up the page, such as images, JavaScript, and CSS files. If any of these resources are blocked, it could affect how Googlebot processes the content.
- Redirects: Googlebot checks for any redirects that might send it to another page. A 301 or 302 redirect, for example, sends the bot to a different URL, which can influence whether the page is indexed.
- Server errors: Any 5xx errors, such as 500 (Internal Server Error) or 503 (Service Unavailable), are flagged as issues during crawling. These errors tell Googlebot that something went wrong while fetching the page.
If any of these checks fail, Googlebot won’t classify the page as “Crawled.” Instead, the page will be marked as having a specific error (such as 404 or blocked). Only when these checks pass without issues does the page get marked as “Crawled.”
The Next Step: Indexing
Once a page is crawled successfully, the next step is indexing. Indexing is where Google decides whether to add that page to its index, which is essentially the database of all the pages Google has crawled and chosen to show in its search results. If a page is not indexed, it will not appear in Google’s search results, even though it was crawled successfully.
So, if a page is marked as “Crawled — currently not indexed,” it means that Googlebot successfully discovered and fetched the content, but the indexing system decided not to include it in the search results at that time. While this might sound troubling, there are several reasons why this could happen.
Why Would Googlebot Crawl a Page but Not Index It?
There are a few reasons why Googlebot might crawl a page and then decide not to index it. Here are some possible explanations:
- Low-Quality Content or Thin Content: Google places great emphasis on content quality when determining which pages to index. Pages with low-quality or duplicate content, or pages that don’t provide much value, may be crawled but not indexed. Google aims to provide the best possible results to users, so if a page is deemed unhelpful or repetitive, it might not make it into the index.
- Noindex Directive: Even though the page was crawled, it could have a noindex meta tag or an HTTP header indicating that Google should not index it. This could happen unintentionally, especially if the tag is placed on a page that should be indexed.
- Low Authority or Trust Signals: If a page has not built enough authority, it may not get indexed. Authority signals include external backlinks (from other reputable sites) and the presence of high-quality content. A page without enough of these signals may not be considered worthy of indexing.
- Duplicate Content: If Googlebot encounters duplicate or near-duplicate content, it may choose to index only one version of the content and ignore the duplicates. This could result in the “Crawled — not indexed” status.
- Algorithmic Decision: Google uses a complex algorithm to determine which pages should be indexed. Sometimes, even if a page is crawled without errors, the algorithm might decide not to index it for reasons that are not immediately clear to the site owner.
- Missing Internal and External Link: Missing internal link is one of the big mistakes. And not having trusted authority site backlink with the niche based can hurt for not indexing the particulate page or pages.
The Role of Authority in Indexing
One of the key factors that influence whether crawled pages make it into the index is authority. Authority signals tell Google that a page or website is trustworthy and relevant. Here are some of the most significant authority signals that affect whether a crawled page is indexed:
1. External Links (PageRank)
External links, or backlinks, are one of the most powerful signals for determining authority. If a page receives links from trusted, authoritative sites, Google sees this as a vote of confidence in the quality of the content. These links pass PageRank, Google’s measure of a page’s importance, and increase the likelihood that the page will be indexed.
2. Topical Authority
A website’s authority in a particular topic or niche can also affect indexing. Websites that consistently publish high-quality content on the same subject area tend to perform better in indexing. If Google sees that a site is a trusted resource for a particular topic, it may index more pages from that site.
3. User Engagement Signals
Although more indirect, user engagement signals such as clicks, dwell time, and brand searches can contribute to a site’s authority. Strong engagement metrics show Google that users value the content, which can encourage Google to index the page.
How to Improve Your Chances of Getting Crawled and Indexed
If you are facing the “Crawled — currently not indexed” status in Google Search Console, don’t panic. There are several ways you can improve your chances of getting your pages indexed:
- Improve Content Quality: Ensure your content is valuable, informative, and unique. Avoid thin or duplicate content, as Google prefers content that offers new insights or answers user queries effectively.
- Fix Noindex Tags: If your pages have accidental noindex tags, fix them to allow Google to index the content.
- Build Backlinks: Increase the authority of your pages by gaining quality backlinks from reputable sites in your industry or niche.
- Improve Site Structure: Make sure your website is well-organized with a clear hierarchy of pages. This helps Googlebot crawl your site more effectively and index more pages.
- Increase Engagement: Engage users with high-quality, valuable content that encourages clicks and long visits. This can improve the chances that your pages are indexed. Try social media to get to take visitor from the particular page or pages. Make sure Google understand this page have value to the others or your audiences.
- Ensure Technical Health: Check for technical issues that could prevent Googlebot from crawling your pages effectively, such as server errors, redirects, or blocked resources.
Conclusion
The “Crawled — currently not indexed” status in Google Search Console can be confusing, but it’s important to understand that it does not necessarily indicate a problem. It simply means that while Googlebot successfully crawled the page, it was not indexed. There are several factors that can influence whether a page gets indexed, such as content quality, authority, and user engagement. By focusing on these areas and improving your site’s overall technical health and content strategy, you can increase your chances of getting more pages indexed and improving your site’s visibility in Google Search.