Indexation determines whether crawled pages are actually stored and eligible to appear in search results. A page can be crawled but not indexed, often due to technical or quality-related signals.

Non-indexed pages receive zero organic visibility, even if they are technically accessible.

An e-commerce site noticed hundreds of product pages marked as “Discovered – currently not indexed.” The issue was thin descriptions and duplicate content. After improving product content and internal links, indexation rates increased significantly.

Common Indexation Issues

  • Duplicate or near-duplicate pages
  • Thin or low-value content
  • Incorrect canonical tags
  • Overuse of noindex directives

Search engines prioritize unique and valuable pages.

How to Diagnose Indexation Issues

  • Review “Pages” reports in Google Search Console
  • Check canonical URLs
  • Compare indexed vs submitted URLs
  • Analyze internal link depth

Indexation is both a technical and quality signal.

Best Practices

  • Consolidate duplicate content
  • Strengthen internal linking to key pages
  • Ensure canonical tags reflect preferred URLs
  • Avoid publishing low-value or placeholder pages