How to Fix ‘Crawled – Currently Not Indexed’ Error in Google Search Console

Introduction to the Problem

If you’ve come across the “Crawled – Currently Not Indexed” error in Google Search Console, you’re not alone. Many website owners face this frustrating problem. Understanding why it occurs and how to fix it is important for maintaining the SEO health of your website.

Causes of the Error

There are quite a number of reasons for why Google crawls the page and may not index. Commonly include errors that come along in the form of 404 pages, existence of the noindex tag, and presence of duplicate content, and most importantly Google poor judgment regarding the content.

‘Crawled – Currently Not Indexed’ Issue

1. Review in Search Console Manual

Begin with the pages that have been highlighted in the “Crawled – Currently Not Indexed” report. Look for patterns and trends in the data regarding URL structure and affected dates to determine what is happening.

2. Establish an Internal Link Structure

Make sure that your content is well linked from within your website. Organize a good internal linking structure by determining which pages should link to other pages, thereby making it easier to find content.

3. Use Self-Referencing Canonical Tags

Eliminate duplicate content by adding self-referencing canonical tags. This helps Google to know which version of the page is preferred and which one to not index for duplicate content.

4. Check Hreflang Tags

Recheck your hreflang tags to ensure country and language codes are correct. Hreflang tags missing or incorrect can lead to Google ignoring your content or making it duplicate.

5. Audit Your XML Sitemap

Review your XML sitemap to ensure that all listed pages have correct 200 status codes and canonical and hreflang tags. Consider creating a temporary sitemap for pages marked “Crawled – Currently Not Indexed.”

6. Submit URLs for Inspection

Once you’ve fixed the issues, submit the URLs to the URL Inspection Tool in Google Search Console. This allows Google to re-crawl the pages and reassess their indexability.

Conclusion

Ultimately, Google’s decision not to index a page often boils down to content quality. Follow these steps, and with helpful, unique, and properly structured content, you can solve the “Crawled – Currently Not Indexed” error and get your website in front of more eyes.