What is Google indexing
Also known as: Google index, search engine indexing, getting indexed
Indexing is the stage where Google analyzes the content of a page it has already crawled, works out what it is about and stores that information in the index, a large database that search results come from. A page outside the index does not appear on Google. And indexing is not guaranteed: not every page Google processes makes it into the index.
A company publishes 40 service pages, one for each city it serves, nearly identical to one another. A month later, Search Console's page indexing report shows 9 indexed and 31 as Crawled, currently not indexed.
Google saw the pages but found nothing in them to justify storing 40 versions of the same text. The company cuts down to 8 pages, each with information specific to its region, and all 8 are indexed in the following weeks.
The three stages of Google Search
Not every page goes through all three. Google states that it does not guarantee it will crawl, index or serve any page, even one that follows every guideline, and that it does not accept payment to crawl more often or rank higher.
| What happens | Common problems | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Crawling | Googlebot discovers the URL and downloads the page, running its JavaScript | Server down, robots.txt block, page behind a login |
| 2. Indexing | Google analyzes the content, picks the canonical version and stores it | Low quality content, noindex rule, hard to index design |
| 3. Serving | On a search, Google looks up the index and ranks results | Content irrelevant to the query, low quality |
Canonical: which version enters the index
During indexing, Google groups pages with similar content and picks the most representative one, the canonical. That is the page that may appear in results; the others become alternate versions.
That is why near identical pages, such as store filters, URLs with parameters or text repeated for each city, rarely all make it into the index. A site can indicate its preferred version, but the final choice is Google's.
Why a page is not indexed
- Crawled, currently not indexed: Google read the page and decided not to store it for now. Resubmitting does not help; improving the content does.
- Discovered, currently not indexed: Google knows the URL but postponed crawling so as not to overload the site.
- URL marked noindex: the page itself asks to stay out. Common on sites that left staging without removing the rule.
- Duplicate, Google chose a different canonical: Google picked another page as the main version.
- Page with redirect or 404: the URL no longer serves content.
How to check and speed things up
- Search for the page's exact URL on Google to see whether it shows up.
- Use Search Console's URL Inspection tool: it shows whether the page is indexed, which canonical Google chose, and lets you request crawling.
- Follow the page indexing report, which groups the reasons pages were left out.
- Submit a sitemap and add internal links to new pages, the main discovery routes.
- The IndexNow protocol instantly notifies search engines such as Bing about new or changed pages. Google does not take part in it.
Indexed does not mean well ranked
Being in the index only gives a page the right to compete. Ranking depends on relevance and quality, and Search Console can show a page as indexed without it appearing for the searches that matter. At that point the problem is no longer technical but about content.
Frequently asked questions
What is indexing?
The stage where Google analyzes a crawled page and stores its information in the index, the database search results come from.
How long does Google take to index a page?
There is no fixed timeframe. Google says crawling can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, and that requesting the same URL several times will not speed it up. After crawling, not every page gets indexed.
How do I know if a page is indexed?
Through Search Console's URL Inspection tool, which shows the index status and the canonical Google selected.
Can I pay to get indexed faster?
No. Google states that it does not accept payment to crawl a site more often or rank it higher. Ads are a separate product.
What does Crawled, currently not indexed mean?
That Google read the page and decided not to include it in the index for now. It may be indexed later; resubmitting does not fix it, improving the content usually does.
Related terms
- SitemapA sitemap is a file, almost always in XML, that lists a site's pages, videos and other files and provides...
- robots.txtRobots.txt is a text file at the root of a site that tells search engine crawlers which URLs they may or may...
- Canonical tagA canonical URL is the version Google picks as the main one when the same content exists at several...
- SERPSERP stands for search engine results page, the page a search engine shows after a query. On Google, it...
- Core Web VitalsCore Web Vitals are three metrics that measure the real experience of people visiting a page: LCP, how long...
- Structured dataStructured data is a block of code, invisible to visitors, that describes a page's content in a standard...
Rodrigo Fávaro
Founder of ROO3, a marketing and technology agency in São José do Rio Preto, Brazil. Builds AI products running in production (Tobia, gerar.app, Pense Mercado) and maintains the AI Benchmark, a public ranking of AI models.
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