How to solve indexing problems with your website on Google 2023

If you're a website owner or run an e-commerce platform, you may have noticed that Google frequently encounters issues when it comes to indexing new content. Some of your pages might not appear in Google's search results, despite your efforts in creating valuable content. You're convinced that your content is relevant to internet users, but it seems to be missing from Google's index.

It's highly likely that your website is facing indexing problems. Here are some indicators to watch out for.

To begin, it's crucial to grasp the concept of indexed pages. Google, as a search engine, operates by retrieving information stored on the internet. This information is organized in an index, which is regularly updated by web-crawling robots. When a user enters keywords in a search engine, it looks for web pages containing these keywords within its index.

For your website's pages to be discoverable by search engines, they must be indexed. When a page is indexed, it means that it has been analyzed by a search engine, its content has been recorded in a database, and it's made available to users through search results. These pages are identified by indexing robots, and their content is associated with their URL.

In contrast, pages that aren't indexed won't appear in search engine results. Internet users won't be able to find your pages through Google; they'll only discover them by navigating your website. Indexing content can sometimes be a time-consuming process, but various technical issues can significantly hinder the indexing of your site.

There are several ways to determine whether your website or a specific page is experiencing indexation problems.

The first method is to analyze the coverage report in your Search Console (assuming you've set it up). The coverage report provides valuable information about the indexation of your pages, including:

• Indexed pages
• Excluded pages

In this report, you can identify pages on your website that are not indexed. If your crucial pages are listed under "Discovered, currently not indexed" or "Detected, currently not indexed," your site might be encountering indexation issues.

A second technique is to use the "site: https://mysite.fr/page" command in the Google search bar. This command will display pages from your website that contain the specified URL on Google. By comparing the actual number of pages available with a crawl (using tools like Screaming Frog, for example) and the number of pages indexed by search engines, you can identify pages that are not indexed.

• New Website

If you have a new website, it's normal to wait a few weeks before major search engines list it. To expedite this process, you can submit your website to Google to announce its creation. Also, ensure that your sitemap.xml file has been created and is accessible, as it aids search engine indexing. You can add the sitemap address to the Search Console.

• Robots.txt Blocking

Robots.txt files typically contain rules that prevent robots from exploring specific directories, categories of pages, or parts of a website. If several pages or your entire site fail to index despite a significant wait after creating your website's pages and submitting the sitemap, it's possible that these pages are blocked by your robots.txt file. Check this file, typically located at the root of your site (e.g., www.mysite.fr/robots.txt), to ensure that non-indexed pages aren't listed there. You can test your robots.txt file in the Search Console to determine if it's causing indexing issues.

• .htaccess File Blocking

Sometimes, it's necessary to protect access to a directory on a web server, preventing it from being accessed by everyone. This is done by placing code in the .htaccess file that requires login credentials to access the page. Ensure that your page isn't protected in this manner and that its content is accessible to Google robots.

• META Tag Blocking

One particular META tag, the "meta robots" tag, can block a page from search engines. The "noindex" meta tag is especially powerful if you don't want your site's URLs to appear in Google search results. If you intend to index your pages, remove the "noindex" tag. Check your WordPress site settings, specifically under "Settings" and "Reading," to ensure that the "Search Engine Visibility" box isn't inadvertently checked. If you wish to block indexing for a page, make sure to add the meta robots tag before using the robots.txt file; otherwise, indexing robots may not detect your "noindex" tag.

• Pages with JavaScript

To determine if your page relies on JavaScript, use the free Web Developer extension. In the "Disable" tab, click "Disable JavaScript" and refresh your page. If no content appears on the screen, it indicates that your web page's text rendering depends on JavaScript, making it unreadable to indexing robots. However, indexing robots might still process your content despite JavaScript. You can verify this by checking the preview of your cached page by typing "cache:https://urldemonsite.fr" in the search bar. For indexing robots, an empty page holds no value, so it's essential to make your content accessible and readable for them to index your pages.