Many new websites face different types of indexing issues but in Search Console, it's often hard to pinpoint the exact cause. This free indexing checklist will help you solve your indexing issues in Google effectively.

You need to learn the basics of indexing, how it works, and how you can solve those problems. Follow the steps below correctly to fix your indexing issues.

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Note for WordPress Users: I recommend using the RankMath SEO plugin and setting it up properly. For Blogger users, ensure your SEO settings are configured correctly in the dashboard.
Table of Contents

    1. Check Disallow in robots.txt

    This is a common setting that many people ignore. First, check if the page is allowed to be crawled by search engine bots (Googlebot, Bingbot, etc.). If you disallow them in your robots.txt file, Google will not crawl your website, and your page won't be indexed.

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    Use the "robots.txt Validator and Testing Tool" by TechnicalSEO to check if your page is blocked. If it's allowed, you can proceed to the next step.

    2. Check noindex tag in Header

    A noindex tag tells search engines not to index a page. If this tag is present in your webpage's header, Google will respect it and keep your page out of the search results.

    <meta name="robots" content="noindex">
<meta name="googlebot" content="noindex">

    If you find these codes, remove them to allow indexing. You can use tools like "Noindex Tag Test" to verify if any such tags are present on your URL.

    3. Update your Sitemap

    Check if the URL you're having trouble with is present in your sitemap.xml file. Google uses sitemaps to discover new content. Common sitemap locations include:

    https://abhishekdeyroy.com/sitemap_index.xml
https://abhishekdeyroy.com/post-sitemap.xml

    4. Check Canonical Tags

    Canonical issues can prevent proper indexing. A canonical tag tells Google which version of a URL is the "master" copy. If Google thinks a different page is more representative, it might not index the one you want.

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    Pro Tip: Use the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console to see what Google considers the canonical URL for your page.

    5. Check Crawling Issues

    If Googlebot can't crawl your site, it can't index it. Common crawling issues include:

    • Internal broken links (404 errors)
    • Access denied (403 errors)
    • Server-side errors (5xx)
    • Extremely slow page load speeds
    • Redirect loops

    6. Check Internal Links

    Internal links help Googlebot discover content faster. Always link your new pages from pages that are already indexed. This increases the chances of faster indexing.

    7. Content Quality

    Google may choose not to index low-quality, thin, or plagiarized content. Ensure your content is unique, provides value, and follows E-E-A-T principles. Creating high-quality content is the best long-term strategy for indexing.

    Conclusion

    By following this checklist, you can resolve most indexing issues in Google Search Console. If you've fixed the technical issues, use the "Request Indexing" feature in GSC to alert Google to your changes.

    Abhishek Dey Roy

    Written by Abhishek Dey Roy

    Abhishek Dey Roy is an SEO Consultant & Digital Strategist helping businesses scale online. He specializes in technical SEO, content strategy, and web performance optimization.

    Read More About Me →