Crawled – Currently Not Indexed? Easy Fix With This Guide

Crawled - Currently Not Indexed. Blog post cover.

Have you noticed that some of your website pages have been crawled but not indexed by Google? If so, you might be wondering what this means and how to fix it. In this guide, I’ll explain everything you need to know about the "Crawled - Currently Not Indexed" issue on Google Search Console (GSC) and provide actionable steps to help you resolve it.

How to Find Indexing Issues in Google Search Console

The first step in diagnosing indexing issues is checking Google Search Console (GSC):

Log in to your Google Search Console account.
Click on Pages under the Indexing tab.
Here, you’ll see how many of your pages are indexed and how many are not.
Scroll down to view specific reasons why some pages haven’t been indexed.

One of the most common indexing issues is "Crawled - Currently Not Indexed." To check which pages are affected:

Click on Crawled - Currently Not Indexed in the report.
Select an affected page and click Inspect URL to check its real-time indexing status.
Keep in mind that GSC reports are not always updated in real-time. If a page appears as not indexed but is accessible, it may just be a matter of time before the report updates.

What 'Crawled – Currently Not Indexed' Means

The "Crawled - Currently Not Indexed" status means that Google has crawled your page but has decided not to include it in search results. In simple terms, Google doesn’t see the page as valuable or unique enough for indexing.

This issue is different from Discovered - Currently Not Indexed, where Google is aware of the page but has yet to crawl it. "Crawled - Currently Not Indexed" is a more serious issue because it means Google reviewed the page and chose not to index it.

If you find pages affected by this issue, it’s essential to identify the cause and take corrective action.

Common Reasons for 'Crawled - Currently Not Indexed' Pages

Several factors could be preventing your pages from being indexed:

Content Quality Issues

Common cases where your content may be deemed low-quality or unhelpful may include:

AI-generated content.
Content that is not helpful or user focused.

Low E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness)

Google prioritizes content from authoritative sources. To improve your credibility:

Include author bios, credentials, and links to reputable sources to enhance your internal credibility.
Develop and sustain a strong backlink strategy to secure external links from reputable publications (external credibility). Note that quality is more important than quantity when it comes to backlinks.

Thin Content

Pages with very little content may not be worth indexing. In this case you might want to:

Expand your content with relevant images, videos, and detailed information.
Merge pages and redirect.

Canonicalization or Duplicate Content

If multiple pages target the same topic, Google may choose not to index them all. Use canonical tags or merge similar pages to consolidate authority.

Lack of Internal Links

Google relies on internal links to discover pages. Ensure affected pages are linked from other high-value pages on your site.

How to Fix 'Crawled - Currently Not Indexed' Issues

Once you’ve identified and addressed the problem, follow these steps to request indexing:

Go to Google Search Console.
Click on the affected page in the Crawled - Currently Not Indexed report.
Select Inspect URL.
Click Request Indexing.

If your pages are still not getting indexed, try creating and submitting a new sitemap in Google Search Console. This can help Google prioritize crawling and indexing your updated content.

Conclusion

If you’ve been struggling with the "Crawled - Currently Not Indexed" issue, these steps should help you diagnose and resolve it. By improving content quality, optimizing internal linking, and enhancing authority signals, you can increase the chances of getting your pages indexed.

For more SEO insights, insights, and how-tos check out other posts in my blog and follow me on YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.