Google indexing: how to get your pages indexed, and why some aren't

Short answer: Google indexing is the step where Google stores a page in its index so it can appear in search results. A page that is not indexed cannot rank at all. You check indexing for free in Google Search Console, which shows which pages are indexed, the reason others are not, and lets you ask Google to index a new page. Indexing is never instant and never guaranteed, but most problems have a clear fix.

What is Google indexing?

Google works in three stages: it crawls the web to find pages, indexes them by analysing and storing their content, and serves them in results when someone searches. Google does not guarantee that a page will be crawled, indexed or served, even if the site follows its guidelines (Google Search Central).

During indexing, Google analyses the text, images and code, works out whether the page duplicates another, and if so picks the most representative version as the canonical. Only indexed pages can rank. If you want the bigger picture of crawling and ranking, read How does SEO work?

How to check if a page is indexed

• URL Inspection in Search Console is the reliable way. It shows whether a specific page is indexed, when it was last crawled and which version Google considers canonical (Google Search Console Help).
• The Page indexing report shows the whole site: how many pages are indexed and the reason for each one that is not (Google Search Console Help).
• A site: search, such as site:yourcompany.co.uk, gives a rough idea, but it is not a complete or exact count.

Setting up Search Console

1. Sign in at search.google.com/search-console with a Google account. It is free (Google Search Console Help).
2. Choose a property type. A domain property covers all subdomains and both http and https, and is verified through DNS. A URL-prefix property only covers the exact address you enter (Google Search Console Help). Choose domain if you can.
3. Verify ownership by adding a TXT record at your domain registrar.
4. Submit your sitemap. A sitemap can hold up to 50,000 URLs, but it is a hint to Google, not a guarantee (Google Search Central).

Google covers the same steps in its own getting-started guide (Google Search Central). Data starts to appear after a couple of days. The Performance report shows three months by default and goes back 16 months (Google Search Console Help, Google Search Central Blog).

Why isn't my page indexed?

The Page indexing report gives a reason for every page that is not indexed. This is how Google explains the most common ones (Google Search Console Help):

Not every page needs to be indexed. Google says you should not expect every URL to be indexed, because some are duplicates or have no meaningful content (Google Search Console Help).

A common misunderstanding: robots.txt does not keep a page out of Google. A page blocked in robots.txt can still appear in results without a description if other sites link to it. Use noindex or password protection instead (Google Search Central).

How to get a page indexed by Google

1. Remove anything blocking it, such as noindex or a robots.txt rule.
2. Link to the page internally from the menu, the homepage or related pages.
3. Add the page to your sitemap.
4. Request indexing in URL Inspection. There is a daily limit, and a request does not guarantee indexing. It usually takes a day or so, but can take much longer (Google Search Console Help).
5. Make it worth indexing. Pages that answer a real question better than what already exists are the ones Google keeps.

Google says it can take about a week for a new page or site to start being crawled and indexed, and that indexing never happens instantly (Google Search Console Help).

A simple monthly routine

• Compare clicks and impressions with last month in the Performance report.
• Find queries where you sit in positions 5 to 15. Better titles and content there can bring quick wins.
• Check Page indexing for new errors on important pages.
• Look at Core Web Vitals after big changes to the site. Read more in Core Web Vitals explained.

Pages indexed by Google also feed AI Overviews and AI Mode, so indexing is the foundation for AI search too. Read Google AI Overviews: how they work. More on the technical side is on our technical SEO page.

Don't forget Bing

In the UK, Google handles about 91 percent of searches and Bing about 6 percent (StatCounter). That is small, but not nothing. Bing also powers search in Microsoft Copilot. Bing Webmaster Tools is free and can import your site straight from Search Console (Bing Webmaster Tools), and Bing supports IndexNow, which lets you notify it directly when a page changes (IndexNow).