Index coverage status in Search Console - Google Search Console Training

TL;DR

Learn to identify and fix indexing issues in Google Search Console.

Transcript

DANIEL WAISBERG: Hi. I'm Daniel Waisberg, Search Advocate at Google. And today, I'll talk about how to use Search Console to learn which of your pages have been crawled and indexed by Google and any problems found during that process. [MUSIC PLAYING] Crawling is the process by which Google Bot discovers new and updated pages to be added to the Goog... Read More

Key Insights

• Google's crawling process involves discovering and indexing new or updated pages, which are then matched against user queries to provide relevant search results.
• The index coverage report in Search Console offers a detailed overview of pages that have been indexed or attempted to be indexed by Google.
• Errors in the index coverage report indicate pages that cannot be indexed, potentially resulting in lost traffic, and require immediate attention.
• Pages marked as 'Valid with warnings' may appear in search results despite having issues; these should be investigated to ensure proper indexing.
• Valid pages have been successfully indexed and appear in search results, requiring no further action.
• Excluded pages are not indexed, either intentionally or due to issues like duplicate content or 404 errors.
• The summary page in the index coverage report provides a trend analysis of valid pages and highlights errors sorted by severity.
• Fixing indexing issues involves inspecting example URLs, making necessary changes, and validating fixes through the Search Console.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the purpose of the index coverage report?

The index coverage report in Google Search Console serves to provide website owners with a comprehensive overview of which pages have been successfully crawled and indexed by Google. It identifies pages with errors, warnings, or those excluded from indexing, allowing for targeted troubleshooting to ensure optimal search visibility.

Q: How does Google handle pages with indexing errors?

Pages with indexing errors are not included in Google's search results, which can lead to a significant loss of traffic. Errors can arise from issues like server errors, 404 pages, or incorrect directives. Website owners must address these errors promptly to ensure their pages are visible in search results.

Q: What are 'Valid with warnings' pages?

Pages marked as 'Valid with warnings' in the index coverage report are those that may still appear in search results but have underlying issues that should be investigated. For example, a page might be indexed despite being blocked by robots.txt, indicating a potential misconfiguration that needs attention.

Q: What should you do if you find an error in the index coverage report?

If an error is found in the index coverage report, the first step is to inspect the affected pages using the URL inspection tool. This will help diagnose the issue. Once identified, necessary changes should be made, either by the website owner or a developer, followed by validating the fix in Search Console.

Q: Why might a page be excluded from indexing?

A page might be excluded from indexing for several reasons, such as having a 'no index' directive, being a duplicate of another page, or returning a 404 error. Exclusions can be intentional or due to issues that need to be resolved to ensure proper indexing and visibility.

Q: How frequently should you check the index coverage report?

While it's not necessary to check the index coverage report daily, it's advisable to monitor it periodically. If Search Console detects a new issue, an email notification is sent. However, worsening existing issues do not trigger alerts, so occasional checks can help catch any negative trends early.

Q: What is the role of the URL inspection tool in resolving indexing issues?

The URL inspection tool provides detailed information about how Google views a specific page, offering insights into both the indexed and live versions. It's crucial for diagnosing issues reported in the index coverage report, allowing website owners to understand and fix problems affecting indexing.

Q: How can you share index coverage report findings with a developer?

To share findings from the index coverage report with a developer, use the Share button to generate a link to the specific issue page. This link provides access to the current page details and validation history but does not allow the recipient to perform actions on the property. Sharing can be revoked anytime.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The video explains how Google Search Console's index coverage report helps identify which pages are indexed and highlights any issues. It stresses the importance of addressing errors to prevent loss of traffic and provides guidance on interpreting different status categories.

• Daniel Waisberg outlines the process of using the index coverage report to monitor and fix indexing issues. Errors, warnings, valid, and excluded pages are explained, with emphasis on addressing errors for optimal search performance.

• The episode advises on checking the index coverage report periodically, understanding different status indicators, and using the URL inspection tool to diagnose and resolve issues, ensuring pages are correctly indexed and appear in search results.