By Shad Super in Questions —

How Does the URL Inspection Tool Assist in Checking the Coverage Status of Pages Within a Website?

Summary

The URL Inspection Tool in Google Search Console assists webmasters in checking the coverage status of pages on their website by providing detailed reports on indexing, URL status, and technical issues. This tool helps identify errors, warnings, and successful indexing of individual URLs to ensure their proper visibility on Google Search.

Overview of URL Inspection Tool

The URL Inspection Tool is a component of Google Search Console that provides insights into how Google crawls, indexes, and serves web pages on a site. By entering a specific URL, webmasters can get a comprehensive report on the status and potential issues related to that URL.

Key Features and Functionality

Index Coverage Status

The tool informs whether a URL has been indexed by Google. It categorizes the URL into four main statuses:

  • Indexed - The URL has been successfully indexed.
  • Indexed, but has issues - The URL is indexed, but it has some issues that need attention.
  • Not indexed - The URL has not been indexed.
  • Excluded - The URL is intentionally not indexed, often due to directives like <meta name="robots" content="noindex">.

These insights help webmasters understand which pages are available in Google Search and which need improvements to be indexed properly [Google Search Console Help, 2023].

Live Test

The URL Inspection Tool can run a live test on a URL to provide real-time crawling and indexing information. This feature allows webmasters to see how the URL performs currently on Google and identify any immediate issues [URL Inspection Tool, 2022].

Crawling and Indexing Information

The tool displays detailed information about Google's last crawl and indexing of a specific URL. This includes:

  • Last crawl time
  • Successful or failed crawl status
  • Indexing status and reasons for non-indexing
  • Potential issues like robots.txt restrictions, noindex directives, or canonical issues [SiteCare, 2023].

Rich Results and Enhancements

The URL Inspection Tool also identifies whether a URL can support rich results and enhancements, showcasing how it might appear in Google Search. This includes structured data and other enhancements [Google Search Central Blog, 2018].

Mobile Usability

The tool evaluates the mobile usability of a page, identifying any issues that might affect the user experience on mobile devices. Common issues include viewport settings, clickable elements being too close together, and content being wider than the screen [Mobile-First Indexing, 2021].

Examples of Using the URL Inspection Tool

Fixing Indexing Issues

If a page is not indexed, the tool provides specific reasons, such as "Crawled - currently not indexed" or "Discovered - currently not indexed." Webmasters can then address these issues by improving page content or updating sitemap submissions [Google Search Console Help, 2023].

Reviewing URL Performance

A webmaster might inspect a URL to find out why it is not performing well in search results. By using the URL Inspection Tool, they can identify technical issues, indexing errors, and mobile usability problems, and then take corrective action [Search Engine Land, 2018].

Conclusion

The URL Inspection Tool in Google Search Console is an essential instrument for webmasters to monitor and ensure the proper indexing and health of their web pages. By providing detailed crawl, index, and mobile usability reports, it enables timely identification and resolution of issues that can affect a site's visibility in Google Search.

References