What Causes Pages to Fall Under the "Crawled - Currently Not Indexed" Status in Google Search Console, and How Can I Resolve It Effectively?
Summary
"Crawled - currently not indexed" status in Google Search Console signifies that Google has crawled your page but has chosen not to index it. This could be due to numerous factors ranging from low content quality or uniqueness, technical errors, and issues with website design to contravention of Google's guidelines. To rectify this, ensure your website's content is high-quality, unique, and helpful to users while also complying with Google's webmaster guidelines and addressing potential technical issues.
Reasons for "Crawled - currently not indexed" status
Quality and Uniqueness of Content
A common reason for a page not being indexed is the lack of quality or unique content. Google is less likely to index pages with duplicate, automatically generated, irrelevant, or thin content with little or no added value [Google Crawlers Overview, 2021].
Non-Adherence to Google’s Guidelines
Pages that violate Google's Webmaster Guidelines, such as creating deceptive pages or using link schemes, are less likely to be indexed [Google's Quality Guidelines, 2021].
Technical Errors
Technical issues can also lead to pages not being indexed. This may include server errors, blocked resources, and issues with robots.txt files or canonical tags [Search Off The Record: Indexing Prioritization, 2020].
Poor Website Design
Elements of website design such as user-unfriendly navigation, excessive interstitials, or mobile-unfriendliness can also affect whether a page gets indexed [Mobile-First Indexing, 2021].
Resolving "Crawled - currently not indexed" status
Quality Content
Ensure your content is high-quality, unique, and valuable to users. Avoid duplicate or shallow content [Google's Content Guidelines, 2021].
Adhere to Guidelines
Follow Google's Webmaster Guidelines in order to stay in good standing and avoid manual or algorithmic penalties [Google's Webmaster Guidelines, 2021].
Fix Technical Issues
Address all technical issues impacting page crawling and indexing, such as server errors, blocked resources, or inaccurate canonical URLs [Fix Search-related JavaScript Problems, 2021].
Improve Website Design
Make your website user-friendly and mobile-friendly, minimizing excessive interstitials and optimizing navigation for a better user experience [Make Your Site Mobile-Friendly, 2021].
Conclusion
In conclusion, keeping high-quality, unique content while adhering strictly to Google’s guidelines, and focusing on improving website design while fixing any potential technical errors can significantly enhance a page's chances of being indexed after crawling.
References
- [Google Crawlers Overview, 2021] Google. (2021). "Google Crawlers Overview." Google Developers.
- [Google's Quality Guidelines, 2021] Google. (2021). "Google's Quality Guidelines." Google Developers.
- [Search Off The Record: Indexing Prioritization, 2020] Google. (2020). "Search Off The Record: Indexing Prioritization." Google Developers Blog.
- [Mobile-First Indexing, 2021] Google. (2021). "Mobile-First Indexing." Google Developers.
- [Google's Content Guidelines, 2021] Google. (2021). "Google's Content Guidelines." Google Developers.
- [Google's Webmaster Guidelines, 2021] Google. (2021). "Google's Webmaster Guidelines." Google Developers.
- [Fix Search-related JavaScript Problems, 2021] Google. (2021). "Fix Search-related JavaScript Problems." Google Developers.
- [Make Your Site Mobile-Friendly, 2021] Google. (2021). "Make Your Site Mobile-Friendly." Google Developers.