Why Your Pages Say ‘Crawled – Currently Not Indexed’ and How to Resolve It
Sometimes, when you’re checking your website’s performance in Google Search Console, you might notice a message saying “Crawled – currently not indexed.” This simply means that Google has visited your page but didn’t add it to its search results.
While Google doesn’t clearly say why this happens, it’s often because the page might not offer enough value or relevance to users. That’s why it’s important for site owners to pay attention to this issue. By improving the content, structure, or keyword usage on such pages, you can raise the chances of them showing up in Google search results.
In this article, we’ll walk you through what this message means, why it occurs, and what practical steps you can take to fix it and boost your SEO visibility.
What Google Means by ‘Crawled – Currently Not Indexed’
Here’s a beginner-friendly, plagiarism-free version of the paragraph written in a natural tone:
When you see the message “crawled – currently not indexed” in Google Search Console, it means Google has visited your page but chose not to include it in its search results. So, even though the page was seen by Google, it won’t show up when people search.
To fix this issue, SEO experts work on improving your website’s speed, content quality, and technical setup. These efforts help increase the chances of your pages getting properly indexed and visible in search results.
Fixing the Google Search Console Error: ‘Crawled – Currently Not Indexed’
The “Crawled – currently not indexed” message you see in Google Search Console isn’t the same as a “Noindex tag” issue. While both errors show that Google visited your page, they happen for different reasons.
This specific status means Google reviewed your page but chose not to show it in search results — and not because you asked it not to. Instead, it could be due to other factors like weak content, technical issues, or lack of value. In the next section, we’ll go over what usually causes this and how you can fix it so your page stands a better chance of being indexed.
1. Not Enough or Weak Content
If your webpage doesn’t have enough helpful information, Google might think it’s too short or not useful. This is often called “thin content.” When that happens, Google might visit your page but choose not to show it in search results.
Let’s say top-ranking pages on the same topic have over 3000 words, and yours only has 300 — Google might see your page as incomplete. But if other top pages are short too, your word count may not be a big problem.
To improve it, try adding more value. Explain things better, answer related questions, and keep your writing clear. Don’t stretch it just to hit a word count — focus on being helpful. Google likes pages that give users what they’re looking for.
Also, Google won’t directly tell you your content is too thin, so it’s up to you to compare your page with others in the search results.
2. Duplicate Content Issues
Google doesn’t like showing the same content more than once in its results. If it finds similar or copied content on your site, it might crawl the page but not index it — showing the “Crawled – currently not indexed” status.
This can happen if you have pages with the same product in different variations, user-generated content, or multiple pages discussing the same topic.
To fix this, you can either add a canonical tag to tell Google which version to keep or change the content to make it unique. Always aim to avoid repeating the same content across your site.
3. Improve Internal Linking
If a page on your site has no internal links pointing to it, Google might ignore it — these are called orphan pages. To avoid this, make sure each page is linked from other related content on your site.
You can find linking opportunities by searching your site on Google using:site:yourdomain.com "target keyword"
This helps you find related content where you can naturally add a link. A few smart internal links can boost indexing and show Google that your page is valuable.
4. Fix Structured Data Errors
Structured data helps Google understand your page better, especially for things like products or articles. But if there’s a mistake or mismatch, it can confuse search engines.
You can check structured data issues in the Enhancements section of Google Search Console. Errors here might stop your page from showing in search results or rich snippets. Fixing these issues improves how your content is seen and ranked by Google.
5. Check 301 Redirects
A 301 redirect sends users from an old URL to a new one when a page is moved. This helps keep traffic flowing and avoids broken links.
Sometimes, even redirected pages appear as “crawled – not indexed” in reports. It’s not always a mistake—it could be because Google hasn’t crawled your site recently.
To fix this, gather those non-indexed URLs, if you have pages in bulk then you can check their indexing status on tools like accu index check, google index checker etc. Check if they’re properly redirected, and create a temporary sitemap using a tool like Screaming Frog. Then, submit it in Google Search Console to help Google recognize the redirects.
Conclusion
This status means Google visited your page but didn’t add it to search results. It usually signals that something on the page needs improvement—like low-quality content, poor SEO, or technical issues.
By fixing these problems, such as adding better keywords, removing duplicates, or improving structure and backlinks, you increase the chance of getting indexed. Solving this helps your site rank better and become more visible in search engines.
FAQs
Why does Google sometimes crawl a page but choose not to index it?
Google may crawl a page but not index it if the content is low quality, duplicated, thin, irrelevant, or lacks proper internal links or SEO structure. It simply doesn’t find enough value to include it in search results.
Does the “Crawled – Currently Not Indexed” status affect my site’s SEO?
Yes, the “Crawled – Currently Not Indexed” status can affect your site’s SEO because those pages won’t appear in search results, meaning you lose potential traffic and visibility. It signals that Google didn’t find the content valuable or relevant enough to index.
Should I delete content that Google has crawled but chosen not to index?
Not always. Before deleting, check why the page wasn’t indexed—maybe it has thin content, duplicate info, or lacks internal links. If it’s useful and can be improved, try updating and optimizing it instead. Delete only if the content is truly low-quality and adds no value to your site.
What can I do to ensure crawled pages are properly indexed by Google?
To make sure your crawled pages are properly indexed by Google, follow these steps:
- Improve Content Quality: Ensure each page has original, useful, and detailed content that matches the search intent.
- Use Internal Links: Link the page from other important pages on your site to show its relevance.
- Fix Technical Issues: Make sure the page isn’t blocked by robots.txt, doesn’t have a
noindextag, and loads properly. - Optimize Structured Data: Use valid schema markup to help Google understand the content better.
- Build Backlinks: Earn quality external links to increase the page’s authority and visibility.
- Submit in Google Search Console: Use the URL Inspection tool to request indexing manually.