Understanding Google Search Console Page Indexing Messages
Google Search Console helps you understand how Google discovers, crawls, and indexes your website. Some messages in the Page Indexing Report can look concerning at first, but many of them are normal and do not indicate a problem with your site.
This article explains the most common Google Search Console Page Indexing messages, what they mean, and whether you need to take action for your PhotoBiz website.
Please Note:
PhotoBiz is not affiliated with Google. Our Support Team can help you install or verify your Google Search Console verification code. For questions about how Google Search Console works or why Google chooses to index certain pages, we recommend reviewing Google’s official documentation.About the Page Indexing Report
The Page Indexing Report shows how Google is handling individual pages on your website.
Only indexed pages are eligible to appear in Google search results. However, not every page on your site needs to be indexed. Google’s goal is to index the main (canonical) version of each page and ignore duplicate or alternate versions.
Because of this, many Page Indexing messages are informational rather than errors.
Canonical Tags and PhotoBiz Websites
PhotoBiz automatically generates a canonical tag for every page created in the Website Builder and for every blog post.
Canonical tags are also consistently associated with:
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Your website sitemap
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Your RSS feed
This helps Google understand which version of each page should be treated as the primary version and prevents duplicate content issues across your site.
As a result, most canonical-related messages in Google Search Console are expected and do not require changes in PhotoBiz.
Key Goals of Google Search Console
One of Google Search Console’s primary goals is to confirm that Google is indexing the main version of each important page on your website.
If you see “duplicate” messages, it usually means:
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Google found the correct main page, and
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Ignored other versions intentionally
In most cases, this is expected behavior.
Viewing Indexed Pages
STEP ONE
Log in to Google Search Console and open the Page Indexing Report.
STEP TWO
Review which pages are listed as indexed and which are not.
STEP THREE
If an important page is not indexed, use the URL Inspection Tool in Google Search Console to see the reason.
Missing important pages can affect search visibility, but many unindexed pages are intentionally excluded by Google.
Alternate Page with Proper Canonical Tag
What it means:
Google found a duplicate or alternate version of a page and correctly indexed the main version based on the canonical tag.
What to do:
Nothing. This confirms your canonical tags are working as intended.
Duplicate Without User-Selected Canonical
What it means:
Google detected duplicate content and did not find a user-defined canonical preference.
What to do:
In most cases, no action is required. PhotoBiz automatically applies canonical tags to website pages and blog posts.
When this message appears, it is often related to alternate URL formats or tracking parameters rather than an issue with your site content.
Duplicate, Google Chose Different Canonical Than User
What it means:
Google selected a different URL as the canonical version than the one it detected.
What to do:
This does not necessarily indicate a problem. Google may choose a different version if:
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The pages are not similar enough, or
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Google determines another URL better represents the content
Since PhotoBiz manages canonical tags automatically, this message typically does not require changes unless the page content itself is inconsistent.
Not Found (404)
What it means:
Google attempted to access a page that no longer exists.
This often occurs when:
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A page was deleted
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A URL was changed
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An old link still exists elsewhere online
What to do:
Set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to a relevant, active page.
See Our Guide: How to Fix 404 Errors with 301 Redirects
Soft 404
What it means:
Google found the page but determined it does not contain enough meaningful content to index.
What to do:
Either:
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Add useful, original content to the page, or
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Set up a 301 redirect to a more relevant page
https://support.photobiz.com/blog-post/how-to-fix-not-found-404-pages-in-google-search-console
Page with Redirect
What it means:
The URL redirects to another URL. Google will index the final destination page.
What to do:
Nothing. This is normal and expected behavior.
Redirect Error
What it means:
Google could not reach the final destination of a redirect.
What to do:
Inspect the URL in your browser to confirm the redirect works correctly and resolves to a valid page.
Server Error (5xx)
Server error (5xx) can be caused by a number of reasons, but ultimately it is Google not being able to index a page because it is unavailable for Google's website crawler. Below is what each error message refers to.
- 500 – Internal Server Error
- 501 – Not Implemented
- 502 – Bad Gateway
- 503 – Service Unavailable
- 504 – Gateway Timeout
- 505 – HTTP Version Not Supported
- 506 – Variant Also Negotiates
- 507 – Insufficient Storage
- 508 – Loop Detected
- 509 – Bandwidth Limit Exceeded
- 510 – Not Extended (RFC 2774)
- 511 – Network Authentication Required
Crawled - Currently Not Indexed
What it means:
Google crawled the page but chose not to index it.
What to do:
No immediate action is required. Google may index the page later, or it may have determined that the content is not necessary for search results. Make sure the page has clear, original, and helpful content.
Discovered - Currently Not Indexed
What it means:
Google knows the page exists but has not crawled it yet. This can happen when Google is pacing crawl activity or prioritizing other pages.
What to do:
If the page is important, use the URL Inspection Tool in Google Search Console and select Request Indexing.
Helpful Notes
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Many Page Indexing messages are informational, not errors
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Google ultimately decides which pages to index and when
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Indexing status does not guarantee rankings, and lack of indexing does not always indicate a site issue
