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What Is Google Page Indexing Report Telling Me?

Aug 10 2026 | By: PhotoBiz Knowledge Base

Understanding Google Search Console Page Indexing Messages

Overview

Google Search Console helps you understand how Google discovers, crawls, and indexes your website. Some messages in the Page Indexing Report can look concerning, but many are normal and do not indicate a problem with your PhotoBiz website.

This guide explains the most common Page Indexing messages, what they mean, and whether you need to take action. It also explains when an unindexed page may be expected and when you should investigate further.

Please Note: PhotoBiz is not affiliated with Google. Our Support Team can help you install or verify your Google Search Console verification code and troubleshoot PhotoBiz website settings. For questions about how Google Search Console works or why Google chooses to index specific pages, refer to Google's documentation about the Page Indexing Report.

About the Page Indexing Report

The Page Indexing Report shows which URLs Google has indexed and which URLs are currently excluded from its index.

Only indexed pages are eligible to appear in Google Search results. However, this does not mean every URL Google discovers on your website needs to be indexed.

Google generally tries to index the main, or canonical, version of a page while excluding duplicate URLs, alternate versions, redirects, and other URLs that do not need to appear separately in search results.

Because of this, many Page Indexing messages are informational rather than errors.

Do All of My Pages Need to Be Indexed?

No. It is normal for Google Search Console to show some URLs as not indexed.

Your main concern should be whether the important public pages you want potential clients to find through Google are indexed.

URLs that may not need to be indexed can include:

  • Duplicate versions of pages
  • Alternate URL formats
  • Redirecting URLs
  • Pages intentionally removed from your website
  • System-related pages that are not intended for search results

Seeing URLs listed under Not indexed does not automatically mean something is wrong with your PhotoBiz website.

Canonical Tags and PhotoBiz Websites

PhotoBiz automatically generates canonical tags for pages created in the Website Builder and for blog posts.

Canonical information is also consistently associated with:

  • Your website sitemap
  • Your RSS feed

A canonical tag helps tell search engines which version of a page should be treated as the primary version when multiple similar URLs exist.

Because PhotoBiz manages canonical tags automatically, many canonical-related messages in Google Search Console are expected and do not require changes to your website.

Related Guides:

How Canonical Tags Work with Pages

How Canonical Tags Work with Blog Posts

When Should You Take Action?

You should investigate a Page Indexing message when:

  • An important public page you want visitors to find is unexpectedly not indexed
  • Several important pages suddenly disappear from Google's index
  • An important page repeatedly reports a Server Error or Redirect Error
  • Google selects an unexpected canonical URL
  • A page that should still exist reports a 404 or Soft 404
  • An important public page is unexpectedly blocked from crawling or indexing

If the affected URLs are duplicates, redirects, intentionally removed pages, or system-related pages that do not need to appear in Google Search, no action may be required.

Viewing Your Page Indexing Report

STEP ONE

Log in to Google Search Console and open the Page Indexing report for your website.

The report shows which URLs Google has indexed and which URLs are currently not indexed.

STEP TWO

Review the reasons listed under the Not indexed section.

Click a reason to see examples of URLs affected by that indexing status.

FINAL STEP

If an important page is not indexed, use the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console to inspect that specific URL.

URL Inspection can provide additional information about how Google sees the page, including its indexing status and canonical information.

If the page is working correctly and should appear in search results, you may also have the option to click Request Indexing. Requesting indexing asks Google to recrawl the page, but it does not guarantee that Google will add the page to its index.

Alternate Page with Proper Canonical Tag

What it means:

Google found an alternate or duplicate version of a page and identified another URL as the canonical version.

What to do:

Usually, nothing. This generally means Google recognized the correct primary version of the page and does not need to index the alternate URL separately.

Duplicate Without User-Selected Canonical

What it means:

Google found a duplicate URL that did not specify a preferred canonical URL, so Google selected another URL as the canonical version.

PhotoBiz automatically manages canonical tags for primary Website Builder pages and blog posts. However, Google may discover additional URL variations that it considers duplicates.

What to do:

In most cases, no action is required if Google selected the correct PhotoBiz page as the canonical version.

Use the URL Inspection tool if you want to see which URL Google selected.

Duplicate, Google Chose Different Canonical Than User

What it means:

Google selected a different canonical URL than the canonical URL specified for the page.

Google may choose another URL if it determines that version better represents the content.

What to do:

Use the URL Inspection tool to compare the User-declared canonical and Google-selected canonical.

This message does not automatically indicate a problem. If Google selected an unexpected page and the affected pages contain significantly different content, review the pages for duplication or inconsistencies.

Not Found (404)

What it means:

Google attempted to visit a URL that no longer exists.

This can happen when:

  • A page was deleted
  • A page URL was changed
  • An old link still exists somewhere online
  • Google previously discovered a URL that is no longer used

What to do:

If the page moved or has a relevant replacement, create a 301 redirect from the old URL to the appropriate active page.

If the page was intentionally removed and there is no appropriate replacement, a 404 may be normal and no action may be required.

Related Guide: How to Fix Not Found (404) Errors with 301 Redirects

Soft 404

What it means:

Google was able to access the URL, but the page appears to contain missing, empty, or error-like content rather than a useful page.

Unlike a standard 404, the URL may still technically return a successful page response.

What to do:

If the page should exist, make sure it contains useful, original content.

If the page should no longer exist and there is a relevant replacement, create a 301 redirect to the appropriate page.

Page with Redirect

What it means:

The URL redirects visitors and search engines to another URL.

Google generally does not index the redirecting URL and instead evaluates the final destination URL for indexing.

What to do:

Nothing if the redirect goes to the correct destination. This is normal behavior.

Redirect Error

What it means:

Google encountered a problem while trying to follow a redirect.

What to do:

Open the affected URL in your browser and confirm that it redirects to the correct active page.

If the redirect does not work correctly, review your 301 redirect settings or contact PhotoBiz Support for assistance.

Server Error (5xx)

What it means:

Google could not access the page because the website server returned an error.

Temporary server errors can occasionally occur and may resolve on their own.

What to do:

Open the affected URL and confirm that the page loads normally.

If multiple important pages on your PhotoBiz website continue to report Server Error (5xx), contact PhotoBiz Support so our team can help investigate.

  • 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 successfully crawled the page but decided not to index it at this time.

The page may be indexed later, or Google may determine that it does not need to appear separately in search results.

What to do:

No immediate action is required.

Make sure the page contains clear, original, and useful content and is linked appropriately from your website.

You do not need to repeatedly request indexing for the same URL.

Discovered - Currently Not Indexed

What it means:

Google knows the URL exists but has not crawled it yet.

Google may delay crawling while it prioritizes other URLs or manages crawl activity.

What to do:

If the page is important, make sure it is linked from your website and included in your sitemap.

You can also inspect the URL and click Request Indexing, but requesting indexing does not guarantee that Google will index the page.

URL Blocked by robots.txt

What it means:

Google was prevented from crawling the URL based on instructions in your website's robots.txt file.

Every launched PhotoBiz website automatically includes a robots.txt file. You can view yours by adding /robots.txt to the end of your domain name.

For example:

https://www.yourdomain.com/robots.txt

Some PhotoBiz system-related URLs are intentionally restricted from search engine crawlers.

What to do:

If the blocked URL is a system-related page, no action may be required.

If an important public website page is unexpectedly blocked and you expect it to appear in Google Search, use the URL Inspection tool to review the URL and contact PhotoBiz Support if you need help.

Related Guide: What Is the Robots.txt File for My PhotoBiz Website?

URL Marked "noindex"

What it means:

Google found an instruction telling it not to include the page in search results.

What to do:

If the page is intentionally excluded from search results, no action is required.

If this appears for an important public page that you expect Google to index, use the URL Inspection tool to confirm the status.

Request Indexing vs. Validate Fix

Google Search Console may give you different options depending on the type of issue being reported.

  • Request Indexing asks Google to recrawl a specific URL.
  • Validate Fix tells Google that you believe an indexing issue affecting one or more URLs has been corrected and asks Google to review the affected pages again.

You do not need to use Validate Fix for Google to eventually recognize a correction. Google can update the Page Indexing Report as it crawls your website again.

Neither option guarantees that Google will index a page.

Helpful Notes

  • Many Page Indexing messages are informational rather than errors.
  • Google ultimately decides which pages to crawl and index.
  • Requesting indexing does not guarantee that Google will index a page.
  • An indexed page is eligible to appear in Google Search, but indexing does not guarantee rankings or visibility for a specific search.
  • Duplicate URLs, redirects, and alternate versions of pages often do not need to be indexed separately.
  • Focus primarily on whether your important public pages are indexed and accessible.
  • Google Search Console reports can take time to update after changes are made to your website.
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