Is Google Ignoring Your Site? 5 Steps to Get Back in the Index

Google has always leaned heavily towards beefier content, but it would recognize lighter content. No longer. Here's the fix.

  By  

Ken Morico

  updated  10/23/2023

Getting Indexed in Google is Now a Privilege.

Lately I've been noticing not all of my posts are getting indexed in Google. Posts aren't being included as fast as they used to, either. What gives? Well, there is so much content on the web that I believe Google doesn't want to waste resources including content that is opinion-based or non-comprehensive. Also, certain topics can raise flags with Google like cryptocurrency, health, and other topics often mired with con artists and online scammers. Google has always leaned heavily towards beefier Web content, but it would usually at least index lighter content. That seems to have changed.

5 Ways to Get Indexed on Google after Getting Ignored

1. Check Your Indexing Status: Use Google Search Console's Coverage report (https://search.google.com/search-console/about) to see which of your pages are not indexed but discovered by Google. Additionally, you can use the "site:yoursite.com" search operator on Google to see what gets listed.

2. Focus on Quality Content: Strive to create comprehensive and informative content that goes beyond mere opinions. Google seems to prioritize in-depth content over lighter pieces.

3. Beware Sensitive Topics: If your content heavily involves topics like cryptocurrency, health, or anything prone to scams, it might raise red flags for Google and hinder indexing.

4. Build Backlinks: Earning high-quality backlinks from reputable websites can signal to Google that your content is valuable, potentially influencing indexing decisions as mentioned by John Mu, a Google Search Advocate.

5. Improve Your Content: If Google hasn't indexed a page, consider revising it to be more informative and relevant. This might involve adding depth, addressing specific user needs, or incorporating better structure and organization.

The Backstory

We aren't getting an at-bat anymore just for producing content.

It's important to keep this in mind depending on your content strategy. It was easy to get indexed when the Web was smaller. Like every industry, with globalization and an increasing population, nearly every industry is getting harder to compete in. We need to be better and more productive.

So, you have a site. How can you see what's not indexed? Log into Google Search Console and then select Coverage. Then select Crawled - currently not indexed. This will list pages Google isn't indexing but knows about. You can also go to Google.com and type "site:yourdomain.com" and it will list all the pages for your domain / site.

Google may index the missing pages later, but you'll probably need to improve the pages in many ways and possibly get high-quality backlinks before Google reconsiders adding them to the index.

In fact, John Mu, Search Advocate at Google confirmed high quality backlinks can trigger an index.

If you have a small business, this is something I can help with. Get a consulting session for bespoke solutions for your particular needs and industry.

Have you noticed your content not getting indexed? Contact me, Ken Morico, Digital Marketing Consultant and let me know.