Google Search Console Indexing Errors: What They Mean and When to Take Action

If you’ve ever received an email from Google Search Console about “indexing errors,” you’re not alone.

And if your first thought was “Something is wrong with my website…” — that’s also completely normal.

The truth is, most of these messages are informational, not urgent. But without context, they can feel alarming.

This post will help you understand what these errors actually mean, and more importantly, when they require action (and when they don’t).

How Indexing Actually Starts (and Where GSC Fits In)

One of the most common misconceptions is that setting up Google Search Console is what starts Google indexing your site.

It’s not.

Google is already discovering websites on its own by:

• Following links from other websites
• Finding your domain through DNS and hosting activity
• Crawling previously known pages

So your site can begin appearing in search results even before GSC is set up.

What GSC does is something different—and much more useful:

It gives Google a clear, structured understanding of what you want indexed.

Why Your Sitemap Matters More Than You Think

When you submit a sitemap (like /sitemap_index.xml from the Yoast SEO plugin), you’re essentially saying: “These are the pages on my site that matter.”

This helps Google:

• Prioritize important pages
• Discover new content faster
• Understand your site structure more clearly

Without a sitemap, Google will still crawl your site—but it’s doing it more passively, and sometimes less efficiently.

A Simple, Clean GSC Setup

The easiest way to set up Google Search Console on a WordPress site is by using the Google Sitekit plugin, which walks you through the process seemlessly.

If you’re setting up Google Search Console manually, here are the basics:

1. Add Your Property

• Choose Domain Property if possible (this covers everything: http, https, www, non-www)
• Verify via DNS (usually through your hosting or domain provider)

2. Submit Your Sitemap

• Go to Sitemaps
• Enter: /sitemap_index.xml (if using Yoast or similar)

3. Let It Sit

• You don’t need to manually submit every page
• Google will begin crawling based on your sitemap and internal links

4. (Optional) Request Indexing for Key Pages

Use this sparingly for:

• New websites
• Newly published important pages
• Not necessary for every blog post

Google provides more information on the Search Console setup process HERE.

Why These Messages Feel So Alarming

Google reports everything it sees — not just problems.

That includes:

• Pages you intentionally redirected
• Pages you deleted
• Pages it decided not to index (even if they’re valid)

So when you see a list of “errors,” it’s easy to assume something is broken.

In many cases, nothing is!

Common Indexing Statuses (Translated into Plain English)

“Discovered – currently not indexed”

Google knows the page exists but hasn’t crawled it yet.

What this usually means:

• New content
• Low crawl priority
• No strong internal links yet

Take action if it’s an important page and still not indexed after a couple of weeks

“Crawled – currently not indexed”

Google looked at the page and chose not to include it in search results.

What this usually means:

• Thin or low-value content (in Google’s eyes)
• Duplicate or similar content elsewhere
• Content that doesn’t match search intent

Take action if this is happening to key pages you want to rank.

Sometimes, this status can raise deeper questions—especially if your content falls outside of conventional or mainstream topics.

If you’ve ever wondered whether Google treats certain types of content differently, I’ll be exploring that more fully in a separate post.

“Page with redirect”

The page redirects somewhere else.

What this usually means: This is working exactly as intended.

Take action if the redirect is accidental or pointing to the wrong place

“Not found (404)”

The page doesn’t exist.

What this usually means: you deleted or moved a page.

Take action if:

• The page should exist
• Or you want to redirect it to something relevant

“Soft 404”

The page looks like a real page, but Google considers it to have little or no useful content.

What this usually means:

• Very minimal or placeholder content
• “No results found” pages
• Pages that don’t offer clear value

Take action if:

• This is an important page
• Or you intended for it to have meaningful content

“Excluded by ‘noindex’ tag”

The page is intentionally set to not appear in search results.

What this usually means:

• A setting in your SEO plugin (like Yoast) is telling Google not to index the page
• The page may be a thank-you page, admin page, or something not meant for public search

Take action if this is a page you do want to show up in search.

“Duplicate without user-selected canonical”

Google found similar pages and chose one as the main version.

What this usually means: normal behavior on many sites (especially blogs, archives, or parameter URLs).

Take action if the wrong version is being prioritized.

Sometimes you’ll see “Google chose a different canonical than user,” which means Google disagreed with your preferred version and selected another page instead.

“Blocked by robots.txt”

The page is intentionally blocked from crawling.

What this usually means:

You (or your developer/plugins) told Google not to crawl it.

Take action if the page should actually be visible in search.

“Blocked by server (403 / other 4xx errors)”

Google tried to access the page but wasn’t allowed.

What this usually means:

• Security or firewall settings (sometimes from hosting or tools like Imunify360)
• Password-protected pages
• Permissions or configuration issues

Take action if:

• The page should be publicly accessible
• You recently changed security or hosting settings

Which Errors Actually Matter?

Here’s what I want people to understand as they navigate these errors:

A “report” from Google is not the same as a “problem.”

Focus your attention on:

• Pages that drive business value (home, services, key posts)
• Patterns (a sudden spike in errors)
• Pages that used to rank but no longer do

Everything else is often just background noise.

When to Take Action

Use this as a simple filter:

Take action when:

• Important pages aren’t being indexed
• A large number of pages suddenly show errors
• Something changed recently (redesign, migration, new plugin)
• Traffic or visibility dropped alongside the errors

You can usually leave it alone when:

• The pages are intentionally redirected or removed
• The errors are on low-priority or outdated content
• The numbers are small and stable over time

A Practical Tip

Make sure your site has:

• At least two verified owners in Google Search Console (for example, you and the person you have designated to maintain your site)
• A submitted sitemap (usually /sitemap_index.xml if you’re using the Yoast SEO plugin)

This prevents access issues and helps Google understand your site structure more clearly.

Some Final Thoughts

It’s easy to assume that every alert from Google means something is wrong.

But in reality, this system is designed to report activity, not just problems.

Learning to tell the difference is what turns these messages into information you can use to make your site even more search engine friendly.