Google Search Console’s Index Coverage report is an essential tool for monitoring how well Google can access and index your website. By reviewing this report regularly, you can identify and resolve technical issues that might prevent Google from crawling your pages, ultimately improving your site’s SEO performance. Understanding and fixing these errors ensures that your most important content appears in search results, giving your website the best chance of ranking well.
What is the Index Coverage Report?
The Index Coverage Report in Google Search Console provides insights into how effectively Google is indexing your website. It highlights which pages are successfully indexed, which ones are excluded, and what errors or warnings might be preventing proper indexing. This report breaks down your pages into categories such as Error, Valid with Warnings, Valid, and Excluded. Regularly reviewing this report ensures that your website remains crawlable and indexable, both of which are critical for maintaining search visibility.
Common Coverage Errors and Warnings
There are several common errors and warnings that you may encounter in the Index Coverage report:
- Submitted URL Not Found (404): This occurs when a URL submitted in your sitemap cannot be found by Google, leading to a „404” error.
- Redirect Error: When a page is redirecting incorrectly, either causing loops or broken redirects.
- Server Errors (5xx): Indicates that Google encountered a server issue when trying to access the page.
- Crawl Anomaly: This covers any unexpected issues that occurred when Google attempted to crawl your website but couldn’t pinpoint the exact cause.
- Excluded by ‘Noindex’ tag: Pages that you’ve deliberately marked not to be indexed using a „noindex” tag.
Understanding these common issues helps you take targeted actions to resolve them quickly and keep your site in good health.
How to Resolve “Submitted URL Not Found”
The “Submitted URL Not Found (404)” error indicates that a URL included in your sitemap no longer exists on your website. To resolve this issue:
- Check the URL: Ensure that the page exists. If the page was deleted intentionally, consider removing it from your sitemap.
- Redirect if Necessary: If the page was moved, set up a 301 redirect to point the old URL to the new location. This preserves any link equity the old page may have had.
- Update the Sitemap: Once the error is fixed, update your sitemap and submit it again in Google Search Console for reindexing.
Properly addressing 404 errors ensures that Google can find and index the correct pages, which improves your site’s overall visibility.
Using GSC for 404 and Redirect Errors
Google Search Console can help you manage 404 errors and incorrect redirects more effectively. For 404s, it’s essential to review whether the page should be restored, redirected, or removed. For redirect errors, such as redirect loops or chains, fix the redirect paths to point directly to the target page, ensuring there are no unnecessary hops or broken paths. Using the URL Inspection Tool in GSC, you can test individual pages and request Google to re-crawl the URL after resolving errors. This guarantees that your corrections are acknowledged quickly by Google, speeding up the resolution process.
Improving Your Site’s Indexing Health
Maintaining a healthy index status is crucial for your website’s SEO. Regularly checking and fixing errors in the Index Coverage Report can ensure that all your important pages are accessible and properly indexed. In addition to addressing errors, make sure to:
- Submit a Correct Sitemap: Always keep your sitemap up-to-date with the correct URLs. This helps Google understand which pages should be indexed.
- Use Robots.txt Appropriately: Ensure you’re not blocking important pages from being crawled by Google.
- Optimize Mobile Usability: Since Google uses mobile-first indexing, make sure your website performs well on mobile devices.
- Monitor and Fix Issues Regularly: Regular maintenance helps prevent indexing problems from accumulating, ensuring that your site stays in good shape over time.
For a more comprehensive understanding of Google Search Console and how to fix coverage issues, consider our detailed Google search console course. It provides in-depth training on utilizing GSC to optimize your site’s indexing health and improve your SEO performance.