If you've ever opened your inbox to find a message from Google Search Console telling you that some of your pages aren't being indexed, your first instinct might be to worry. Before you do, let me borrow two words from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Don't Panic.
Nine times out of ten, it's a false alarm.
Why Google flags pages it isn't listing
Here's the bit these emails don't always spell out: the pages Google is telling you about are very often pages you never wanted listed in the first place. They exist, they're quietly doing their job in the background, and Google simply isn't showing them in search results — which is exactly what you want.
A few examples of pages you're better off keeping out of Google:
- Your admin area. On a WordPress site, that's the
/wp-adminpart — the bit after your web address where you log in and edit everything. There's no reason for the wider world to find that in a search. - Your terms and conditions. Good to have on your site, but not something you need ranking on Google.
- Other behind-the-scenes pages that keep your site running but aren't there to win you customers.
The pages that actually matter
What you do want Google focusing on are the pages that bring you business:
- Your service pages
- Your product pages
- Your About page
- Your Contact page
These are the ones you want people finding, so they can get in touch and make an enquiry. As long as those are being indexed nicely, a handful of admin or legal pages sitting outside the search results is completely normal — and healthy.
Still not sure?
If you've had one of these emails and you're genuinely uncertain whether it's something or nothing, don't lose sleep over it. Drop me a line and I'll take a look for you, and tell you straight whether there's anything to sort out.
But honestly? It's probably nothing to worry about.
Got a question about your website or how you're showing up on Google? Email me at abbie@polyspiral.com, or book a website health check at polyspiral.com/help.
