You’ll eventually see it if you publish consistently: a page that you know is accessible, you’ve linked it internally, it’s in your sitemap, Google has even visited it… and yet Search Console shows “Crawled – currently not indexed.” This status feels more personal than “Discovered” because Google didn’t just notice your URL, it actually fetched it and still decided the page shouldn’t enter the index right now. On a new site, that can be frustrating. On an established site, it can be confusing. In both cases, the solution is the same: stop treating it like a single “SEO problem” and start treating it like a page quality + uniqueness + intent match + index value decision.
Google isn’t obligated to index everything it can crawl. It indexes what it believes has a reason to exist in the search results. When it crawls a page and chooses not to index it, that’s rarely about one tiny technical tweak. It’s almost always because the page, as Google sees it, doesn’t clear the “worth indexing” threshold compared to alternatives already in the index. Your job is to raise the page’s index value and remove the signals that make it look redundant, thin, or mismatched.
What this status actually means (and what it does not)
“Crawled – currently not indexed” means Google fetched the URL content and then deferred or rejected indexing for now. It does not automatically mean your page is penalised, blocked, or broken. It also does not mean the content is “bad” in a human sense. Many pages are good for users, but still not good candidates for indexing if they don’t offer enough unique search value or if Google sees them as duplicative or uncertain.
It also doesn’t mean the page will never be indexed. Google often revisits these decisions when signals change: better internal linking, stronger site trust, refreshed content, improved intent match, or clearer canonicalisation. But if you do nothing, the page can sit in this state indefinitely, especially if your site produces a lot of similar URLs.
The four buckets that explain almost every case
In practice, almost every “crawled but not indexed” situation falls into one of these buckets. Once you identify the bucket, the fix becomes obvious.
1) The page is not unique enough compared to what already exists
This is the most common reason, especially in SEO, ecommerce, and “how-to” content. If your page covers a topic in a way that looks similar to thousands of pages already indexed, Google can crawl it, understand it, and decide it doesn’t add enough new value to justify index space. This can happen even if the writing is good and the structure is clean. Uniqueness isn’t about creativity. It’s about information gain and angle.
If your content could be swapped with another article and nothing truly changes, Google has no strong reason to index yours yet.
2) The page doesn’t match the dominant search intent
Intent mismatch is underestimated. You can write a technically perfect article, but if the SERP is dominated by tool pages, definitions, templates, videos, or short “quick fix” answers, then a long explanatory essay might not fit what searchers want. Google sees that through behavioural signals and SERP patterns. It crawls you, then decides your format isn’t the right candidate.
This is especially common when people publish “ultimate guides” where the query actually needs a checklist, or publish a checklist where the query expects a deep explanation, or target a query that is actually navigational/brand-biased.
3) The page looks like a variant of another page (duplication / canonical confusion)
Sometimes Google crawls a page and decides it’s a duplicate or near-duplicate of something else. That “something else” might be your own content, or it might be a different URL on your site created by categories, tags, parameters, or pagination. Or it might be that your canonical signals are inconsistent, causing Google to hesitate.
If Google can’t confidently decide which URL is the primary, it may delay indexing the one it trusts least.
4) The site (or section) doesn’t yet have enough trust for that type of content
On new sites, trust matters more. Google may index a few pages, then hold back on many others until it sees stability and real signals. In this scenario, the page might be fine, but the site has not earned enough authority to expand index coverage. This is why new sites often see a wave pattern: some posts index quickly, others don’t, then months later more begin to index after the site proves consistency.
The fix here is not to “force indexing.” It’s to build topical consistency, strengthen internal linking, and improve the ratio of high-value pages to low-value pages.
How to diagnose it properly (a workflow that saves time)
Instead of guessing, you need a repeatable diagnostic path. Here’s the one I use.
Step 1: Confirm Google’s chosen canonical for the URL
Use URL Inspection in Search Console and look at the canonical information. If Google is choosing a different canonical than the one you declared, you have a signal conflict or duplication problem. That alone can explain the “not indexed” decision. A page that Google thinks is not the preferred version will often be crawled but not indexed.
If the chosen canonical is correct and it’s still not indexed, move on. At that point, it’s usually value or intent.
Step 2: Compare the page to the current SERP (not to your own standard)
Search the main query you’re targeting (use incognito or a clean browser profile if you want) and look at the top results. Don’t overanalyse. Just classify what Google is rewarding. Are the top results short? Are they tool-driven? Are they mostly lists? Are they brand-heavy? Are they forum posts? If the SERP format doesn’t match your page format, you’re fighting gravity.
Your job is to either align with the SERP pattern or choose a different, more specific keyword where your format makes sense.
Step 3: Check whether the page is “thin” in Google’s eyes (not word count)
Thin does not mean short. Thin means the page fails to satisfy the query uniquely. A page can be 2,000 words and still be thin if it repeats generic points, doesn’t provide steps, doesn’t include examples, doesn’t answer follow-up questions, or doesn’t show real-world experience.
A fast test is to ask: does the page contain at least a few sections that only someone with hands-on experience would write? Screenshots, specific failure modes, checklists, decision trees, examples, “what I see in audits,” and nuanced trade-offs. These details are where indexing decisions are won.
Step 4: Look for competing URLs on your own site
If you have multiple posts that touch the same query or problem, you can unintentionally cannibalise. Even if the posts are different, Google might see them as overlapping. A new site with several overlapping pages is a common cause of slow or selective indexing.
A simple approach is to search your own domain for the topic and list all pages that could be interpreted as similar. If there’s overlap, decide which page is the primary and adjust the others to target different intent angles.
Step 5: Validate technical basics (only after value/intent checks)
Make sure the page returns a clean 200, loads reliably, and isn’t blocked by noindex, robots rules, or odd headers. But treat this as hygiene, not the main cause. In most cases, if Google crawled it, the basics are good enough. The “not indexed” decision is usually about index value, not accessibility.
The fix plan: what actually changes Google’s mind
Once you know the likely bucket, use the corresponding fix. These are the changes that consistently move pages from “crawled but not indexed” to indexed.
Fix 1: Increase information gain (make the page meaningfully different)
The most effective move is not adding more words. It’s adding better sections. The goal is to give Google and users something that existing pages don’t. You can do that with a more specific angle, deeper troubleshooting, clearer decision logic, and real examples.
For example, if your page is about a Search Console status, don’t just explain what it means. Add a diagnostic flow, list real causes you’ve seen, include the common false positives, and show “if X, do Y” steps. Make it a playbook, not an article.
A strong structure is: what it is, why it happens, how to diagnose, how to fix, mistakes to avoid, and a checklist. That structure creates index value because it’s a task-completion page, not just commentary.
Fix 2: Align the page with search intent (or choose a more precise keyword)
If the SERP expects a quick fix, lead with the fix. If the SERP expects a checklist, provide a checklist early. If the SERP is dominated by ecommerce pages, your informational post might need to target a longer-tail query that matches informational intent.
This is where long-tail targeting helps new sites. Instead of fighting for a broad query like “technical SEO audit,” target “technical SEO audit checklist for Next.js sites” or “technical SEO audit for new sites after launch.” You’ll align with clearer intent and reduce competition.
Fix 3: Eliminate duplication and canonical ambiguity
If Google is choosing a different canonical, fix the signals. Make sure the canonical tag is consistent, internal links point to the canonical, the sitemap lists the canonical, and you’re not creating duplicate routes through parameters, tags, or archives. If you have multiple versions of the same content, consolidate. If you have similar posts, differentiate them by intent and scope rather than letting them compete.
On WordPress, also be careful with tag archives and date archives. A new site can accidentally create many “almost-the-same” pages that dilute crawling and indexing decisions. Keep your content ecosystem clean.
Fix 4: Strengthen internal linking and topical context
Google indexes pages more confidently when it sees them embedded in a meaningful topic cluster. That means your page should both receive and give internal links that make semantic sense. Link from a relevant category area or homepage block. Link from related posts. Use descriptive anchors that reflect the topic naturally.
If your site is new, a page that has no meaningful internal links is easy for Google to delay. Internal linking is one of the quickest levers you control.
Fix 5: Improve the “quality signals” Google can actually observe
Quality isn’t only content. It’s also presentation and trust. Add an author bio (even short), include a clear last updated date if you maintain content, cite a few credible sources when relevant, and make the page easy to read without turning it into short, choppy paragraphs. A clean, confident page layout with real-world detail often gets indexed faster than a generic page with perfect formatting but no substance.
How long should you wait before taking action?
If your site is brand new and you’ve published the page within the last few days, waiting is normal. Google may crawl and re-evaluate. But waiting without improving anything is not a strategy. My rule of thumb is simple: if an important URL sits in “crawled but not indexed” for more than two weeks, you should either improve it meaningfully, merge it into a stronger page, or change the targeting to a clearer long-tail intent.
The worst approach is to publish more similar pages and hope Google eventually “gets it.” Google does get it. It’s often choosing not to index because the page hasn’t earned index value yet.
The fast path for new sites: choose your battles
Here’s the practical truth for new sites: not every page needs to be indexed immediately. Your job is to ensure your best pages are index-worthy and clearly connected. If you build a consistent cluster around a core topic (like Search Console indexing statuses), those pages will reinforce each other. Google will crawl more confidently, index more broadly, and your “crawled but not indexed” list will shrink.
This is exactly why publishing strategy matters. Early on, focus on posts that have high practical demand, clear intent, and strong diagnostic value. This is the kind of content that earns trust and makes Google allocate more index attention to your domain over time.
