1. SEJ
  2.  ⋅ 
  3. Technical SEO

Your Indexed Pages Are Going Down – 5 Possible Reasons Why

Have you noticed a decrease in the number of indexed pages Google is reporting? Here are a few tips on how to diagnose and fix the issue.

Your Indexed Pages Are Going Down – 5 Possible Reasons Why

Getting your webpages indexed by Google (and other search engines) is essential. Pages that aren’t indexed can’t rank.

How do you see how many pages you have indexed? You can

Each will give different numbers, but why they are different is another story.

For now, let’s just talk about analyzing a decrease in the number of indexed pages reported by Google.

If your pages aren’t being indexed, this could be a sign that Google may not like your page or may not be able to easily crawl it. Therefore, if your indexed page count begins to decrease, this could be because either:

  • You’ve been slapped with a Google penalty.
  • Google thinks your pages are irrelevant.
  • Google can’t crawl your pages.

Here are a few tips on how to diagnose and fix the issue of decreasing numbers of indexed pages.

1. Are the Pages Loading Properly?

Make sure they have the proper 200 HTTP Header Status.

Did the server experience frequent or long downtime? Did the domain recently expire and was renewed late?

Action Item

You can use a free HTTP Header Status checking tool to determine whether the proper status is there. For massive sites, typical crawling tools like Xenu, DeepCrawl, Screaming Frog, or Botify can test these.

The correct header status is 200. Sometimes some 3xx (except the 301), 4xx, or 5xx errors may appear – none of these are good news for the URLs you want to be indexed.

2. Did Your URLs Change Recently?

Sometimes a change in CMS, backend programming, or server setting that results in a change in domain, subdomain, or folder may consequently change the URLs of a site.

Search engines may remember the old URLs but, if they don’t redirect properly, a lot of pages can become de-indexed.

Action Item

Hopefully, a copy of the old site can still be visited in some way or form to take note of all old URLs so you can map out the 301 redirects to the corresponding URLs.

3. Did You Fix Duplicate Content Issues?

Fixing duplicate content often involves implementing canonical tags, 301 redirects, noindex meta tags, or disallows in robots.txt. All of which can result in a decrease in indexed URLs.

This is one example where the decrease in indexed pages might be a good thing.

Action Item

Since this is good for your site, the only thing you need to do is to double check that this is definitely the cause of the decrease of indexed pages and not anything else.

4. Are Your Pages Timing Out?

Some servers have bandwidth restrictions because of the associated cost that comes with a higher bandwidth; these servers may need to be upgraded.

Sometimes, the issue is hardware related and can be resolved by upgrading your hardware processing or memory limitation.

Some sites block IP addresses when visitors access too many pages at a certain rate. This setting is a strict way to avoid any DDOS hacking attempts but it can also have a negative impact on your site.

Typically, this is monitored at a page’s second setting and if the threshold is too low, normal search engine bot crawling may hit the threshold and the bots cannot crawl the site properly.

Action Item

If this is a server bandwidth limitation, then it might be an appropriate time to upgrade services.

If it is a server processing/memory issue, aside from upgrading the hardware, double check if you have any kind of server caching technology in place, this will give less stress on the server.

If an anti-DDOS software is in place, either relax the settings or whitelist Googlebot to not be blocked anytime. Beware though, there are some fake Googlebots out there; be sure to detect googlebot properly. Detecting Bingbot has a similar procedure.

5. Do Search Engine Bots See Your Site Differently?

Sometimes what search engine spiders see is different than what we see.

Some developers build sites in a preferred way without knowing the SEO implications.

Occasionally, a preferred out-of-the-box CMS will be used without checking if it is search engine friendly.

Sometimes, it might have been done on purpose by an SEO who attempted to do content cloaking, trying to game the search engines.

Other times, the website has been compromised by hackers, who cause a different page to be shown to Google to promote their hidden links or cloak the 301 redirections to their own site.

The worse situation would be pages that are infected with some type of malware that Google automatically deindexes the page immediately once detected.

Action Item

Using Google Search Console’s fetch and render feature is the best way to see if Googlebot is seeing the same content as you are.

You may also try to translate the page in Google Translate even if you have no intention to translate the language or check Google’s Cached page, but there are also ways around these to still cloak content behind them.

Index Pages Are Not Used as Typical KPIs

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), which help measure the success of an SEO campaign, often revolve around organic search traffic and ranking. KPIs tend to focus on the goals of a business, which are tied to revenue.

An increase in indexed pages may increase the possible number of keywords you can rank for that can result in higher profits.

However, the point of looking at indexed pages is mainly just to see whether search engines are able to crawl and index your pages properly.

Remember, your pages can’t rank when search engines can’t see, crawl, or index them.

A Decrease in Indexed Pages Isn’t Always Bad

Most of the time, a decrease in indexed pages could mean a bad thing, but a fix to duplicate content, thin content, or low-quality content might also result in a decreased number of indexed pages, which is a good thing.

Learn how to evaluate your site by looking at these five possible reasons why your indexed pages are going down.


Image Credits

Featured Image: Paulo Bobita

Category SEO
ADVERTISEMENT
VIP CONTRIBUTOR Benj Arriola Senior Digital Analyst at Adswerve

Benj is a Senior SEO Director at 85Sixty based in San Diego. Benj has been practicing SEO since 2004 and ...

universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
soxtry.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
maw-pr.com
zaaksen.com
ypxsptbfd7.com
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
onlinenewsofindia.com
worldgraphic-team.com
bnsrz.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
webmanicura.com
osostore.com
softsmob.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
odskc.com
inzziln.info
leaiiln.info
cq-oa.com
dqtianshun.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
bartoysdirect.com
taquerialoscompadresdc.com
aaoodln.info
amcckln.info
drvrnln.info
dwabmln.info
fcsjoln.info
hlonxln.info
kcmeiln.info
kplrrln.info
fatcatoons.com
91guoys.com
signupforfreehosting.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
topsedu.xyz
xmxm7.com
x332.xyz
sportstrainingblog.com
autopartspares.com
readguy.net
soniasegreto.com
bobbygdavis.com
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
qazwsxedcokmijn.com
parabis.net
terriesandelin.com
luxuryhomme.com
studyexpanse.com
ronoom.com
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
snn01.com
hope-kelley.com
bancodeprofissionais.com
zjccp99.com
liturgycreator.com
weedsmj.com
majorelenco.com
colcollect.com
androidnews-jp.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
nova-click.com
abeautifulcrazylife.com
diggmobile.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
sizam-design.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
bamthemes.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com
avgo.top