Google Search Console is the most important part of a technical SEO campaign. 

If you have issues with your website this will help you to find and fix these errors. 

You can easily identify the errors on your website. 

Let’s talk deeply about these issues and solve them. 

1: Security Issues

This is the crucial issue of your website. You shouldn’t skip this issue. These are the 5 common reasons for security issues.

Unauthorized access: If an unauthorized user gains access to your Google Search Console account, they could potentially manipulate your website’s data, submit spammy content, or even remove your site from Google’s search results.

Phishing attacks: Phishing attacks can involve fake emails or websites that trick users into providing their Google Search Console login credentials, leading to unauthorized access to the account.

Malware or hacking: If your website or server is compromised with malware or gets hacked, it could potentially impact the security of your Google Search Console account, as the account is linked to your website’s data and settings.

Cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks: XSS attacks occur when malicious scripts are injected into a website, which could potentially affect Google Search Console if the scripts manipulate or steal data from the account.

Social engineering attacks: Social engineering attacks involve manipulating individuals to divulge sensitive information, such as Google Search Console login credentials, through deception or manipulation.

I hope you have identified the issues. After identifying you can solve them. Remember you should try to solve these issues as soon as possible. 

Page with redirect

A “Page with redirect issue” typically refers to a webpage that has a redirect implemented incorrectly or in a way that may cause issues with search engine optimization (SEO) or user experience. 

Redirects are instructions that automatically direct web browsers from one URL to another. They are commonly used for various purposes, such as redirecting users from old URLs to new ones after a website migration, consolidating duplicate content, or redirecting broken links.

However, if redirects are implemented incorrectly or misconfigured, they can lead to problems that can impact SEO and user experience. Some common issues with page redirects include:

Redirect loops: A redirect loop occurs when a chain of redirects continuously redirects users from one URL to another in an infinite loop, preventing users from reaching the intended destination and causing a poor user experience.

Slow page load times: If redirects are not optimized or implemented inefficiently, they can add extra load time to a webpage, potentially resulting in slow page load times, which can negatively affect user experience and SEO.

Loss of link equity: Redirects can also impact the distribution of link equity (i.e., SEO value) from the original URL to the redirected URL. If implemented incorrectly, link equity may not pass effectively, resulting in a potential loss of SEO value for the redirected page.

Incorrect redirect type: There are different types of redirects, such as 301 (permanent) and 302 (temporary), each serving different purposes. Using the wrong type of redirect can result in incorrect indexing or caching by search engines, leading to SEO issues.

Broken or outdated redirects: If a redirect is pointing to a URL that no longer exists or has changed, it can result in broken links or outdated content, leading to a poor user experience and potentially impacting SEO.

It’s important to ensure that redirects are implemented correctly, using best practices, and regularly reviewed to avoid potential issues with page redirects.

Properly implemented redirects can help maintain SEO value, preserve user experience, and ensure that visitors reach the correct destination URL.

If you suspect issues with redirects on your website, it’s recommended to review and update them accordingly or seek assistance from a qualified SEO professional.

 

Alternative page with proper canonical tag

An “Alternative page with the proper canonical tag” refers to a webpage that is designated as an alternative version of another page on a website, and includes a canonical tag that indicates the preferred or canonical version of the content.

When implementing an alternative page with a proper canonical tag, You should follow the following steps. So let’s get started:

Identify the duplicate or similar content: Determine which pages on your website have similar or duplicate content that you want to consolidate.

Create the alternative page: Create a single preferred version of the content that you want to designate as the canonical version. This could involve merging content from multiple pages or creating a new page with the consolidated content.

Implement the canonical tag: On the alternative page, include a canonical tag in the HTML header, specifying the URL of the preferred or canonical version of the content. An example of this is given below.

<link rel=”canonical”

href=”https://www.example.com/

preferred-page”>

Update links and references: Update any internal links, references, or sitemaps to point to the preferred or canonical version of the content, rather than the duplicate or similar pages.

Monitor and verify: Regularly monitor and verify that the canonical tags are correctly implemented and functioning as intended. Use tools like Google Search Console or third-party SEO auditing tools to check for any potential issues or errors.

Excluded by ‘noindex’ tag

“Excluded by ‘noindex’ tag” refers to webpages on a website that have been intentionally excluded from being indexed by search engines using the ‘noindex’ meta tag. The ‘noindex’ meta tag is an HTML meta tag that can be added to the header of a webpage to instruct search engines not to index that particular webpage. 

You can do this for different reasons, such as preventing duplicate content from being indexed, hiding low-quality or temporary pages from search results, or keeping private or sensitive information hidden from public search results.

However, if webpages are unintentionally or mistakenly tagged with ‘index’, it can lead to issues with search engine visibility and indexing, potentially resulting in decreased organic search traffic and visibility. To solve the issue of webpages being excluded by the ‘noindex’ tag, you can follow the steps below:

Review ‘noindex’ tags: Conduct a thorough review of the ‘noindex’ meta tags on your web pages to identify any unintentional or incorrect usage. Check the HTML header of each webpage to ensure that the ‘noindex’ meta tag is not present or has been intentionally added for valid reasons.

Update ‘noindex’ tags: If you identify any unintentional or incorrect usage of ‘no index’ tags, update the HTML header of the affected webpages to remove the ‘noindex’ meta tag or replace it with the appropriate indexing instruction, such as ‘index’ for allowing indexing or ‘follow’ for allowing indexing and following links.

Verify changes: After making changes to the ‘no index’ tags, verify that the changes have been correctly implemented by checking the HTML source code of the webpages or using tools like Google Search Console or third-party SEO auditing tools to confirm that the ‘noindex’ tag has been removed or updated.

Submit to search engines: If the webpages were previously excluded by ‘noindex’ tags, submit the updated webpages to search engines for re-indexing. This can be done through the search engine’s submission or indexing request tools, such as Google Search Console or Bing Webmaster Tools.

Monitor and maintain: Regularly monitor the ‘no-index’ tags on your web pages to ensure that they are correctly implemented and maintained over time. Conduct regular audits and reviews to identify and fix any potential issues or mistakes.

It’s important to ensure that ‘noindex’ tags are used intentionally and judiciously, following best practices, and regularly reviewed to avoid potential issues with search engine visibility and indexing. Properly managing ‘noindex’ tags can help improve the SEO performance and visibility of your website in search results. If you’re unsure about the usage of ‘no index’ tags on your website, consulting with an experienced SEO professional can be beneficial.

Duplicate without user-selected canonical

Duplicate without user-selected canonical” refers to duplicate content issues on a website where a preferred or canonical version of the content has not been explicitly selected or specified by the website owner or user. Canonicalization is the process of indicating the preferred version of a webpage when there are multiple versions of similar or duplicate content. User-selected canonical refers to the explicit designation of a preferred version of content by the website owner or user.

Duplicate content can occur on websites in various ways, such as through multiple URLs with identical or similar content, URL variations, session IDs, print-friendly pages, or HTTP vs. HTTPS versions of the same content. When a preferred or canonical version of the content has not been explicitly selected or specified, search engines may not be able to determine the most authoritative version of the content, leading to potential issues with search engine visibility, indexing, and rankings.

To solve the issue of duplicate content without user-selected canonical, you can follow the steps below:

Identify duplicate content: Conduct a thorough audit of your website to identify duplicate content pages or variations that are causing the issue. This can involve checking for duplicate URLs, URL parameters, session IDs, or other similar content that may be causing duplicate content problems.

Evaluate content variations: Evaluate the different variations of content and determine which version should be the preferred or canonical version. Consider factors such as content quality, relevance, user experience, and business goals to make an informed decision.

Implement canonical tags: Once you have determined the preferred or canonical version of the content, implement canonical tags on the duplicate content pages, pointing to the preferred version. Canonical tags are HTML tags that indicate to search engines the preferred version of a webpage. For example:

bash

Copy code

<link rel=”canonical” href=”https://www.example.com/

preferred-page”>

Verify canonical tags: Verify that the canonical tags are correctly implemented and functioning as intended. Use tools like Google Search Console or third-party SEO auditing tools to check for any potential issues or errors.

Monitor and maintain: Regularly monitor your website for any new instances of duplicate content and ensure that the canonical tags are correctly implemented and maintained over time. Conduct regular audits and reviews to identify and fix any potential issues or mistakes.

By implementing user-selected canonical tags on duplicate content pages, you can help search engines understand the preferred version of the content, consolidate authority, and avoid potential duplicate content issues. It’s important to follow best practices and ensure that canonical tags are implemented correctly to effectively address the issue of duplicate content without user-selected canonical. If you’re unsure about canonicalization or duplicate content issues on your website, consulting with an experienced SEO professional can be beneficial.

Discovered – currently not indexed

Discovered – currently not indexed” is a status in Google Search Console that indicates that Google has discovered a webpage during its crawling process but has not yet indexed it. This means that while Googlebot, Google’s web crawler, has found the webpage during its crawl, it has not yet included it in its search index, and therefore the webpage is not currently appearing in Google’s search results.

There can be several reasons why a webpage is marked as “Discovered – currently not indexed” in Google Search Console:

New or recently updated content: If the webpage is new or has been recently updated, it may take some time for Google to index it. Googlebot needs to crawl the webpage, analyze its content, and add it to its search index before it can start appearing in search results.

Low-priority or low-quality content: Google prioritizes the indexing of high-quality and relevant content. If the webpage has low-quality or thin content, duplicate content, or other issues that make it less valuable or relevant, Google may not index it.

Technical issues: There may be technical issues with the webpage that prevent Google from indexing it, such as crawl errors, noindex meta tags, or other indexing directives that block Googlebot from indexing the page.

Indexing delays: Google’s indexing process is not instant, and there may be delays in indexing new or updated content due to various factors, including server load, crawling priorities, and algorithmic changes.

To address the issue of “Discovered – currently not indexed”, you can take the following steps:

Verify content quality: Ensure that the content on the webpage is high-quality, unique, and relevant to users. Avoid duplicate content, thin content, or other low-quality content issues that may hinder indexing.

Review technical issues: Check for any technical issues that may prevent Googlebot from indexing the webpage, such as crawl errors, noindex meta tags, or other indexing directives. Fix any issues that may be blocking indexing.

Monitor indexing status: Keep an eye on the indexing status in Google Search Console to track changes and updates. If the status remains unchanged for an extended period, consider re-submitting the webpage for indexing or investigating further.

Follow best practices: Follow SEO best practices, such as using descriptive and unique title tags, optimizing meta tags, using descriptive URLs, and creating a sitemap, to help Googlebot understand the content and improve the chances of indexing.

Be patient: Indexing delays can occur, and it may take some time for Google to index new or updated content. Be patient and continue to monitor the indexing status over time.

It’s important to note that not all webpages discovered by Google will necessarily be indexed, as Google uses various algorithms and criteria to determine which pages to include in its search index. However, by ensuring content quality, resolving technical issues, and following SEO best practices, you can increase the likelihood of your web pages being indexed and appearing in Google’s search results. If you’re facing persistent issues with indexing, consulting with an experienced SEO professional may be helpful.

Crawled – currently not indexed

Crawled – currently not indexed” is a status in Google Search Console that indicates that Googlebot, Google’s web crawler, has crawled a webpage during its crawling process, but has not yet indexed it. This means that Googlebot has visited the webpage, and analyzed its content, but has not yet included it in its search index, and therefore the webpage is not currently appearing in Google’s search results.

There can be several reasons why a webpage is marked as “Crawled – currently not indexed” in Google Search Console:

New or recently updated content: If the webpage is new or has been recently updated, it may take some time for Google to index it. Googlebot needs to crawl the webpage, analyze its content, and add it to its search index before it can start appearing in search results.

Low-priority or low-quality content: Google prioritizes the indexing of high-quality and relevant content. If the webpage has low-quality or thin content, duplicate content, or other issues that make it less valuable or relevant, Google may not index it.

Technical issues: There may be technical issues with the webpage that prevent Google from indexing it, such as crawl errors, noindex meta tags, or other indexing directives that block Googlebot from indexing the page.

Indexing delays: Google’s indexing process is not instant, and there may be delays in indexing new or updated content due to various factors, including server load, crawling priorities, and algorithmic changes.

To address the issue of “Crawled – currently not indexed”, you can take the following steps:

Verify content quality: Ensure that the content on the webpage is high-quality, unique, and relevant to users. Avoid duplicate content, thin content, or other low-quality content issues that may hinder indexing.

Review technical issues: Check for any technical issues that may prevent Googlebot from indexing the webpage, such as crawl errors, noindex meta tags, or other indexing directives. Fix any issues that may be blocking indexing.

Monitor indexing status: Keep an eye on the indexing status in Google Search Console to track changes and updates. If the status remains unchanged for an extended period, consider re-submitting the webpage for indexing or investigating further.

Follow best practices: Follow SEO best practices, such as using descriptive and unique title tags, optimizing meta tags, using descriptive URLs, and creating a sitemap, to help Googlebot understand the content and improve the chances of indexing.

Be patient: Indexing delays can occur, and it may take some time for Google to index new or updated content. Be patient and continue to monitor the indexing status over time.

It’s important to note that not all webpages crawled by Googlebot will necessarily be indexed, as Google uses various algorithms and criteria to determine which pages to include in its search index. However, by ensuring content quality, resolving technical issues, and following SEO best practices, you can increase the likelihood of your web pages being indexed and appearing in Google’s search results. If you’re facing persistent issues with indexing, consulting with an experienced SEO professional may be helpful.

Duplicate, Google chose a different canonical than the user

Duplicate, Google chose a different canonical than the user” is a status in Google Search Console that indicates that Google has identified duplicate content on different webpages, and has chosen a different canonical URL than what the user has specified.

The canonical tag is an HTML tag used by website owners to indicate the preferred version of a webpage when there are multiple versions of similar or duplicate content. It helps search engines understand which version of a webpage should be considered the primary or canonical version for indexing and ranking purposes.

However, in some cases, Google may choose a different canonical URL than what the website owner has specified. This can happen due to various reasons, such as Google’s algorithmic analysis of the content and other signals it uses to determine the most relevant version of the content.

When Google chooses a different canonical URL than what the user has specified, it means that Google has determined that a different version of the content should be considered as the primary or canonical version for indexing and ranking. This can potentially impact how the webpage is displayed in Google’s search results and may affect its visibility and ranking.

To address the issue of “Duplicate, Google chose a different canonical than the user” in Google Search Console, you can take the following steps:

Review canonical URL implementation: Double-check that you have correctly implemented the canonical tags on your web pages and that they point to the correct and preferred version of the content. Make sure that the canonical URL matches the actual URL of the page that you want to be considered as the canonical version.

Verify content similarity: Review the content on the webpages that are marked as duplicates and ensure that they are indeed similar or duplicate versions of each other. If there are differences in content or other factors that make them distinct, consider making necessary updates to make them more unique.

Check for other signals: Consider other factors that may be influencing Google’s decision on the canonical URL, such as internal linking, external linking, URL structure, and user engagement signals. Make sure that these factors are aligned with your intended canonical URL.

Monitor for changes: Keep an eye on the “Duplicate, Google chose a different canonical than the user” status in Google Search Console and monitor for changes over time. If the issue persists, consider seeking further assistance from SEO professionals or reaching out to Google for clarification.

It’s important to ensure that your website follows best practices for canonicalization and has unique, high-quality content to avoid duplicate content issues. By addressing any discrepancies between the canonical URLs you’ve specified and what Google has chosen, you can help improve the indexing and ranking of your web pages in Google’s search results.