Crawled - Currently Not Indexed in GSC: Why & Fixes
Discover why pages on small sites stay in 'Crawled - Currently Not Indexed' status in Google Search Console for months. Learn common reasons, troubleshooting for unindexed pages, and how to request recrawl effectively.
Why are pages stuck in ‘Crawled - currently not indexed’ status in Google Search Console for half a year on a small site with only 10 pages? Two relatively informative pages remain unindexed despite being crawled. Is it worth requesting a recrawl, and how can it be done?
Pages stuck in “Crawled - Currently Not Indexed” status in Google Search Console mean Googlebot visited them but chose not to add them to search results—often due to perceived low value, duplicates, or thin content, especially on small sites with just 10 pages where every URL counts. For your two informative pages lingering unindexed for half a year, it’s likely quality signals or subtle technical glitches holding them back, not a crawl error. Requesting a recrawl is absolutely worth it; head to the URL Inspection tool, test live, and submit if clean—Google might finally index them.
Contents
- Understanding “Crawled - Currently Not Indexed”
- Why Small Sites Face Prolonged Unindexing
- Common Reasons Pages Stay Unindexed
- Troubleshooting Your Informative Pages
- Is Requesting a Recrawl Worth It?
- How to Request Indexing Step-by-Step
- Optimizing for Future Indexing
- Sources
- Conclusion
Understanding “Crawled - Currently Not Indexed”
Ever checked Google Search Console and seen a bunch of your hard-worked pages labeled “Crawled - Currently Not Indexed”? It sounds frustrating, right? This status pops up when Googlebot successfully crawls a page—no errors there—but decides against indexing it for search results. According to Wix Support, it’s not a bug; Google just thinks the content isn’t valuable enough right now.
But here’s the kicker: this doesn’t mean permanent rejection. Google might revisit later, especially if your site signals improve. For small sites like yours with only 10 pages, two unindexed ones can sting—those might be your money-makers. Data in Search Console lags sometimes, too; a page could index before the report updates, as noted in Quora discussions.
False positives happen. SEOTesting.com points out a page might show this status yet rank in searches. Quick check: search site:yourdomain.com/yourpage. If it appears, you’re good—ignore GSC.
Why Small Sites Face Prolonged Unindexing
Half a year? That’s unusually long for a tiny site. Small sites (under 20 pages) often get deprioritized because Google favors authority signals like backlinks, traffic, and content depth. Your 10-page setup screams “new or niche,” so crawls happen, but indexing? Not without a nudge.
Think about it. Google processes billions of pages daily. Break The Web explains they sometimes “discover but don’t index,” rescheduling crawls indefinitely if value seems low. For informative pages, this drags on without fresh signals.
Community threads like Reddit’s r/TechSEO echo this: small sites hit walls from duplicate vibes or thinness, even if content feels solid to you. No massive traffic? Google shrugs.
Common Reasons Pages Stay Unindexed
Let’s break down the culprits. Google won’t spill exact reasons, but patterns emerge.
First, low perceived value. Thin content, keyword stuffing, or auto-generated stuff gets sidelined. Your “informative” pages might read short or generic to algorithms.
Duplicates or canonical issues. Even self-duplicates (like www vs. non-www) confuse things. Google’s Page Indexing Report docs flag these indirectly via URL Inspection.
Noindex directives. Sneaky! Check robots.txt or meta tags. r/SEO on Reddit warns about accidental blocks on tags or archives—easy fix, huge impact.
Technical hiccups: slow loads, mobile unfriendliness, or server errors during recrawls. FMGSuite Help stresses it’s a choice, not a failure.
| Reason | Likelihood on Small Sites | Quick Check |
|---|---|---|
| Thin/low-value content | High | Word count <500? Rewrite. |
| Duplicates | Medium | site:domain.com search. |
| Noindex/robots.txt | High | Inspect source code. |
| Canonical mismatches | Medium | URL Inspection tool. |
| Poor user signals | High | No traffic/backlinks? |
Rarely, it’s just backlog. But six months? Dig deeper.
Troubleshooting Your Informative Pages
Grab those two pages. Fire up Google Search Console’s URL Inspection tool—your best friend here.
Paste the URL. Hit “Test Live URL.” Look for warnings: Core Web Vitals fails? Mobile issues? Duplicate metadata?
No red flags? Crawl the live version anyway. SEOTesting.com recommends this before panicking.
Check robots.txt: User-agent: * Disallow: /page/? Nuke it if accidental. Meta robots: <meta name="robots" content="noindex">? Delete.
Search site:yourdomain.com/page in incognito. Nothing? Validate sitemap.xml submission in GSC—ensures discovery.
Enhance content. Add unique angles, images with alt text, internal links. Small sites thrive on depth over quantity.
Is Requesting a Recrawl Worth It?
Short answer: Yes, especially for key pages on a 10-page site. Google limits requests (0.6/day per property, ~10/week per root), but two pages? Low risk.
Wix Support says re-submit if important and clean. It prompts a fresh look, potentially overriding old judgments.
Downsides? Minimal. If low-value, it’ll recrawl and re-reject—but you’ve lost nothing. Success stories abound in r/TechSEO: pages indexed post-request after tweaks.
For half-year holds, it’s a no-brainer. Worst case, monitor for changes.
How to Request Indexing Step-by-Step
Ready? Here’s the drill.
- Log into Google Search Console.
- Select your property (full site verification best for small sites).
- Search bar: Enter problematic URL.
- Click URL Inspection > Test Live URL. Fix any issues.
- If green: Hit Request Indexing. Confirm.
- Done! Recrawl in hours/days.
Pro tip: Google docs note it doesn’t test duplicates live—handle those manually.
Track in Coverage report. Patience: indexing isn’t instant.
Visual? Imagine this flow:
URL → Test Live → No errors? → Request Indexing → Monitor Coverage
Repeat for both pages. Bundle with sitemap resubmit.
Optimizing for Future Indexing
Don’t stop at requests. Bulletproof your site.
Content upgrades: Flesh out pages to 800+ words. Unique insights, FAQs, visuals.
Technical TLC: HTTPS only. Fast hosting (under 2s load). Schema markup for rich snippets.
Signals boost: Internal linking from indexed pages. Earn backlinks via outreach. Share on social.
GSC habits: Submit sitemap. Fix all Coverage errors. Use Performance report for insights.
Small sites? Focus quality. Google loves helpful, authoritative content (E-E-A-T). Six months unindexed? Turn it into your origin story.
Sources
- Wix.com - Google Search Console: Crawled - Currently Not Indexed
- FMGSuite - Google Search Console Crawled - Currently Not Indexed
- SEOTesting.com - Crawled - Currently Not Indexed: Meaning and Fixes
- Google Search Console Help - Page indexing report
- Break The Web - Why Pages Aren’t Indexed
- Reddit r/TechSEO - Understanding “Crawled - currently not indexed”
- Quora - GSC says not indexed but shows in results
- Reddit r/SEO - Why are so many pages not indexed?
Conclusion
“Crawled - Currently Not Indexed” on your small site’s key pages doesn’t spell doom—it’s Google’s “maybe later” signal, often fixed with troubleshooting, tweaks, and a recrawl request via URL Inspection. Those two informative pages deserve indexing; act now, monitor closely, and amp up content quality to prevent repeats. You’ll likely see them live soon, boosting your 10-page powerhouse. Stay persistent—SEO rewards it.