Guide
Google Search Console URL Inspection: how to read the results
The URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console is the closest thing there is to asking Google directly about a single page. It shows what Google has stored, and it can test the live page. Reading it correctly saves a lot of guessing.
The three verdicts
- URL is on Google. The page is indexed and can appear in results.
- URL is on Google, but has issues. It is indexed, but something affects it, such as a problem with structured data or mobile usability.
- URL is not on Google. The page is not in the index. The reason is shown just below.
Indexed version versus live test
By default the tool reports the indexed version: what Google saw the last time it crawled the page. That can be days or weeks old. Test live URL fetches the page right now and reports whether it could be indexed. The two can disagree, and that is useful: if the live test passes but the indexed version shows a problem, your fix has worked and Google has not recrawled yet.
The fields worth reading
- Discovery. The sitemaps and referring pages through which Google found the URL.
- Last crawl. When Googlebot last fetched it, and as which crawler (smartphone or desktop).
- Crawl allowed? / Page fetch. Whether robots.txt let Googlebot in, and whether the fetch succeeded.
- Indexing allowed? Whether a
noindexdirective was found. - User-declared canonical and Google-selected canonical. If they differ, Google has picked another URL as the main one.
Common statuses and what to do
| Status | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Submitted and indexed | Indexed, and listed in a sitemap you submitted. | Nothing. |
| Indexed, not submitted in sitemap | Indexed, but not in any submitted sitemap. | Add it to your sitemap. |
| Crawled – currently not indexed | Fetched, but Google chose not to index it. | Improve the page. See the guide. |
| Discovered – currently not indexed | Known, not crawled yet. | Strengthen internal links. See the guide. |
| URL is unknown to Google | Google has not found the URL. | Link to it and submit a sitemap. |
| Excluded by ‘noindex’ tag | A noindex directive was found. | Remove it if the page should be indexed. |
| Blocked by robots.txt | robots.txt does not let Googlebot fetch it. | Change the rule. See the guide. |
| Not found (404) | The URL returns 404. | Restore the page or leave it out of sitemaps. |
| Page with redirect | The URL redirects elsewhere. | Index the destination instead. |
| Duplicate, Google chose different canonical | Google treats another URL as the main version. | Make the pages distinct, or point the canonical correctly. |
What “Request indexing” does
It asks Google to put the page in a priority crawl queue. It has a daily limit, it is not a guarantee, and repeating it does not help. Use it once after you fix something real.