What is Index Coverage Report?
The Index Coverage report in Google Search Console shows which pages Google has successfully indexed, identifies pages with indexing issues, and explains why certain URLs aren’t appearing in search results. This diagnostic tool categorizes pages into error, valid with warnings, valid, and excluded statuses, providing actionable data to resolve technical problems that prevent pages from ranking.
Ecommerce SEO Glossary > Technical SEO > Index Coverage Report
What You Need to Know about Index Coverage Report
Four Status Categories
The report organizes pages into Error (pages that couldn’t be indexed), Valid with warnings (indexed but with issues), Valid (successfully indexed), and Excluded (intentionally or algorithmically not indexed). Understanding these categories helps prioritize fixes based on business impact.
Common Error Types
Critical errors include server errors (5xx), redirect errors, noindex tags on pages you want indexed, and robots.txt blocks. These issues prevent indexing entirely, causing immediate visibility loss that requires urgent attention to restore search presence.
Excluded Status Meanings
Pages appear as excluded for reasons like crawled but not indexed (quality issues), duplicate content, soft 404s, or intentional noindex tags. Not all exclusions need fixing—some indicate proper technical implementation like noindexed filter pages.
Trend Analysis Value
Historical data shows indexing changes over time, revealing patterns like gradual index decline from technical degradation or sudden drops from site changes. Monitoring trends catches problems early before they significantly impact traffic and revenue.
Validation and Testing
After fixing indexing issues, the “Validate Fix” feature requests Google recrawl affected URLs to verify solutions. Validation typically takes days to weeks, with the report tracking progress and confirming when problems are resolved.
Priority Issue Identification
Focus first on errors affecting high-value pages like product categories, conversion pages, or popular content. Low-priority issues might include excluded pages you don’t want indexed anyway, while warnings on successfully indexed pages can often wait for routine maintenance.
Frequently Asked Questions about Index Coverage Report
1. How often should you check Index Coverage?
Check weekly for active sites with frequent updates, monthly for stable sites with less change. Set up email alerts in Search Console to notify you immediately when new critical errors appear affecting significant page counts.
2. What does “Crawled – currently not indexed” mean?
This exclusion indicates Google crawled the page but chose not to index it, usually due to low content quality, thin content, or duplicate content issues. The page needs substantial improvement or consolidation to earn indexing.
3. Why are important pages showing as excluded?
Check for unintentional noindex tags, canonical tags pointing elsewhere, redirect chains, or quality issues that trigger algorithmic filtering. Use URL Inspection tool to see exactly how Google processes the page and what’s preventing indexing.
4. Can you export Index Coverage data?
Yes, export the full report to analyze large datasets, track changes over time, or share with developers. Exports help identify patterns across hundreds of pages that aren’t obvious in the web interface’s sampling.
Explore More EcommerCe SEO Topics
Related Terms
Let’s Talk About Ecommerce SEO
If you’re ready to experience the power of strategic ecommerce seo and a flood of targeted organic traffic, take the next step to see if we’re a good fit.