Indexing
Search engines storing and organizing discovered pages in their database.
1 min readLast updated Apr 2026
Quick Reference
CategorySEO for Ecommerce
Related Terms1
Search engines storing and organizing discovered pages in their database.
Why It Matters
Crawled ≠ indexed. Google crawls pages but only indexes those it deems valuable and unique. If your pages aren't indexed, they can't appear in search results—period. 'Discovered but not indexed' is an increasingly common issue as Google gets pickier.
Practical Example
Scenario
A fashion retailer notices only 60% of their 8,000 product pages are indexed.
Calculation
3,200 pages not indexed. Analysis: 1,500 have thin descriptions (<100 words), 1,200 are near-duplicates, 500 are low-value filters.Result
By enriching thin content and consolidating duplicates, indexing improves to 85%—adding 2,000 pages to search visibility and 15% organic traffic.
Pro Tips
- 1Check indexing status in Google Search Console → Coverage report
- 2Add unique, valuable content to pages you want indexed (descriptions, specs, reviews)
- 3Use Request Indexing in URL Inspection for important new/updated pages
- 4Consolidate duplicate content under canonical URLs
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Assuming all crawled pages are automatically indexed
Creating thousands of thin, similar pages that Google won't index
Not monitoring indexing status regularly for drops