Table of Contents
De-indexing Explained
What Causes Google to De-index a Website?
Detecting De-indexing
How to Fix a De-indexed Website
I think it is an undeniable fact that the vast majority, if not all businesses, would like their websites to rank well in Google’s SERPs. But what happens when your website is removed from Google’s SERPs seemingly overnight? This my friends, may be something called “de-indexing” and if it has happened to your website, it can be devastating.
De-indexing Explained
De-indexing occurs when Google has removed your website, or specific pages of it, from its search index. Obviously, such a removal from Google’s search index can lead to a massive drop in organic traffic, from people searching on Google, as your online visibility can effectively vanish.
What Causes Google to De-index a Website?
There are a few possible reasons why de-indexing may occur, so here are some of those.
Algorithmic Penalties and Manual Actions
Google de-indexing can be the result of either an algorithmic penalty or manual action.
Violation of Google Search Essentials
Google has guidelines to ensure best practices (including E-E-A-T) are followed by those who create, and/or manage website content.
Violating Google Search Essentials can lead to de-indexing. Examples of this may include keyword stuffing, cloaking and/or hiding text or links. Such manipulative tactics would be considered “black hat SEO”.
Technical Issues
Problems with your website’s setup can also prevent Google from seeing it. These are often accidental and may include the following.
Robots.txt File Misconfiguration
The robots.txt file tells Googlebot which parts of your website it should and should not crawl. A misconfiguration of this file could block Googlebot from your entire website or important sections.
Noindex Meta Tags
A noindex meta tag is a small piece of code on a page that instructs Google not to add that page to its index. If you accidentally put this tag on your web pages, Google will usually honor these instructions and remove them from their index. This is a common and often overlooked reason for de-indexing.
Website Structure and Navigation Issues
Googlebot needs to easily move through your website by following internal links to find all of its content. If your website has broken links or a confusing structure, some web pages may get missed, making indexation less likely.
Website Hosting Server Errors
If your website frequently does down or is otherwise unreachable, Googlebot cannot access its pages. Persistent server errors can make Google think your website is unreliable or gone (leading to a poor user experience). Eventually, Google may remove those web pages from its index to avoid showing users broken links.
Spammy or Low-Quality Content
If your website consistently offers low-quality, or otherwise spammy content, it may get de-indexed by Google and end up on Google blacklist.
Thin or Duplicate Content
Google prefers unique, helpful and reliable content. In other words, it’s people-first approach to content that adheres to its E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness) principle.
Web pages with very little text content, spammy (e.g. keyword stuffing) or content copied from other websites (duplicate content), are seen as low quality.
Malware or Hacking Incidents
If your website gets hacked, it might start spreading malware or redirecting users to bad websites. Google will flag such websites to protect its users. Moreover, it may also de-index the website completely until the security threat has been removed.
Detecting De-indexing
If you suspect de-indexing has occurred with your website, you can confirm it by utilizing the URL Inspection Tool within your Google Search Console account. If you do not have a Google Search Console account, you can set it up for free.
Performing Manual Checks
If you do not wish to set up a Google Search Console account, you can simply go the Google.com and search the following:
Site:https://yourwebsite.com
In the above search operator, simply replace yourwebsite.com with your actual domain name. This search operator shows you the pages of your website that Google has indexed. If very few web pages are listed, or if you find that some important web pages are missing, you likely have an indexing problem.
How to Fix a De-indexed Website
Once you have determined that your website has been de-indexed, do not panic. Take a deep breath and assess why this has happened. This will then enable you to fix the issue at hand.
Ensure Google Search Essential Guidelines Compliance
It is important to review Google Search Essentials carefully to help you identify where your website may have run afoul. Remove any instances of keyword stuffing, hidden links, or correct any deceptive (black hat) SEO implementations. Ensure that your website is adhering to a people-first approach.
Fix Technical Errors
Verify that your robots.txt file does not include any accidental blocking of search engines and remove any noindex tags from your web pages. Improve your website’s internal linking so Googlebot can more readily find all website content. Ensure that your web hosting server is stable and your website loads quickly.
Improve Content Quality
If your website has thin and/or duplicate content, replace it with unique, reliable and valuable content. The goal here is to provide genuinely helpful information to your website visitors/Google users.
Remove Spam or Malicious Code
If your website was hacked, you should immediately remove all malicious code. If you are running a WordPress website, make sure that all plugins and themes are up-to-date. Strengthen your passwords and consider using a firewall.
Request Reconsideration (Manual Actions)
If Google issues a manual action, you must formally request reconsideration after fixing the problem. After fixing issues and requesting reconsideration, all you can do is wait until Google has re-evaluated your website.
Check Google Search Console Regularly
You can check the coverage report in Google Search Console, to see if number of indexed pages is increasing. Monitor the Manual Actions report to see if your request was approved.
EMAIL US