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Google says an issue with Search Console caused it to report an incorrect number of indexed pages. The problem is now resolved.
As a result, Google warns you’ll likely see a drop in the number of indexed pages in the Index Coverage report.
It’s not that the pages dropped out of Google’s index. Instead, they weren’t really indexed to begin with.
In other words — it’s a reporting issue, not a site issue.
However, this issue shouldn’t be ignored, especially if you’ve been compiling reports for clients and including the incorrect number of indexed pages.
What Should I Do Now?
It’s important to relay the information Google announced today, so clients understand why their next report shows a drop in indexed pages.
Google updated the Index Coverage report in Search Console with an annotation regarding the issue, which anyone can see when viewing the report.
In addition, it’s worthwhile to go through your most valuable URLs and recently published content to see if Google still shows them as indexed. The issue may have led you to believe pages were getting indexed when they weren’t.
To that end, knowing about this Search Console issue may bring a sense of relief in some instances.
For example, if you weren’t getting any Google traffic to pages that Search Console confirmed were indexed, now you know the problem.
Source: @GoogleSearchSC on Twitter
Featured Image: Andrew Rybalko/Shutterstock