Search engine indexing is the backbone of any website’s visibility. If your pages aren’t being indexed by Google, they won’t appear in search results—period. That’s why understanding and fixing indexing issues is critical for SEO success.
In this article, we dive deep into testing indexing issues by SSBUKHARI, a methodical approach developed to troubleshoot why Google is not indexing your pages—and how to fix it quickly. Whether you’re managing a blog, business site, or e-commerce store, this guide is for you.
What Is an Indexing Issue?
An indexing issue occurs when search engines like Google or Bing either can’t crawl your page or choose not to include it in their index.
Here are some common signs of indexing issues:
- Your page doesn’t appear on Google even after submission
- The URL Inspection Tool shows “URL is not on Google”
- You notice a sudden drop in indexed pages in Search Console
- Your sitemap is submitted but not all URLs are indexed
After identifying potentially affected URLs, the next step is testing them using the Google Search Console URL Inspection Tool.
What to look for:
- Is the URL indexable?
- Was it crawled recently?
- Are there any crawl anomalies?
- Is the canonical URL pointing to the right version?
SSBUKHARI recommends submitting affected URLs manually if they show as “Discovered – currently not indexed.”
Check Sitemap Health
An accurate and complete XML sitemap is essential for indexing. SSBUKHARI emphasizes:
- Submit the sitemap in Google Search Console
- Make sure it updates dynamically
- Only include indexable URLs
- Validate it using a Sitemap Validator
Step 5: Analyze Crawl Budget
If you have a large website (1000+ URLs), crawl budget becomes important. Google allocates a certain number of pages to crawl each day.
Tips to Optimize Crawl Budget:
- Fix broken links (404 errors)
- Remove thin/duplicate content
- Speed up your site (Core Web Vitals)
- Eliminate redirect chains
SSBUKHARI recommends monitoring crawl stats inside GSC and prioritizing important pages for indexing.
Step 6: Use Internal Linking Strategically
A key part of the SSBUKHARI method is improving internal linking.
- Ensure new pages are linked from other indexed pages
- Use descriptive anchor text
- Add new content to homepage or category pages
Googlebot follows links. If a page is orphaned (has no internal links), it may never be found.
Step 7: Monitor Using Google Index Coverage Report
The Index Coverage Report in GSC is your best friend for ongoing monitoring.
Check these statuses:
- Error → fix immediately
- Valid with warnings → investigate
- Excluded → often where indexing issues live
SSBUKHARI advises checking this report weekly to detect patterns or new problems.
Step 8: Improve Content Quality
Sometimes, Google simply doesn’t index your page because it’s not valuable enough.
Ask yourself:
- Does the page have unique content?
- Is it longer and more helpful than competitor pages?
- Is the title and meta description well-optimized?
Google avoids indexing pages that look low-effort or thin.
Step 9: Use Fetch as Google or Request Indexing
If you’ve fixed everything and the page still isn’t indexed:
- Go to URL Inspection Tool
- Paste the URL
- Click Request Indexing
SSBUKHARI recommends this as a last resort—not for every page, but for high-priority ones like new blog posts or product pages.
Final Step: Wait and Observe
Google indexing is not always instant. After applying SSBUKHARI’s steps, wait 48–72 hours and re-check:
- Is the page now indexed?
- Are impressions appearing in Google Search Console?
- Are you getting clicks or traffic?
If yes → success ✅
Final Thoughts
Indexing issues can feel frustrating—but with a systematic strategy like testing indexing issue by SSBUKHARI, most problems can be identified and fixed.
From checking technical blocks to improving content and requesting indexing manually, these steps give you a proven roadmap to get your pages back into Google.
If you want faster results, professional SEO tools and support from a digital agency like Afia Digital can take your indexing and visibility to the next level.