# How do you determine why an important page isn't indexed?

> Use a layered diagnosis:

- Does the URL return 200?

- Is crawling allowed?

- Is there a noindex directive?

- Is the page canonicalized elsewhere?

- Is it discoverable through internal links or sitemap?

- Is the content substantially unique?

- Does Search Console classify it as crawled/discovered but not indexed?

- Is Google selecting another canonical?

- Is the page newly published and simply awaiting processing?

Do not assume "not indexed" means a technical error. Google evaluates pages for suitability for the index after crawling.

## Sources

- [Google Search Central — How Search Works](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/how-search-works)
- [Google Search Central — Canonicalization Troubleshooting](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/canonicalization-troubleshooting)

## Related questions

- [How do you investigate "Crawled - currently not indexed"?](https://www.theseocentral.com/technical-seo-faq/how-do-you-investigate-crawled-currently-not-indexed.md)
- [How do you investigate "Discovered - currently not indexed"?](https://www.theseocentral.com/technical-seo-faq/how-do-you-investigate-discovered-currently-not-indexed.md)
- [How do you validate whether an indexation fix actually worked?](https://www.theseocentral.com/technical-seo-faq/how-do-you-validate-whether-an-indexation-fix-actually-worked.md)
- [How would you identify index bloat?](https://www.theseocentral.com/technical-seo-faq/how-would-you-identify-index-bloat.md)
- [How would you manage indexation on a large e-commerce website?](https://www.theseocentral.com/technical-seo-faq/how-would-you-manage-indexation-on-a-large-e-commerce-website.md)
- [What happens when canonical and noindex signals conflict?](https://www.theseocentral.com/technical-seo-faq/what-happens-when-canonical-and-noindex-signals-conflict.md)
- [What is the difference between crawling, rendering, indexing, ranking and serving?](https://www.theseocentral.com/technical-seo-faq/what-is-the-difference-between-crawling-rendering-indexing-ranking-and-serving.md)
- [What signals influence Google's canonical selection?](https://www.theseocentral.com/technical-seo-faq/what-signals-influence-google-s-canonical-selection.md)
- [When should a page be canonicalized instead of noindexed?](https://www.theseocentral.com/technical-seo-faq/when-should-a-page-be-canonicalized-instead-of-noindexed.md)

---

Answered by Abhinav Krishna (https://www.theseocentral.com/author/abhinav-krishna)
Source: https://www.theseocentral.com/technical-seo-faq/how-do-you-determine-why-an-important-page-isn-t-indexed