A decrease in the number of pages indexed in Google Search Console can be both positive and negative depending on the situation. It can be a problem if important pages are being excluded, but it can be a positive change if you’ve improved the quality of your site by removing unnecessary content.
Why is my Google Search Console index count decreasing on its own?
If the number of pages indexed in Google Search Console decreases on its own, it can happen for a variety of reasons. When this happens, it’s important to determine the cause.
First, it’s possible that a page was deleted from your website or the URL was changed, but the redirect was not handled properly. Also, if the Googlebot encounters a crawl error while crawling the page, such as a server error or page loading issues, Google may deindex the page.
The second is if your website’s robots.txt file or noindex meta tag has been modified to prevent Googlebot from indexing certain pages. This can result in the exclusion of previously indexed pages. Google can also deindex duplicate or low-quality content. If you have a lot of duplicate pages or poor quality content on your site, then the number of indexed pages can decrease.
In addition, Google may deindex some pages as it continually updates its indexing and ranking algorithms, and when a page redirects to a different URL, Google may deindex the original page and index the newly redirected page. The number of indexed pages can also be adjusted if the structure of your website changes, resulting in a different URL path or a different link structure between pages. Additionally, some pages may be removed from the index if Google takes manual action against your site.
A decrease in the number of indexed pages isn’t necessarily a bad sign – if important pages are unexpectedly deindexed, it can have a negative impact. In particular, if pages that are important to your traffic disappear from search results, it can significantly reduce your visitor count and visibility in search engines. On the other hand, if you’ve intentionally cleaned up unnecessary pages, consolidated duplicate content, and improved the structure of your site, a decrease in the number of indexed pages can be a positive change.
So if you’ve noticed a drop in the number of indexed pages, it’s important to analyze which pages have been excluded and why via Google Search Console. From there, you can take stock of your site’s health and take the necessary steps to minimize the impact of a deindex on your site.
Is a deindex a bad thing?
When you see a decrease in the number of pages indexed in Google Search Console, it’s not necessarily a bad sign. In fact, depending on the situation, it can be a positive change or a warning that you need to pay attention to.
First, let’s take a look at what could be a bad sign: important pages are being deindexed. If the core pages of your website, or pages that are important to your traffic, suddenly disappear from the index, this can have a negative impact on your visibility in search engines and decrease the number of visitors you receive. Also, when the cause is a technical issue, such as a server error, incorrect noindex settings, or crawl issues, deindexation can mean a decrease in your website’s performance, and you need to act quickly. Especially if Google deindexes you for spam or rule violations, this can seriously hurt your SEO performance.
On the other hand, there are times when a decrease in the number of indexed pages is a positive sign. For example, if you’ve been intentionally removing unnecessary or duplicate content to improve the quality of your site, a decrease in the number of indexed pages can actually help your SEO. If you’ve optimized your site’s structure by removing duplicate content or redirecting outdated pages to more useful ones, then these changes are likely to have a positive impact on search engines.
In the end, when you see a drop in the number of indexed pages, it’s important to pinpoint the cause. Using Google Search Console to analyze which pages have been excluded and why, and taking appropriate action if necessary, will help you maintain and improve your site’s performance. Understanding whether a decline in indexing is a positive sign of your site’s progress or a warning that needs to be addressed is key.
