---
title: "Google Indexing: How to Get Your Website Indexed, and Check It"
description: "Google finds a page, crawls it and then decides whether to index it, and it promises none of the three. This guide covers how to get your website indexed for free with Search Console, how long it takes, what the \"currently not indexed\" statuses mean, how to check what Google has, and what to do about pages on sites you don't own, like the pages your backlinks sit on."
canonical: "https://bklink.uk/blog/google-indexing-guide"
publishedAt: "2026-10-12T06:41:22.285Z"
updatedAt: "2026-10-12T06:41:22.285Z"
author: "Palash Bagchi"
category: "indexing"
tags: ["indexing","google"]
series: null
image: null
---

# Google Indexing: How to Get Your Website Indexed, and Check It

Google finds a page, crawls it and then decides whether to index it, and it promises none of the three. This guide covers how to get your website indexed for free with Search Console, how long it takes, what the "currently not indexed" statuses mean, how to check what Google has, and what to do about pages on sites you don't own, like the pages your backlinks sit on.

## How Google indexing works

Google describes Search as three stages: crawling, indexing and serving results. Not every page makes it through each stage ([How Google Search works](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/how-search-works)).

1. **Crawling.** Google has to find a page before it can read it. It finds new pages by following links from pages it already knows, and from the lists of pages you submit: sitemaps.
2. **Indexing.** Google reads the page and decides whether to store it. Where several pages are near-duplicates, it groups them and picks one as the canonical, the version that may be shown in results.
3. **Serving.** Only indexed pages can appear in results, for the searches Google judges them relevant to.

Google is plain about the odds: "Google doesn't guarantee that it will crawl, index, or serve your page." Everything below raises the odds. Nothing makes indexing certain.

## How to get your website indexed by Google, free

For a site you own, the free route is the right first step.

**1. Make sure each page can be indexed.** A page with a `noindex` robots meta tag or an `X-Robots-Tag: noindex` header tells Google not to index it. Google can only see that rule if robots.txt lets it crawl the page ([Block indexing with noindex](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/block-indexing)). Check that each page answers 200, isn't blocked by robots.txt, and names itself, not another URL, as its [canonical](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/consolidate-duplicate-urls).

**2. Submit a sitemap.** Add it in Search Console's Sitemaps report, or put a `Sitemap:` line in your robots.txt. Google calls a sitemap "merely a hint": submitting one doesn't guarantee Google will download it or use it ([Build and submit a sitemap](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/sitemaps/build-sitemap)).

**3. Request indexing for the pages that matter.** In Search Console, inspect the URL and click *Request indexing*. There's a daily limit. You can't request a page the live test calls non-indexable. And Google says a request "does not guarantee that the page will appear in the Google Index" ([URL Inspection tool](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9012289)).

**4. Link to new pages from pages Google already knows.** Google discovers pages through links. A new page linked from your homepage or a well-crawled post gets found sooner than an orphan page that only a sitemap mentions.

If what you want is your business on Google Maps, that's Google Business Profile, a separate product from Search indexing.

## Internal links: the cheapest indexing signal

Google's own rule of thumb: "Every page you care about should have a link from at least one other page on your site" ([Make your links crawlable](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/links-crawlable)).

A link only counts if it's a real `<a>` element with an `href`. A button that changes the page through a script isn't a link Google can follow. When a new page goes live, link to it from somewhere Google already visits often:
- your homepage;
- a hub or category page;
- a recent post that's already indexed.

That usually does more than a sitemap entry alone.

## JavaScript and mobile pages

**JavaScript.** Google processes JavaScript sites in three phases: crawling, rendering and indexing. A page can wait in the rendering queue "for a few seconds, but it can take longer than that" ([JavaScript SEO basics](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/javascript/javascript-seo-basics)). Content and links that only appear after a script runs are read later than ones already in the HTML. Google still calls server-side rendering or pre-rendering "a great idea."

**Mobile.** "Google uses the mobile version of a site's content, crawled with the smartphone agent, for indexing and ranking" ([mobile-first indexing](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/mobile/mobile-sites-mobile-first-indexing)). If your mobile pages carry less text, fewer links or different headings than the desktop ones, the mobile version is what Google indexes. Keep the content the same on both.

## A checklist before you request indexing

1. The page answers 200, not a redirect or an error.
2. No `noindex` in the robots meta tag or the X-Robots-Tag header.
3. robots.txt allows Googlebot to fetch it.
4. The canonical points to the page itself.
5. The page says something your other pages don't, at a useful length.
6. At least one indexed page on your site links to it with a real `<a href>`.
7. It's in your sitemap, and the sitemap is submitted in Search Console.
8. The mobile version has the same content as the desktop one.

Then request indexing once, and give it a week or two before you look again.

## How long does Google indexing take?

For a page you've requested, Google says indexing "typically takes only a day or so, but can take much longer in some cases," and can run to a week or two ([URL Inspection tool](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9012289)). New sites, slow servers and pages Google sees as low-value tend to wait longer.

If a page has waited weeks, fix the reason it isn't indexed rather than requesting it again. For a page Google crawled but didn't index, Search Console itself says there's "no need to resubmit this URL for crawling."

## Why a page isn't indexed

The usual reasons, roughly in the order worth checking:

- **It says noindex** in a robots meta tag or an X-Robots-Tag header. No request and no indexer overrides it.
- **robots.txt blocks it**, so Googlebot isn't allowed to fetch the page.
- **Its canonical is another URL**, so Google indexes that one instead.
- **It redirects**, so Google indexes the destination.
- **It's gone or failing**: a 404, a 410 or repeated server errors.
- **It's thin or duplicate**: very little text, or much the same as pages Google already has.
- **The site is new or has few links**, so Google hasn't yet decided the site is worth crawling deeply.

bklink's [Google index checker](/google-index-checker) reads every page for these causes: noindex, robots.txt, canonical, redirects, dead or thin pages, and whether Google lists the site at all. Each page that isn't indexed comes back with its likely reason.

## "Crawled – currently not indexed" vs "Discovered – currently not indexed"

Both are statuses in Search Console's [Page indexing report](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7440203). They need different fixes.

**Crawled – currently not indexed** means Google fetched the page and chose not to index it, for now. It may be indexed later. The fix is usually the page itself:
- make it substantially useful and distinct from your other pages;
- check its canonical;
- link to it from pages that are indexed.

**Discovered – currently not indexed** means Google knows the address but hasn't crawled the page yet. Google's explanation is that it typically wanted to crawl the URL but expected that to overload the site, so it rescheduled. The fix is usually the site:
- a faster, more reliable server;
- fewer low-value URLs competing for crawl;
- internal links that make the page look worth fetching.

## How to check if your website is indexed

- **One page.** Search Google for `site:` followed by the page's full address. If that exact page is listed, it's indexed.
- **A count for a whole site.** Don't trust `site:yourdomain.com` for this. Google says the operator "doesn't necessarily return all the URLs that are indexed" ([site: operator](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/monitor-debug/search-operators/all-search-site)). For a site you own, Search Console's Page indexing report is the real list.
- **Many URLs, or pages you don't own.** bklink's [Google index checker](/google-index-checker) runs the exact-URL search for every page you paste or every page in a sitemap. It sorts the pages Google hasn't indexed by their odds.

## Getting backlinks indexed

Google uses links "as a signal when determining the relevancy of pages and to find new pages to crawl" ([Make your links crawlable](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/links-crawlable)). It finds a link by crawling the page the link sits on. So if Google hasn't indexed a guest post, a directory listing or a press-release copy, it may not have seen the link on it.

You can't request indexing in Search Console for a page on someone else's site. You have three options:
- wait;
- ask the site owner to link to that page from their own indexed pages;
- send the page through an indexer.

bklink's [link indexer](/link-indexer) reads each page first and refuses only a page that says noindex. After sending, it checks Google for each URL. Google still decides what it indexes. Before paying to index a link you placed, check that it's still live: links quietly disappear ([link rot](/blog/link-rot-monitoring)).

## Key Takeaways
- Google indexing has three stages, crawling, indexing and serving, and Google guarantees none of them.
- For a site you own, a sitemap plus Search Console's Request indexing is the free route; both are requests, not commands.
- "Crawled – currently not indexed" is usually a page problem; "Discovered – currently not indexed" is usually a site or crawl-capacity problem.
- A site: search answers for one exact URL; use Search Console for a whole site you own and a bulk checker for pages you don't.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How do I get Google to index my website?

Make sure the pages can be indexed: no noindex, not blocked by robots.txt, and a canonical pointing to the page itself. Then submit a sitemap in Search Console, request indexing for your most important pages with the URL Inspection tool, and link to new pages from pages Google already knows.

### How long does it take Google to index a new page?

Google says a page you've requested typically takes a day or so, and can take a week or two or longer. Nothing guarantees indexing.

### Can I force Google to index a page?

No. A sitemap, an indexing request and an indexer all ask Google to crawl a page; Google alone decides whether to index it. What you control is removing the reasons it wouldn't: noindex, robots.txt blocks, a canonical pointing elsewhere, thin or duplicate content.

### Should I keep resubmitting a page that isn't indexed?

No. Requests have a daily limit, and for a page Google crawled but didn't index, Search Console itself says there's no need to resubmit. Fix the likely cause, then request it once.

### Is a site: search a reliable way to count indexed pages?

No. Google says the site: operator doesn't necessarily return every indexed URL. Use it to check one exact URL; for a site you own, use Search Console's Page indexing report.

## Sources
1. [Google Search Central - How Google Search works](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/how-search-works)
2. [Google Search Central - Build and submit a sitemap](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/sitemaps/build-sitemap)
3. [Search Console Help - URL Inspection tool](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9012289)
4. [Search Console Help - Page indexing report](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7440203)
5. [Google Search Central - Block Search indexing with noindex](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/block-indexing)
6. [Google Search Central - Consolidate duplicate URLs](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/consolidate-duplicate-urls)
7. [Google Search Central - The site: search operator](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/monitor-debug/search-operators/all-search-site)
8. [Google Search Central - Make your links crawlable](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/links-crawlable)