Start here#
First identify the exact Search Console state. “Discovered” points to a URL Google knows about; “crawled” means Google fetched it. The next checks differ.
- Inspect one affected URL and note the reported state and crawl date.
- For discovered URLs, review discovery paths, server reliability and internal importance.
- For crawled URLs, review rendered content, duplication and canonical signals.
Start with the exact state#
Discovered — currently not indexed is primarily a discovery and crawl-demand problem. Crawled — currently not indexed happens later: Google fetched something and did not currently include the URL. Neither label is permanent, and neither is fixed by pressing Request indexing repeatedly.
For Discovered, improve crawl access and importance#
- Confirm the URL is present in the correct XML sitemap with a sensible last-modified date.
- Link to it from relevant, already crawled pages rather than leaving it orphaned.
- Remove infinite URL spaces created by filters, calendars, searches, and parameters.
- Check server reliability and crawl responses.
- Prioritise the pages that genuinely deserve discovery instead of publishing large volumes of interchangeable URLs.
For Crawled, inspect what Google could evaluate#
Verify the live response, rendered main content, robots directives, canonical, internal links, and similarity to existing pages. A crawl may have reached a thin template, soft error, bot challenge, duplicate, or page whose value is not clear enough to retain.
Use URL Inspection to compare the indexed state with the live test. A report can lag behind a corrected live page, so record the dates before diagnosing a contradiction.
Triage the pattern, not every URL#
Group affected URLs by template, content type, canonical target, response pattern, and internal depth. Fixing one archive template or navigation rule can resolve thousands of symptoms more safely than individual submission attempts.
Next, use the recovery plan or the archive indexing guide.
Sources and further reading#
Official documentation for the checks explained in this guide.
Choose your next step#
Follow the guide that matches your next decision.
Questions, answered#
Should I request indexing for every affected URL?
No. Fix shared technical, discovery, or content patterns first, then submit representative important URLs.
Can Search Console reports be delayed?
Yes. Compare report dates with the live inspection before deciding a fix failed.
Is Crawled — currently not indexed always a quality issue?
No. It can reflect duplication, rendering, soft errors, canonical signals, site importance, or evaluation timing as well as usefulness.
Does an XML sitemap guarantee crawling?
No. It helps discovery and communicates preferred URLs, but Google still controls crawling and indexing.