How to Check If Your Website Is Indexed by Google
If Google has not indexed your pages, they cannot rank — no matter how good the content is. Here is how to check, exactly, and what to do when a page is missing.
Oct 2026 · 8 min read · By GorillaSEO
Before a page can rank, Google has to do three things: discover it, crawl it, and decide to keep a copy in its index. Indexing is that third step — and it is a gate, not a guarantee. A page that is not indexed is invisible to search, full stop.
The good news: checking takes minutes, and Google gives you the tools for free. Start with the quick check below, then confirm with the authoritative one.
The site: check
The fastest way to see roughly what Google has indexed from your domain. Open Google and type:
Whole site
Type site:yourdomain.com (replace with your actual domain, no spaces). Google shows the pages it has indexed from that domain. The result count at the top is approximate — treat it as a rough inventory, not an audit.
One specific page
Type site:yourdomain.com/page-url. If the page appears, it is indexed. You can also search a distinctive sentence from the page in quotes — if your page shows up, Google has it.
Reading the result: pages listed means indexed. "No results found" for the whole domain means Google likely has nothing from your site yet — common for brand-new sites, and a real problem for older ones. One caveat: the site: operator is a rough view. It can miss indexed pages and show stale ones. For the definitive answer, use Method 2.
URL Inspection in Search Console
Google Search Console is free, and its URL Inspection tool is the only source that tells you what Google actually thinks about a specific page.
1. Open Search Console and pick your property
You need a verified property for your domain — verification takes a few minutes with a DNS record or an HTML file upload. Select the property, then paste the full page URL (including https://) into the search bar at the top.
2. Read the verdict at the top
"URL is on Google" means indexed — done. "URL is not on Google" means it is not, and the tool tells you why underneath: a noindex directive, a robots.txt block, a crawl error, or simply that it has not been processed yet. Trust this verdict over the site: operator every time.
3. Check the details
The tool also shows the last crawl date, whether Google could render the page, and which canonical URL Google selected. If Google picked a different canonical than yours, your page may be "indexed" under another URL — worth investigating before assuming the worst.
4. Request indexing — once
For a new or recently fixed page, the "Request indexing" button asks Google to crawl it. Honest note: this puts you in a queue; it does not force indexing, and it can take days to a couple of weeks. Requesting repeatedly does not speed anything up. Fix the underlying issue first, request once, then wait.
Reading the Pages report
In Search Console, go to Indexing → Pages. This shows every URL Google knows about on your site, grouped by status. The labels sound cryptic; here is what they actually mean:
Indexed
The good pile. Google crawled the page and keeps it in the index. This is where you want your important pages.
Discovered – currently not indexed
Google knows the URL exists (from your sitemap or a link) but has not crawled it yet. Very common on new or low-authority sites — usually a crawl-priority signal, not a penalty. Strengthen internal linking and give it time.
Crawled – currently not indexed
Google fetched the page and chose not to index it. This one deserves attention: it often points to thin, duplicate, or low-value content. Improve the page substantially rather than just re-requesting.
Excluded by "noindex" tag
The page carries a noindex directive — sometimes intentional (thank-you pages, admin), sometimes an accident from a plugin, theme setting, or staging-site leftover. Verify each one is deliberate.
Alternate page with proper canonical tag
Google indexed a different URL as the canonical version of this page. Normal for intentional duplicates (http vs https, trailing slashes) — a problem only if the canonical chosen is not the page you want ranking.
Not found (404) / Server errors
Google tried and failed to fetch the page. Fix broken links, restore deleted pages that matter, and check your hosting if server errors appear at scale.
If your page is not indexed — the checklist
Work through these in order. Most indexing problems are one of the first three.
1. Check robots.txt
Open yourdomain.com/robots.txt. A single stray Disallow: / blocks Googlebot from everything. Staging-site leftovers are the classic culprit.
2. Check for noindex
View the page source and look for a noindex meta tag, or check your SEO plugin's settings per page. WordPress "discourage search engines" settings and page-level toggles cause this silently.
3. Check your canonicals
A wrong canonical tag tells Google another URL is the real one. Make sure each page's canonical points to itself (or to the genuinely preferred version).
4. Submit your sitemap
In Search Console → Sitemaps, submit your XML sitemap (usually /sitemap.xml or /wp-sitemap.xml). This is discovery fuel — it does not force indexing, but it makes sure Google knows the URLs exist.
5. Link to the page internally
Orphan pages — pages no other page links to — get discovered slowly or never. Link new pages from relevant existing content and navigation. Internal links are still the primary discovery path.
6. Make the page worth indexing
"Crawled – currently not indexed" is Google's polite way of saying the page did not earn a slot. Thin, duplicated, or auto-generated content gets skipped. Add genuine substance before re-requesting.
Realistic timelines: a brand-new site typically sees its first pages indexed within days to a couple of weeks of being discovered; full-site indexing takes longer and depends on crawl budget, which grows with the site's authority and linking. There is no fixed number — anyone promising "indexed in 24 hours, guaranteed" is selling fiction.
When DIY stops being enough
One or two missing pages is usually a quick fix from the checklist above. But some patterns mean something structural is wrong: large sections of the site stuck in "Discovered – currently not indexed" for months, a sudden drop in indexed pages after a redesign, or repeated crawl errors you cannot trace to a cause.
That is a technical SEO problem — crawl budget, site architecture, rendering, or server issues — and guessing at it costs more time than diagnosing it properly. Our free audit looks at exactly this: what is indexed, what is excluded, and why.
Asked, answered.
How long does Google take to index a new website?
Typically days to a couple of weeks for the first pages once Google discovers the site; full indexing takes longer and depends on crawl budget, internal linking, and content quality. There is no guaranteed timeline.
Does "Request indexing" guarantee my page will be indexed?
No. It asks Google to crawl the page; indexing remains Google's decision. If the page has a noindex tag, thin content, or a canonical pointing elsewhere, requesting again will not change the outcome — fix the underlying issue first.
My site: search shows no results. Am I penalized?
Not necessarily. For new sites this usually just means Google has not discovered or processed the site yet. Check Search Console's URL Inspection for the real verdict, verify your sitemap is submitted, and make sure nothing blocks crawling. Penalties are rare; patience and the checklist above cover most cases.
My homepage is indexed but my blog posts are not. Why?
Common causes: the posts are not linked from anywhere Google crawls regularly (orphan pages), the site is new and crawl budget is limited, or the posts are thin. Link new posts from relevant existing pages, submit your sitemap, and give each post genuine substance.
Are third-party index checker tools reliable?
They are fine for quick bulk checks, but they guess from search results the same way the site: operator does. Google Search Console's URL Inspection is the only authoritative source — when a tool and Search Console disagree, believe Search Console.
Not sure what Google thinks of your site?
Our free SEO audit checks your indexing status, crawl issues, and technical health — then tells you exactly what to fix first.