How to fix "URL is unknown to Google" error in Google Search Console

When someone says that a URL is unknown to Google, it typically means that Google's search engine has not yet indexed or recognized that particular URL. In other words, Google's crawlers, which systematically browse the web to discover new pages and content, have not visited or processed the URL in question.

If you have submitted the page through Indexing services like Indexly, Google accepts the request and the crawling will happen as per Google's scheduling. This is typically the case for new URLs and sometimes for new websites. It will get resolved in a day or two, still much faster than the Google bot crawling your site every 2-3 weeks.

Causes of the error

Here are a few common reasons why a URL might be unknown to Google:

1. Newly Created Content: If the URL hosts a new webpage or content that was recently published, Google may not have had the chance to crawl and index it yet.
2. No Inbound Links: Google's crawlers often discover new URLs by following links from other indexed pages. If the URL is not linked to any other pages, Google may not find it easily.
3. Noindex Tag or Robots.txt Exclusion: Webmasters can use the noindex meta tag or specify exclusion in the robots.txt file to prevent search engines from indexing certain pages. If this is the case, Google intentionally avoids indexing the URL.
4. Temporary Crawl Issues: Sometimes, technical issues or temporary server problems can prevent Google's crawlers from accessing and indexing a URL.

How to check error - URL is unknown to Google

You can check for errors in the Google Search Console. Once you log in to GSC, you can go to pages and check for "Pages Not Indexed" and sort the pages with errors.

Alternatively, you can log in to Indexly.ai, go to "Instant Indexing" and scroll through the pages and visually you can check what pages have this error.

How to fix the URL is unknown to Google status

To make a URL known to Google and potentially have it indexed in search results, you can take the following actions:

• Internal Linking: Ensure the URL is linked from other pages on your website, which helps Google discover and crawl it.
• Sitemap Submission: Submitting an updated sitemap to Google Search Console can notify Google of new or changed URLs that should be crawled.
• Fetch as Google: Use Google Search Console to manually request indexing of the URL. This tool allows you to directly ask Google to crawl and index a specific URL.

For the 3rd step, You can login to Indexly.ai, go to "Instant Indexing," and scroll through the pages. This will display the pages that have errors.

If you already have a fix, you can submit the page for Instant Indexing and Indexly will get the page indexed within 24-48 hours. Below is the link to details on how to set up Instant Indexing with Indexly.

How to Setup Instant Indexing on Google

Setup Instant Indexing on Google with Indexly. Submit pages for indexing when your content is updated, and get your website noticed by search engines and potential customers.

IndexlyDeepti

Supercharge your SEO with Indexly

It usually takes a few weeks for a Google bot to crawl and index your website's pages. However, Indexly can simplify this process by automatically checking your sitemaps, finding new pages, and submitting them to Google Search Console.

This reduces human effort and errors and significantly improves indexing time. When your website's pages are indexed, they rank higher on search engines, ultimately boosting organic traffic.

Log in to Indexly with your Google account and set up your website for auto-indexing now!