How to Fix Google Indexing Issues on Your WordPress Website
If you have published articles on your WordPress website but Google still hasn’t indexed them, you are not alone. Many website owners experience this problem, especially when building a new blog or publishing content regularly.
I have been working on MattFeastOnline.com and monitoring its progress through Google Search Console. One thing I have learned is that getting a page discovered by Google does not automatically mean it will appear in search results.
You might see messages such as “Discovered – currently not indexed” or “Crawled – currently not indexed” in Google Search Console. These statuses can be frustrating, particularly when you have spent time writing an article, optimising it for SEO and adding internal links.
The good news is that these messages do not necessarily mean something is wrong with your website. However, they can indicate that Google needs more time, stronger signals or better reasons to index your content.
In this guide, I will explain why Google might not be indexing your WordPress pages and share practical steps you can take to improve your website’s chances of appearing in Google search results.
Discovered – Currently Not Indexed..
What Does Google Indexing Mean?
Before looking at the solutions, it helps to understand how Google finds and processes your website content.
Google generally follows three stages: crawling, indexing and serving search results.
Crawling happens when Google discovers a URL and attempts to access its content. Indexing is the process of analysing that content and deciding whether it should be included in Google’s index. Once indexed, a page may become eligible to appear in search results.
However, indexing does not guarantee that a page will rank highly. Google considers many factors when deciding which pages to show for a particular search.
This means you have two separate goals. First, help Google discover and index your content. Second, improve the quality and relevance of that content so it has a better chance of ranking.
1. Understand the Google Search Console Indexing Status
The first thing I recommend is checking Google Search Console rather than making random changes to your WordPress website.
Open Google Search Console, select your website and navigate to the page indexing report. Here, you can see which pages Google has indexed and which have encountered different statuses.
Discovered and Crawled: Why Google Has Not Indexed Your Page
Two common messages you may see in Google Search Console are “Discovered – currently not indexed” and “Crawled – currently not indexed”. Although they sound similar, they mean different things.
Discovered – currently not indexed
This means Google knows your URL exists but has not yet crawled the page. This can happen when Google has many URLs to process or does not consider the page a high priority at that time.
Check that your website is working correctly, your sitemap is accessible and your new article has relevant internal links pointing to it. You should also make sure the content provides useful information for your readers.
Crawled – currently not indexed
This means Google has visited your page but has not included it in its search index. This does not automatically mean there is a technical problem with your website.
Review the article to make sure it offers original, helpful information and answers the reader’s search query. Check for substantial similarities with other pages, confirm that the correct canonical URL is set, and ensure that search engines can access the content.
If everything is technically correct, improve the article where necessary and give Google time to reassess it. Requesting indexing through Google Search Console can help bring a page to Google’s attention, but it does not guarantee inclusion in search results.
Excluded by a noindex tag
A noindex directive tells search engines not to include a page in their index. If you want Google to index a particular WordPress page, check your Yoast SEO settings to make sure you have not accidentally enabled this option.
Understanding these differences is important because each status requires a slightly different approach. Rather than repeatedly requesting indexing, investigate the cause first and make any necessary improvements.
2. Check Your WordPress Search Engine Visibility
One simple mistake can prevent Google from indexing an entire website.
Log in to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Settings, then Reading. Look for the option labelled “Discourage search engines from indexing this site.”
Make sure this box is unchecked if you want your public website indexed.
This setting is useful while developing a website, but leaving it enabled after launch can interfere with your SEO efforts.
Next, check your SEO plugin settings. I use Yoast SEO, which allows you to control how different types of content appear in search results.
Open the relevant page or post and check its Advanced settings. Confirm that the page is allowed to appear in search results and that you have not accidentally set it to noindex.
Also check your website’s robots.txt file. It should not contain rules that unintentionally block Google from crawling important pages.
Do not change these settings blindly. Make sure you understand what each directive does before editing your configuration.
3. Submit Your WordPress Sitemap to Google
An XML sitemap helps Google discover important URLs on your website.
If you use Yoast SEO, it can automatically generate a sitemap for your WordPress site. The address is commonly:
https://yourdomain.com/sitemap_index.xml
Replace the example domain with your own website address.
Open the sitemap in your browser to check that it loads correctly. Then visit Google Search Console and select Sitemaps from the navigation menu.
Enter your sitemap address and submit it if you have not already done so.
Your sitemap should contain the important pages and posts you want Google to discover. Avoid including URLs that should not be indexed, such as private content or unnecessary duplicate pages.
Remember that submitting a sitemap does not force Google to index every URL. It simply helps Google discover your content and understand your website structure.
4. Improve Your Content Before Requesting Indexing
One of the most important things you can do is review the actual content on pages that Google has not indexed.
Ask yourself whether each article provides something useful that readers cannot easily find on dozens of other websites.
For example, an article about WordPress SEO should offer practical advice, clear explanations and useful steps. Simply repeating common SEO tips without adding anything helpful may not give Google a strong reason to index it.
I believe experience matters when writing online. Explain what you have tried, what you have learned and which problems you encountered. Where appropriate, include original examples, screenshots, comparisons or results that help readers understand the subject.
Avoid publishing large numbers of very similar articles just to target slightly different keywords. Each page should have a clear purpose and satisfy a particular search intent.
You do not need to rewrite every unindexed article immediately. Start with your most useful pages and improve those that offer the greatest value to your audience.
5. Add Internal Links to Important Pages
Internal linking is another practical way to improve website structure and help Google discover your content.
An internal link connects one page on your website to another. These links help visitors navigate your blog and provide search engines with additional paths to discover your URLs.
For example, if you publish an article about Google Search Console, you could link to related guides about keyword research, website traffic and WordPress SEO.
Try adding relevant links from established pages to newer articles that you want Google to discover.
Use descriptive anchor text that explains what the reader will find after clicking. Avoid adding links simply to increase their number.
I prefer a natural approach. Every link should make sense in the paragraph and help the reader find related information.
You should also check that important pages are not isolated. If a page has no internal links pointing to it, Google may find it harder to discover through normal website navigation.
6. Check Your SiteGround Website Performance
Your hosting environment can affect how reliably Google accesses your website.
I use SiteGround for MattFeastOnline.com, so I pay attention to website performance, caching and technical issues.
Start by checking that your website loads correctly on desktop and mobile devices. Make sure important pages return a successful HTTP status rather than errors such as 404 or 500.
If Googlebot repeatedly encounters server errors, it may have difficulty crawling your content.
SiteGround users can also review caching settings and website optimisation tools. These can help improve loading performance when configured correctly.
However, avoid assuming that slow loading is the cause of every indexing problem. A technically healthy website can still have pages that Google chooses not to index.
If you make changes to caching or optimisation settings, check the website afterwards to ensure that your pages, images and navigation still work properly.
7. Use Google Search Console’s URL Inspection Tool
The URL Inspection tool lets you examine how Google sees an individual page.
Open Google Search Console and enter the full URL of the article you want to investigate.
The report can tell you whether the page is indexed, whether Google can access it and whether any relevant indexing problems have been identified.
If you have corrected a genuine issue or published an improved article, you can select “Request Indexing” when the option is available.
This asks Google to consider crawling the URL. It does not guarantee immediate crawling or indexing.
I recommend using this feature for important pages rather than repeatedly requesting indexing for every URL. Submitting the same page again and again does not guarantee a better result.
After requesting indexing, give Google time to process the page. Continue improving your website instead of constantly resubmitting the same URLs.
8. Avoid Duplicate Content and Unnecessary URLs
WordPress websites can generate multiple URLs that lead to similar or identical content.
Examples include archive pages, tag pages, category pages, parameter-based URLs and alternative versions of the same page.
Not every one of these URLs needs to be indexed.
Review your website structure and decide which pages genuinely deserve to appear in Google search results. Use canonical URLs correctly where duplicate or substantially similar pages exist, and make sure important pages do not point to the wrong canonical address.
With Yoast SEO, you can manage important SEO settings for individual posts and pages.
Be careful when changing canonical settings or removing URLs. Incorrect changes can create new problems, especially if Google is already indexing the correct version.
Focus on your main content first. Your most valuable articles should be easy to find, accessible to visitors and supported by a logical internal linking structure.
9. Be Patient and Monitor Your Progress
Indexing is not always immediate. Google decides when to crawl pages and whether to include them in its index.
A newly published article might be discovered quickly but take longer to appear in search results. Other pages may remain unindexed because Google does not consider them sufficiently useful or distinctive.
I monitor the indexing reports and search performance for MattFeastOnline.com because I want to understand what is working and where improvements are needed.
Rather than checking every few minutes, review your progress periodically. Look for changes in indexed pages, impressions, clicks and the queries bringing visitors to your website.
You can also compare the performance of your stronger articles with pages that are struggling. This may help you identify differences in content quality, internal links, search intent or technical setup.
Do not delete an article simply because Google has not indexed it after a short period. First, investigate the reason and decide whether the page deserves improvement, consolidation or removal.
My WordPress Google Indexing Checklist
If your WordPress pages are not appearing in Google, work through this checklist:
- Check the page indexing report in Google Search Console.
- Confirm that WordPress is not discouraging search engines.
- Review Yoast SEO settings and noindex directives.
- Check that your XML sitemap works and is submitted.
- Improve articles that offer limited original value.
- Add relevant internal links from related content.
- Check for server errors and inaccessible pages.
- Inspect important URLs using Google Search Console.
- Review canonical tags and unnecessary duplicate URLs.
- Monitor indexing and organic search performance over time.
You do not need to make every change at once. Start by identifying the actual problem, then work through the relevant fixes.
Final Thoughts
If Google is not indexing your WordPress pages, it can be tempting to assume that your website has a serious SEO problem. In reality, there are several possible explanations, and the right solution depends on the status shown in Google Search Console.
Start with the basics: check your technical settings, confirm that Google can access your pages, review your sitemap and improve the quality of your content.
Then build a sensible internal linking structure and monitor your progress.
Building organic traffic takes time, and indexing is only one part of the process. Your longer-term goal should be to publish useful content that answers real questions and gives people a reason to visit your website.
If you are building an online business through blogging, I recommend learning the fundamentals of SEO and tracking your progress rather than chasing quick fixes.
Visit MattFeastOnline.com for more of my practical articles about blogging, SEO, website traffic and building an online income.
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Disclaimer: This article provides general information about WordPress SEO and Google indexing. Search engine behaviour and results can change, and no indexing or ranking outcome is guaranteed.