Just because an address is opened or included in the sitemap does not confirm its indexing. You must first check whether the page required for search is indexed and which canonical URL represents it.
Distinguish between discovery, crawling, indexing, and search visibility.
Even if a search engine finds your URL as a link, it may not have been fetched yet. Even if the content has been fetched, it may not be indexed, and even if it is indexed, it may not appear for the query you want to target. Mixing these steps will result in repeating submission requests when the content needs to be fixed.
Not all unindexed URLs are errors
It may be appropriate to consolidate filter combinations or print versions with duplicate content under canonical URLs. On the other hand, if the core service page is noindexed, confirmation is required. Rather than looking at the total number of URLs, look at whether the pages your customers need are being served properly.
Resources to check
Check the URL inspection results in Search Console for last crawl, index status, and canonical URLs selected by Google. We also record the modification date because the current page state may be different from when the report observed it. Sitemap submission helps URL discovery; it does not guarantee indexing.
Key takeaways
- Crawling and indexing are different steps.
- Non-indexing of duplicate URLs may be normal.
- Check the status of important pages and their canonical URLs.