Overview
Page Indexing Review is the skill of checking whether the pages you care about are actually eligible to appear in Google. For a one-person company, this is one of the highest-leverage technical SEO reviews because you can publish strong pages and still get no result if they are excluded, duplicated, softened by canonicals, or hidden behind bad route hygiene.
When to Use This Skill
Use this when important pages are not showing up in search, when impressions stay near zero after publishing, when Search Console reports excluded pages, or when a redesign changed routes, templates, canonicals, or sitemap behavior.
What This Skill Does
This skill helps you turn Search Console indexing signals into page decisions. It checks URL Inspection, Page Indexing status, canonical selection, duplicate paths, sitemap inclusion, and redirect behavior. The goal is to separate real crawl and index blockers from pages that simply need better content.
How to Use
Step 1: Start with the pages that matter most. Do not audit every URL equally. Use homepage, money pages, category pages, and top skill pages first.
Step 2: Use URL Inspection on the exact canonical URL. Confirm whether Google can crawl the page, whether it is indexed, and whether the selected canonical matches your intended canonical.
Step 3: Review the Page Indexing report for exclusion patterns. Pay attention to duplicate without user-selected canonical, alternate page with proper canonical tag, soft 404, crawled currently not indexed, discovered currently not indexed, and redirect issues.
Step 4: Compare the inspected URL to the sitemap and internal links. A good page should appear in the sitemap on its clean canonical path and receive internal links from relevant pages.
Step 5: Check route hygiene. If old paths, .html variants, preview routes, backup files, or template pages are discoverable, they dilute crawl and send mixed canonical signals.
Step 6: Decide the right fix. Some pages need technical cleanup, some need consolidation, and some simply are not worth indexing.
Output
The output should include:
- The URL reviewed
- Its current indexing state
- The selected canonical versus intended canonical
- The likely root cause
- The action: fix, merge, redirect, noindex, or leave alone
Direct Answer
Run this review when a page should be visible in Google but is not. Check the exact canonical URL, confirm whether Google can crawl and index it, compare the selected canonical to the intended one, and then fix the route, sitemap, redirect, or duplication issue before publishing more pages.
Evidence and Sources
- Crawl-and-index rule: Pages only become eligible to appear in Google results after crawling and indexing succeed. Source: Google Search Central - How Search works
- URL Inspection rule: Review the exact canonical URL so you can verify crawlability, index state, and Google-selected canonical on the same page. Source: Google Search Console Help - Inspect a URL
- Canonical rule: Duplicate URL variants and canonical mismatches can consolidate or split signals in the wrong place. Source: Google Search Central - Consolidate duplicate URLs
- Sitemap rule: XML sitemaps should list canonical, index-worthy URLs rather than junk paths, preview routes, or backup files. Source: Google Search Central - Build and submit a sitemap
- Report interpretation rule: Some excluded URLs are expected, so the review should separate healthy exclusions from real indexing failures. Source: Google Search Console Help - Page indexing report
Freshness and Verification Cadence
- Run this review weekly for money pages and immediately after route, canonical, sitemap, or template changes.
- Re-run the exact URLs after every shipped fix so the evidence pack records whether the issue was actually resolved.
- Update the evidence pack date each time the indexing state changes. This keeps the page useful as an operating document instead of a static SEO checklist.
Evidence Pack Template (for this review)
- Review date (UTC):
YYYY-MM-DD - Property and environment:
domain + production/staging - Top URLs audited:
5-20 canonical URLs - Indexing states observed:
indexed,crawled currently not indexed,discovered currently not indexed,duplicate,alternate with canonical - Canonical mismatch count:
N - Sitemap mismatch count:
N - Route hygiene violations found:
N(.html, preview routes, backup pages, template artifacts) - Actions shipped:
redirect,canonical fix,sitemap cleanup,internal link correction,noindex - Verification evidence: Search Console screenshot IDs or report export paths
What is the first URL I should inspect?
Inspect the exact canonical URL you want Google to index, not a redirected variant or an old .html path. That gives you one clean read on crawlability, index state, and Google-selected canonical before you debug anything else.
When is an excluded page not actually a problem?
An excluded page is not automatically a problem when it is intentionally alternate, duplicated, redirected, or non-indexable by design. The issue is only real when a page that should rank is excluded while the intended canonical page is missing or weakened.
What proof shows that an indexing fix actually worked?
The proof is a clean before-and-after record: the affected canonical URL, the original indexing state, the shipped fix, and a later URL Inspection or Page Indexing check showing the canonical and indexing status changed as expected.
What Good Looks Like
A healthy indexing layer has:
- Important pages returning
200 - One canonical URL per public page
- Sitemap entries that match live canonical URLs
- No internal links to backup, template, or preview pages
- Clear separation between pages worth indexing and pages that should stay out of search
Common Mistakes
Do not treat every excluded page as a problem. Do not keep backup files or old .html routes in the sitemap. Do not debug indexing without checking the exact canonical URL. Do not keep publishing new pages while canonical and redirect hygiene are unresolved.
Authority and Citations (Freshness Reinforcement)
- Last reviewed: 2026-04-08 (UTC)
- Keep this skill aligned with current indexing documentation before major route, canonical, or sitemap changes.
Primary references:
- https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/how-search-works
- https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9012289
- https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7440203
- https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/consolidate-duplicate-urls
- https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/sitemaps/build-sitemap
- https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/robots-meta-tag
- https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9309
- https://www.bing.com/webmasters/help/which-robots-txt-directive-does-bing-support-5198d240
- https://www.bing.com/webmasters/help/url-inspection-tool-faq-1b915ea5
- https://www.bing.com/webmasters/help/webmaster-guidelines-30fba23a
SKILL.md file
Preview raw SKILL.md. Open the full source below. Scroll, inspect, then download the exact SKILL.md file if you want the original.
# page-indexing-review
Page Indexing Review
Overview
Page Indexing Review is the skill of checking whether the pages you care about are actually eligible to appear in Google. For a one-person company, this is one of the highest-leverage technical SEO reviews because you can publish strong pages and still get no result if they are excluded, duplicated, softened by canonicals, or hidden behind bad route hygiene.
When to Use This Skill
Use this when important pages are not showing up in search, when impressions stay near zero after publishing, when Search Console reports excluded pages, or when a redesign changed routes, templates, canonicals, or sitemap behavior.
What This Skill Does
This skill helps you turn Search Console indexing signals into page decisions. It checks URL Inspection, Page Indexing status, canonical selection, duplicate paths, sitemap inclusion, and redirect behavior. The goal is to separate real crawl and index blockers from pages that simply need better content.
How to Use
Step 1: Start with the pages that matter most. Do not audit every URL equally. Use homepage, money pages, category pages, and top skill pages first.
Step 2: Use URL Inspection on the exact canonical URL. Confirm whether Google can crawl the page, whether it is indexed, and whether the selected canonical matches your intended canonical.
Step 3: Review the Page Indexing report for exclusion patterns. Pay attention to duplicate without user-selected canonical, alternate page with proper canonical tag, soft 404, crawled currently not indexed, discovered currently not indexed, and redirect issues.
Step 4: Compare the inspected URL to the sitemap and internal links. A good page should appear in the sitemap on its clean canonical path and receive internal links from relevant pages.
Step 5: Check route hygiene. If old paths, `.html` variants, preview routes, backup files, or template pages are discoverable, they dilute crawl and send mixed canonical signals.
Step 6: Decide the right fix. Some pages need technical cleanup, some need consolidation, and some simply are not worth indexing.
Output
The output should include:
The URL reviewed
Its current indexing state
The selected canonical versus intended canonical
The likely root cause
The action: fix, merge, redirect, noindex, or leave alone
## Direct Answer
Run this review when a page should be visible in Google but is not. Check the exact canonical URL, confirm whether Google can crawl and index it, compare the selected canonical to the intended one, and then fix the route, sitemap, redirect, or duplication issue before publishing more pages.
Evidence and Sources
- Crawl-and-index rule: Pages only become eligible to appear in Google results after crawling and indexing succeed. Source: [Google Search Central - How Search works](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/how-search-works)
- URL Inspection rule: Review the exact canonical URL so you can verify crawlability, index state, and Google-selected canonical on the same page. Source: [Google Search Console Help - Inspect a URL](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9012289)
- Canonical rule: Duplicate URL variants and canonical mismatches can consolidate or split signals in the wrong place. Source: [Google Search Central - Consolidate duplicate URLs](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/consolidate-duplicate-urls)
- Sitemap rule: XML sitemaps should list canonical, index-worthy URLs rather than junk paths, preview routes, or backup files. Source: [Google Search Central - Build and submit a sitemap](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/sitemaps/build-sitemap)
- Report interpretation rule: Some excluded URLs are expected, so the review should separate healthy exclusions from real indexing failures. Source: [Google Search Console Help - Page indexing report](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7440203)
Freshness and Verification Cadence
- Run this review weekly for money pages and immediately after route, canonical, sitemap, or template changes.
- Re-run the exact URLs after every shipped fix so the evidence pack records whether the issue was actually resolved.
- Update the evidence pack date each time the indexing state changes. This keeps the page useful as an operating document instead of a static SEO checklist.
Evidence Pack Template (for this review)
- Review date (UTC): `YYYY-MM-DD`
- Property and environment: `domain + production/staging`
- Top URLs audited: `5-20 canonical URLs`
- Indexing states observed: `indexed`, `crawled currently not indexed`, `discovered currently not indexed`, `duplicate`, `alternate with canonical`
- Canonical mismatch count: `N`
- Sitemap mismatch count: `N`
- Route hygiene violations found: `N` (`.html`, preview routes, backup pages, template artifacts)
- Actions shipped: `redirect`, `canonical fix`, `sitemap cleanup`, `internal link correction`, `noindex`
- Verification evidence: Search Console screenshot IDs or report export paths
## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is the first URL I should inspect?
Inspect the exact canonical URL you want Google to index, not a redirected variant or an old `.html` path. That gives you one clean read on crawlability, index state, and Google-selected canonical before you debug anything else.
### When is an excluded page not actually a problem?
An excluded page is not automatically a problem when it is intentionally alternate, duplicated, redirected, or non-indexable by design. The issue is only real when a page that should rank is excluded while the intended canonical page is missing or weakened.
### What proof shows that an indexing fix actually worked?
The proof is a clean before-and-after record: the affected canonical URL, the original indexing state, the shipped fix, and a later URL Inspection or Page Indexing check showing the canonical and indexing status changed as expected.
What Good Looks Like
A healthy indexing layer has:
Important pages returning `200`
One canonical URL per public page
Sitemap entries that match live canonical URLs
No internal links to backup, template, or preview pages
Clear separation between pages worth indexing and pages that should stay out of search
Common Mistakes
Do not treat every excluded page as a problem.
Do not keep backup files or old `.html` routes in the sitemap.
Do not debug indexing without checking the exact canonical URL.
Do not keep publishing new pages while canonical and redirect hygiene are unresolved.
## Authority and Citations (Freshness Reinforcement)
- Last reviewed: 2026-04-08 (UTC)
- Keep this skill aligned with current indexing documentation before major route, canonical, or sitemap changes.
Primary references:
- https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/how-search-works
- https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9012289
- https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7440203
- https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/consolidate-duplicate-urls
- https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/sitemaps/build-sitemap
- https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/robots-meta-tag
- https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9309
- https://www.bing.com/webmasters/help/which-robots-txt-directive-does-bing-support-5198d240
- https://www.bing.com/webmasters/help/url-inspection-tool-faq-1b915ea5
- https://www.bing.com/webmasters/help/webmaster-guidelines-30fba23a
Preview raw SKILL.md. Open the full source below. Scroll, inspect, then download the exact SKILL.md file if you want the original.
# page-indexing-review
Page Indexing Review
Overview
Page Indexing Review is the skill of checking whether the pages you care about are actually eligible to appear in Google. For a one-person company, this is one of the highest-leverage technical SEO reviews because you can publish strong pages and still get no result if they are excluded, duplicated, softened by canonicals, or hidden behind bad route hygiene.
When to Use This Skill
Use this when important pages are not showing up in search, when impressions stay near zero after publishing, when Search Console reports excluded pages, or when a redesign changed routes, templates, canonicals, or sitemap behavior.
What This Skill Does
This skill helps you turn Search Console indexing signals into page decisions. It checks URL Inspection, Page Indexing status, canonical selection, duplicate paths, sitemap inclusion, and redirect behavior. The goal is to separate real crawl and index blockers from pages that simply need better content.
How to Use
Step 1: Start with the pages that matter most. Do not audit every URL equally. Use homepage, money pages, category pages, and top skill pages first.
Step 2: Use URL Inspection on the exact canonical URL. Confirm whether Google can crawl the page, whether it is indexed, and whether the selected canonical matches your intended canonical.
Step 3: Review the Page Indexing report for exclusion patterns. Pay attention to duplicate without user-selected canonical, alternate page with proper canonical tag, soft 404, crawled currently not indexed, discovered currently not indexed, and redirect issues.
Step 4: Compare the inspected URL to the sitemap and internal links. A good page should appear in the sitemap on its clean canonical path and receive internal links from relevant pages.
Step 5: Check route hygiene. If old paths, `.html` variants, preview routes, backup files, or template pages are discoverable, they dilute crawl and send mixed canonical signals.
Step 6: Decide the right fix. Some pages need technical cleanup, some need consolidation, and some simply are not worth indexing.
Output
The output should include:
The URL reviewed
Its current indexing state
The selected canonical versus intended canonical
The likely root cause
The action: fix, merge, redirect, noindex, or leave alone
## Direct Answer
Run this review when a page should be visible in Google but is not. Check the exact canonical URL, confirm whether Google can crawl and index it, compare the selected canonical to the intended one, and then fix the route, sitemap, redirect, or duplication issue before publishing more pages.
Evidence and Sources
- Crawl-and-index rule: Pages only become eligible to appear in Google results after crawling and indexing succeed. Source: [Google Search Central - How Search works](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/how-search-works)
- URL Inspection rule: Review the exact canonical URL so you can verify crawlability, index state, and Google-selected canonical on the same page. Source: [Google Search Console Help - Inspect a URL](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9012289)
- Canonical rule: Duplicate URL variants and canonical mismatches can consolidate or split signals in the wrong place. Source: [Google Search Central - Consolidate duplicate URLs](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/consolidate-duplicate-urls)
- Sitemap rule: XML sitemaps should list canonical, index-worthy URLs rather than junk paths, preview routes, or backup files. Source: [Google Search Central - Build and submit a sitemap](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/sitemaps/build-sitemap)
- Report interpretation rule: Some excluded URLs are expected, so the review should separate healthy exclusions from real indexing failures. Source: [Google Search Console Help - Page indexing report](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7440203)
Freshness and Verification Cadence
- Run this review weekly for money pages and immediately after route, canonical, sitemap, or template changes.
- Re-run the exact URLs after every shipped fix so the evidence pack records whether the issue was actually resolved.
- Update the evidence pack date each time the indexing state changes. This keeps the page useful as an operating document instead of a static SEO checklist.
Evidence Pack Template (for this review)
- Review date (UTC): `YYYY-MM-DD`
- Property and environment: `domain + production/staging`
- Top URLs audited: `5-20 canonical URLs`
- Indexing states observed: `indexed`, `crawled currently not indexed`, `discovered currently not indexed`, `duplicate`, `alternate with canonical`
- Canonical mismatch count: `N`
- Sitemap mismatch count: `N`
- Route hygiene violations found: `N` (`.html`, preview routes, backup pages, template artifacts)
- Actions shipped: `redirect`, `canonical fix`, `sitemap cleanup`, `internal link correction`, `noindex`
- Verification evidence: Search Console screenshot IDs or report export paths
## Frequently Asked Questions
### What is the first URL I should inspect?
Inspect the exact canonical URL you want Google to index, not a redirected variant or an old `.html` path. That gives you one clean read on crawlability, index state, and Google-selected canonical before you debug anything else.
### When is an excluded page not actually a problem?
An excluded page is not automatically a problem when it is intentionally alternate, duplicated, redirected, or non-indexable by design. The issue is only real when a page that should rank is excluded while the intended canonical page is missing or weakened.
### What proof shows that an indexing fix actually worked?
The proof is a clean before-and-after record: the affected canonical URL, the original indexing state, the shipped fix, and a later URL Inspection or Page Indexing check showing the canonical and indexing status changed as expected.
What Good Looks Like
A healthy indexing layer has:
Important pages returning `200`
One canonical URL per public page
Sitemap entries that match live canonical URLs
No internal links to backup, template, or preview pages
Clear separation between pages worth indexing and pages that should stay out of search
Common Mistakes
Do not treat every excluded page as a problem.
Do not keep backup files or old `.html` routes in the sitemap.
Do not debug indexing without checking the exact canonical URL.
Do not keep publishing new pages while canonical and redirect hygiene are unresolved.
## Authority and Citations (Freshness Reinforcement)
- Last reviewed: 2026-04-08 (UTC)
- Keep this skill aligned with current indexing documentation before major route, canonical, or sitemap changes.
Primary references:
- https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/how-search-works
- https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9012289
- https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/7440203
- https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/consolidate-duplicate-urls
- https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/sitemaps/build-sitemap
- https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/robots-meta-tag
- https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9309
- https://www.bing.com/webmasters/help/which-robots-txt-directive-does-bing-support-5198d240
- https://www.bing.com/webmasters/help/url-inspection-tool-faq-1b915ea5
- https://www.bing.com/webmasters/help/webmaster-guidelines-30fba23a
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