Why Some Website Pages Do Not Show Up In Search Results

 When your ideal customer searches the internet, having your website pages not included in search results can be a big problem. What good is your website page if they can't find it?

How do I know if search engines will include my website pages in search results?

Search engines must index your website pages for them to appear in search results.

Why should my business care about our website being indexed on Search Engines?

Indexing your business website pages on search engines helps improve your online visibility, reach a broader audience, and drive more traffic.

1. Increased Visibility: When search engines like Google index your website pages, they become part of the search engine's database. This means that when users search for relevant keywords or phrases related to your business, your pages are more likely to appear in the search results, increasing your brand's visibility.

2. Attracting Organic Traffic: Indexing enables your website to attract organic traffic from users actively searching for information related to your products or services. Organic traffic is often highly targeted and more likely to convert into customers or clients.

3. Business Credibility: A website that appears in search engine results is often perceived as more credible and trustworthy by users. People tend to trust information provided by search engines, and having your site indexed can contribute to building credibility for your business.

4. Competitive Advantage: If your competitors have their websites indexed and you don't, you may lose potential customers to them. Being indexed ensures your business remains competitive online and is visible to users actively searching for products or services like yours.

5. Wider Audience Reach: Search engines have a global reach, allowing your business to be discovered by a wider audience beyond your immediate geographic location. This is particularly important if you offer products or services that can be accessed or shipped globally.

6. Marketing and Brand Exposure: Indexing is fundamental to online marketing. It ensures that your marketing efforts, such as content creation, promotions, and advertising, are supported by a solid online presence, making it easier for potential customers to find and engage with your brand.

7. SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Indexing is a crucial aspect of SEO. Search engines use complex algorithms to determine the relevance and quality of web pages. Indexing your business website is a prerequisite for implementing various SEO strategies to improve your website's ranking in search results.

8. Analytics and Insights: Indexing your pages lets you gather valuable insights through tools like Google Analytics. You can track user behavior, analyze traffic sources, and make data-driven decisions to improve your website's performance.

What is the first step to having my website appear in search results?

 

Submit Sitemaps to Search Engines

 

Search engines utilize sitemaps as a roadmap to navigate the vast expanse of the internet. When your website pages are missing from search results, it's essential to verify that your sitemap has been submitted and indexed by search engines. A properly submitted sitemap provides search engines with a comprehensive list of your website's pages, making indexing and ranking your content easier.

Where do I find my website sitemap?

If you use WordPress, the Yoast SEO tool will do this for you.

How to enable and view the XML sitemap in Yoast SEO

Your Squarespace site comes with a site map using the .xml format, so you don't need to create one manually. It includes the URLs for all pages on your site and image metadata for SEO-friendly indexing.  Site maps and search engines:  A site map tells search engines what pages are available for crawling.

Your sitemap manages the content shown to search engines for each of your domains hosted on HubSpot. Sitemaps help search engine web crawlers determine the structure of your site so they can crawl it more intelligently.

View and edit your HubSpot-hosted domain sitemap.

 

Why your website pages aren’t indexed

Pages that aren’t indexed can’t be served on Google. Some of the most common reasons your website pages are not indexed and available in search results are listed below.

Discovered - Currently Not Indexed

Crawled - Currently Not Indexed

Excluded by ‘noindex’ Tag

Alternate Page with Proper Canonical Tag

Website, Page with Redirect, Not Found (404)

Wait a minute.

Shouldn't my marketing or SEO agency take care of this for me?

YES, they should!

NEED HELP WITH GOOGLE SEARCH CONSOLE?

 

 

Discovered - Currently Not Indexed

The "Discovered - currently not indexed" status is a common occurrence that often leaves website owners perplexed. This status indicates that the search engine has found the page during its crawling process but still needs to add it to its index. This delay could be due to various reasons, such as low content quality, duplicate content issues, or technical glitches.

To resolve this, could you focus on enhancing the quality and uniqueness of your content? Update your website with relevant information and make sure each page serves a distinct purpose. Are you improving the page's metadata, including titles and meta descriptions, to make it more appealing to search engines?

 

Crawled - Currently Not Indexed

Like the "Discovered - currently not indexed" status, "Crawled - currently not indexed" indicates that the search engine has explored the page during its crawling process but has chosen not to include it in the index. This may be due to issues like poor website performance, slow loading times, or issues with the server.

To address this, optimize your website's performance by compressing images, leveraging browser caching, and investing in a reliable hosting provider. Ensure that your website is accessible to search engine bots, allowing them to crawl your pages without encountering obstacles.

 

Excluded by ‘noindex’ Tag

One of the most straightforward reasons for a page not appearing in search results is the presence of a 'noindex' tag. This tag instructs search engines not to index a particular page, rendering it invisible in search results. While it serves a purpose, such as keeping private or duplicate content out of search engine indexes, it can inadvertently affect important pages.

Review your website's meta tags, specifically checking for the 'noindex' tag. If you find it on pages that should be visible in search results, remove the tag to allow search engines to index and display the content.

 

Alternate Page with Proper Canonical Tag

Canonical tags indicate the preferred version of a page, especially when dealing with duplicate content issues. If an alternate page is specified in the canonical tag, search engines may prioritize indexing that page over others, leaving some content unnoticed.

Inspect your canonical tags to represent each page’s primary version accurately. Adjust these tags as needed to guide search engines towards the correct pages for indexing.

 

Website, Page with Redirect, Not Found (404)

The dreaded 404 error occurs when a page is not found on the server. This can happen for various reasons, including broken links, deleted pages, or server misconfigurations. If search engines encounter 404 errors while crawling your website, they may exclude those pages from the index.

Perform regular checks on your website to identify and fix broken links. Implement proper redirects for pages that have been moved or deleted, ensuring a seamless user experience and preventing exclusion from search results.

 

 

How can I make my website pages appear in search results?

The URL Inspection Process and Manual Page Submission

Google Search Console provides a valuable tool for website owners to troubleshoot and address indexing issues – the URL Inspection tool. This tool lets you see how Googlebot views a specific page, providing insights into indexing status, crawling issues, and more.

To manually submit a page for indexing using Google Search Console:

 

1. Navigate to the URL Inspection tool.
2. Enter the URL of the page you want to index.
3. Review the indexing status and any issues reported.
4. If necessary, you can request indexing to prompt search engines to reevaluate the page.

Wait a minute.

Shouldn't my marketing or SEO agency take care of this for me?

YES, they should!

Not sure what to do next? Schedule A Time To Talk.

Is Domain Authority More Important Than Content on Your Website?

Domain authority refers to the overall strength and credibility of a website's domain based on factors such as the number and quality of backlinks, the age of the domain, and other technical factors.

A high domain authority can help a website rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) and attract more traffic.

On the other hand, content is the primary reason why people visit a website.

High-quality content that is informative, engaging, and relevant to the target audience can help a website attract and retain visitors, build trust and authority, and ultimately convert visitors into customers or subscribers.

 

So, while domain authority can help a website attract more traffic and rank higher in SERPs, the content keeps visitors engaged and satisfied. In other words, domain authority is a means to an end, while content is the end goal.

Domain authority and content are important in different ways and for different reasons.

When building a successful website, there are many factors to consider.

One of the most debated topics is whether domain authority or content is more important. While both are crucial for a website's success, understanding the differences and how they impact your site can help you make informed decisions about your online presence.

 

Understanding Domain Authority.

Domain authority is a metric developed by Moz that predicts how well a website will rank on search engine result pages (SERPs).

It considers factors such as the number and quality of backlinks pointing to a website, as well as the overall trustworthiness and authority of the website.

A higher domain authority score indicates that a website is more likely to rank higher on SERPs, which can lead to increased traffic and visibility. However, it's important to note that domain authority is just one of many factors that search engines use to determine rankings, and it's not a guarantee of success.

 

The Importance of Quality Content.

While domain authority is important for ranking on search engines, it's not the only factor that matters. Quality content is also crucial for attracting and retaining visitors to your website.

Content that is informative, engaging, and relevant to your audience can help establish your website as a trustworthy source of information and increase the likelihood of visitors returning in the future.

High-quality content can also attract backlinks from other websites, further improving your domain authority and search engine rankings.

A balance of domain authority and quality content is necessary for a successful website.

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SCHEDULE A TIME TO TALK.

How Domain Authority and Content Work Together.

Domain authority and content are both important factors for the success of your website. While domain authority helps your website rank higher on search engines, quality content is crucial for attracting and retaining visitors.

By creating informative and engaging content, you can establish your website as a trustworthy source of information and increase the likelihood of visitors returning in the future.

High-quality content can also attract backlinks from other websites, further improving your domain authority and search engine rankings. A balance of domain authority and quality content is necessary for a successful website.

 

Strategies for Improving Domain Authority and Content.

Improving your domain authority and content can be achieved through various strategies.

To improve your domain authority, focus on building high-quality backlinks from reputable websites, optimizing your website for search engines, and consistently producing valuable content.

 

Only compare websites that are relevant to your marketing vertical!

 

Since DA is based on machine learning calculations, your site's score will often fluctuate as more, fewer, or different data points become available and are incorporated into those calculations. For instance, if facebook.com were to acquire a billion new links, every other site’s DA would drop relative to Facebook’s. Because more established and authoritative domains like Facebook will have increasingly larger link profiles, they take up more of the high-DA slots, leaving less room at the higher end of the scale for other domains with less robust link profiles. Therefore, it's significantly easier to grow your score from 20 to 30 than it is to grow it from 70 to 80. For this reason, it’s important to use Domain Authority as a comparative metric rather than an absolute one.

Source: Moz

To improve your content, thoroughly research your target audience and their interests, create informative and engaging content, and use visuals and multimedia to enhance the user experience.

These strategies can improve your domain authority and content, leading to a more successful website.

 

Both Domain Authority and Content Matter.

While domain authority and content are both important for the success of your website, it’s important to remember that they work together.

A high domain authority can help your content rank higher in search engine results, while high-quality content can attract more backlinks and improve your domain authority.

Focusing on domain authority and content can lead to a more successful website that attracts more traffic, engages users, and achieves your business goals.

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The Complete Marketer's Guide to Google Analytics 4

 As a marketer, you know that data is key to understanding your audience and improving your campaigns.

The cost for a 750 word blog post can range from $100 to $1,000.

Web page costs can range from $1,500 to $4,500.

You need to know if your marketing is working.

Source: upreports

Google Analytics 4 is the latest version of the popular analytics platform, and it offers new features and insights that can help you determine of your marketing is working.

In this guide, we'll explore everything you need to know about Google Analytics 4, from setting it up to using its advanced features to drive better results.

 

What is Google Analytics 4 and why should you use it?

With GA4, you can track user behavior across multiple devices and platforms, get a better understanding of your audience, and use machine learning to uncover insights that can help you improve your campaigns. 

If you're serious about data-driven marketing, then GA4 is a must-have tool in your arsenal.

 

 

Setting up your Google Analytics 4 account.

Before you can start using Google Analytics 4, you need to set up your account.

The process is relatively straightforward, but there are a few things you need to keep in mind. First, you'll need a Google account to access GA4.

If you don't already have one, you can create one for free.

Once you have a Google account, you can create a new GA4 property by following the step-by-step instructions provided by Google.

Make sure to set up your tracking code correctly so that you can start collecting data from your website or app. If you are having trouble such as not seeing data check out  [GA4] Troubleshoot tag setup on your website.

Pro Tip: Use Google Tag Manager to install the measurement code.

 

NEED HELP SETTING UP GA4?

 

Understanding the new data model and event tracking.

Universal Analytics hit types include:

• page hits
• event hits
• ecommerce hits
• social interaction hits

In contrast, Google Analytics 4 data is event-based, with the principle that any interaction can be captured as an event. As such, Universal Analytics property hit types translate to events in a Google Analytics 4 property.

In a Universal Analytics property, a hit type ...	is captured in a Google Analytics 4 property as an ...
Page View	Event
Event	Event
Social	Event
Transaction/e-commerce	Event
User timing	Event
Exception	Event
App/screen view	Event

 

Source: Google

 

Google Analytics 4 introduces a new data model that is designed to provide more flexibility and better insights into user behavior.

⇒Instead of focusing on pageviews and sessions, GA4 tracks events, which are user interactions with your website or app.

Events can include things like clicks, form submissions, video plays, and more.

By tracking events, you can get a better understanding of how users are engaging with your content and where they may be experiencing issues or drop-offs.

Setting up event tracking in GA4 requires some technical knowledge, but it's worth the effort to get more detailed insights into user behavior.

 

 

NEED HELP SETTING UP EVENTS IN GA4?

 

Analyzing user behavior with the user explorer report.

The user explorer report in Google Analytics 4 allows you to analyze individual user behavior on your website or app.

You can see a timeline of their interactions, including events and pageviews, as well as demographic and geographic information.

This can be incredibly valuable for understanding how different segments of your audience are engaging with your content and where you may need to make improvements.

Additionally, you can use the user explorer report to identify high-value users and tailor your marketing efforts to better target them.

 

Using machine learning to gain insights with the insights feature.

Google Analytics 4's insights feature uses machine learning to automatically surface important trends and insights from your data.

This can save you time and help you identify opportunities to improve your website or app.

For example, the insights feature may highlight a sudden increase in traffic from a specific geographic region or a decrease in engagement on a particular page.

By paying attention to these insights, you can make data-driven decisions to optimize your marketing efforts and improve your overall performance.

 

How to Set Up Events and Conversions in Google Analytics 4

 

Define your goals and conversions.

Before setting up events and conversions in Google Analytics 4, it's important to define your goals and what actions you want users to take on your website.

This could be anything from:

• Filling out a contact form .
• Watching a video.
• Downloading content offers.
• Making a purchase.

Once you have a clear understanding of your goals, you can create conversions in Google Analytics 4 to track these actions.

As a marketer it is critical to measure the success of your website and make data-driven decisions to improve its performance.

 

 

Create custom events.

In addition to setting up conversions, you can also create custom events in Google Analytics 4 to track specific actions on your website. This could include clicks on certain buttons, video views, or downloads.

By tracking these events, you can gain a deeper understanding of how users are interacting with your website and make adjustments to improve their experience.

To create custom events, navigate to the Events section in Google Analytics 4 and select "Create Event."

From there, you can define the event parameters and set up triggers to track the event.

 

 

 

Set up event tracking.

Event tracking is an essential part of improving your website's performance in Google Analytics 4. By setting up events, you can track specific actions that users take on your website, such as clicks on buttons or downloads.

To set up event tracking, navigate to the Events section in Google Analytics 4 and select "Create Event."

From there, you can define the event parameters and set up triggers to track the event.

With event tracking in place, you can gain valuable insights into how users are interacting with your website and make data-driven decisions to improve their experience.

Pro Tip: Use Google Tag Manager to set up Events

[GA4] Set up Google Analytics 4 events with Tag Manager

Set up events

To set up an event using Google Tag Manager, you will configure a Google Analytics: GA4 Event tag and then create a trigger that specifies when you want to send the event.

The following steps show you how to send a custom event to a Google Analytics 4 property when a user clicks a button to sign up for your newsletter. The steps show you how to implement the event using Tag Manager and don't require you to implement a data layer object.

Step 1: Create a GA4 Event tag

Start by creating a Google Analytics: GA4 Event tag for the new custom event.

1. In Google Tag Manager, click Tags > New.
2. Enter a name for the GA4 Event tag at the top (e.g., "GA4 Event - Signup newsletter").
3. Select Google Analytics: GA4 Event.
4. In Configuration Tag, select your Google Analytics: GA4 Configuration tag.
5. In Event Name, enter a name for the event (e.g. signup_newsletter). This will create a new custom event and the name will appear in your GA4 reports. To create a recommended event, use one of the predefined event names.

Step 2: Create a trigger

Next, create a trigger to send the event when someone clicks the button.

1. Click the Triggering box in your GA4 Event tag.
2. Click + on the top right.
3. Enter a name for the trigger (e.g., "Trigger - Signup newsletter").

You can choose the conditions for sending the event. The following example sends the event based on the button label:

1. Click the Trigger Configuration box in your trigger.
2. Choose All Elements.
3. Click Some Clicks.
4. Set the following trigger condition: "Click Text contains Sign up for the newsletter".
5. Save all your changes.

If you want the event to trigger when someone views a page (e.g., on a confirmation page), you could use a Page View trigger instead.

Step 3: Preview your changes

Before you publish your new event in Tag Manager, click Preview to see the data that's recorded when you click the "Sign up for the newsletter" button.

You can use preview mode to test changes to your container before you publish those changes to your website. Learn more about preview mode

See your events in Analytics

You can see your events and their parameters using the Realtime and DebugView reports. Note that the DebugView report requires some additional configuration before you can use the report. These two reports show you the events users trigger on your website as the events are triggered.

NEED HELP SETTING UP GOOGLE TAG MANAGER?

As a marketer, you need the answer to these  questions.

How Did They Find My Website?

What content is Working?

Was the money I spent on SEO worth it?

 

The Benefits of Using Google Search Console for Your Marketing Strategy

As a marketer, you know that understanding your website's performance is crucial to your success. Google Search Console is a powerful tool that can help you optimize your content and improve your website's visibility in search results.

By using this tool, you can gain valuable insights into your website's performance and make data-driven decisions to enhance your marketing strategy.

 

 

 

What is Google Search Console?

Google Search Console is a free tool provided by Google that allows website owners to monitor and maintain their website's presence in Google search results.

It provides valuable insights into how Google crawls and indexes your website, as well as any errors or issues that may be affecting your website's performance.

By using Google Search Console, you can optimize your website's content and improve its visibility in search results, ultimately driving more traffic to your website.

Monitor your website's performance and identify issues.

One of the main benefits of using Google Search Console is the ability to monitor your website's performance and identify any issues that may be affecting its visibility in search results.

The tool provides valuable data on how Google crawls and indexes your website, as well as any errors or warnings that may be impacting its performance.

By regularly monitoring your website's performance in Google Search Console, you can quickly identify and address any issues, ultimately improving your website's visibility and driving more traffic to your site.

 

Optimize your content for search engines.

Google Search Console can also help you optimize your content for search engines.

By analyzing the search queries that are driving traffic to your website, you can identify the keywords and phrases that are most relevant to your audience. This information can then be used to optimize your content, including your website copy, blog posts, and product descriptions, to better align with the search terms your audience is using.

By optimizing your content for search engines, you can improve your website's visibility and attract more qualified traffic to your site.

 

Analyze search traffic and user behavior.

One of the key benefits of using Google Search Console is the ability to analyze your website's search traffic and user behavior.

 

This includes information on the keywords and phrases that are driving traffic to your site, as well as the pages that are receiving the most clicks and impressions.

By understanding how users are interacting with your website, you can make informed decisions about how to improve your content and user experience.

For example, if you notice that a particular page is receiving a lot of clicks but has a high bounce rate, you may want to consider updating the content or improving the page's design to encourage users to stay on your site longer.

 

Optimize your content for search engines.

Google Search Console can also help you optimize your content for search engines. By analyzing the search queries that are driving traffic to your website, you can identify the keywords and phrases that are most relevant to your audience.

This information can then be used to optimize your content, including your website copy, blog posts, and product descriptions, to better align with the search terms your audience is using.

By optimizing your content for search engines, you can improve your website's visibility and attract more qualified traffic to your site.

NEED HELP WITH GOOGLE SEARCH CONSOLE?

 

If you are spending money on paid ads, you need to answer these questions.

Did they click my ad ?

What happened after they come to the website?

Did they move forward in the customer journey?

Did they become a customer?

 

 

How do you connect Google Ads in GA4?

 

Pro Tip: Use Google Tag Manager to add Google Ads Conversion Tracking.

 

[GA4] Link Google Ads and Analytics

Discover how to link your Google Ads account to Google Analytics property to see the full customer cycle, from first interaction to goal completion.

Link your Google Ads account to your Analytics property (including subproperties and roll-up properties) to see the full customer cycle, from how users interact with your marketing (e.g., clicking ads) to how they finally complete the goals you’ve set for them on your site or app (e.g., making purchases, consuming content).

Learn more at https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/9379420?hl=en#zippy=%2Cin-this-article

Once you have connected Google Ads you can trace conversions back to your paid ads. 

Take a close look at conversions- clicks on ads- and compare to "value" conversions you have set up as events and conversions in GA4.

 

If you are seeing a high number of "click" conversion on your ads, but not seeing "value" conversion in GA4 then you know you have a disconnect between the ad and the landing page on the website.  You can't cash clicks at the bank, so focus on value conversions.

NEED HELP WITH PAID ADS AND GA4?

 

Analytics That Profit works with business that are spending money on digital marketing and need to know if it is working.

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