logo

Google Updates Index Coverage Report

how to have an SEO audit

The Index Coverage report, a great tool for SEO audit purposes, was first introduced in 2018 when Google launched a revamped version of the Search Console. This report is new compared to others that the search engine giant offered in the past. By being up-to-date with Google reports, webmasters can significantly improve the way they make SEO audit reports.

Ever since the report was launched publicly, webmasters and the rest of the SEO community have been sharing their feedback with Google about things that they need to improve and other features they want to see in the future.

The changes to the Index Coverage report that rolled out recently were based on the feedback from webmasters and the whole community. According to Google, the updates aim to better inform SEOs on issues that could hinder the search engine from crawling and indexing webpages, which would lead to negative search rankings.

The update emphasised giving a more accurate state to current issues, allowing the SEOs to solve them easily. Here is a list of the updated features of the Index Coverage report in Search Console:

  1. SEOs will not see the vague “crawl anomaly” issue category. With the future update, the Crawl errors are to be associated with an issue that has a finer resolution.
  2. They added a new warning issue, which is “indexed without content”.
  3. They will make reporting for soft 404 more accurate
  4. Submitted and indexed pages that robots.txt blocked will not be categorised as “submitted but blocked” or as an error. Rather, they will be reported as “indexed but blocked”, which is a warning type.

All these updates have one common goal: to enhance data accuracy in SEO audit.

When it comes to crawl issues, the SEO community will no longer have to guess about how things went wrong because that “crawl anomaly” has now been replaced with specific issues and resolutions.

With the new update, webmasters can guarantee that an indexed webpage is blocked by robots.txt. If this situation happens, the report is going to say “indexed but blocked” instead of the old report where it says “submitted”.

There is a difference between submitting a URL and having it indexed, and the newly-updated report will clearly show the user which is which. As for the soft 404 reporting, it is now more accurate than ever.

Moreover, the new report will add a new issue – “indexed without content”. This means that the webpage does appear in the Google Index, but the search engine could not read the content. There could be many reasons for this issue to arise.

For instance, it could be that the webpage is cloaked to Google. Another reason is that Google is not familiar with the format of the page; therefore, the search engine company cannot index the website.

According to the Search Console Help page, if an SEO finds an indexed webpage without content issue, it means that the page’s URL is already in Google’s index, but its content cannot be viewed by web crawlers. This could either mean that there is a page error that prevents Google from viewing the content, or the website owner could have published a blank page accidentally.

Many professional SEOs advise webmasters and businesses to run the webpage in question through Google’s URL Inspection tool in order to render the page, allowing them to understand why the search engine could not view the content.

Here at Position1SEO, we guarantee that our clients will receive detailed SEO audit reports, helping them optimise their websites in the best way possible so that Google can crawl and index the webpages properly. We make good use of state-of-the-art tools to ensure that we provide you with an in-depth SEO audit, clearing identifying the specific areas of your website that need improvement.

Our SEO packages are affordable, and we use up-to-date, efficient, and genuine strategies to boost your brand visibility and search rankings. If you are interested in working with us, consult us by emailing us at office@position1seo.co.uk or calling 0141 404 7515.

Google Seo Audit
Author: Jason Ferry
Jason Ferry is an SEO specialist based in the United Kingdom. Taking pride in his many years of experience in the search engine optimisation industry, he has honed his skills in various digital marketing processes. From keyword marketing, website auditing, and link building campaigns, to social media monitoring, he is well-versed in all of them. Jason Ferry’s excellent skills in SEO, combined with his vast experience, makes him one of the best professionals to work with in the industry today. Not only does he guarantee outstanding output for everyone he works with, but also values a deep relationship with them as well.

Related  Posts

the benefits of an search engine optimisation audit
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is an essential ingredient for website success in the digital arena. The process of indexing and ranking websites on Search Engine Results Pages (SERP) requires constant evaluation. Therefore, it is vital to conduct an in-depth SEO audit to identify areas that need improvement. SEO audit is the process of evaluating a […]
search engine optimisation company
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a crucial aspect of building a strong online presence. While many website owners focus on using keywords to rank higher on search engines, an SEO company can optimise your website in more ways than one. In this blog, we will explore the three areas an SEO company can improve upon […]
The importance of hiring a search engine optimisation consultant
Are you struggling to get your business noticed online? Is your website buried under a sea of search results? If your answer is yes, then it might be time to consider hiring an SEO consultant. With the ever-growing importance of online presence for businesses, it has become crucial to employ the right strategies to make […]