How to fix a “new reason preventing your pages from being indexed” in Google Search Console?

Have you ever received an email from Google Search Console saying there’s a new reason preventing your pages from being indexed?

If so, your first instinct might be to panic. But in most cases, these emails are informational—not emergencies.

In this article, I’ll walk through what these emails mean, how to investigate them inside Google Search Console, and how to decide which issues actually need action and which ones you can safely ignore.

First Things First: Don’t Panic

When Google Search Console sends one of these emails, it usually looks something like this:

"New reason preventing your pages from being indexed"

The email will typically list one (sometimes more than one) reason and let you know that some pages on your site are not currently indexed.

For the most part, these messages are simply an FYI. Google is bringing something to your attention so you can confirm whether the reason a page isn’t indexed is intentional.

That’s it.

• It doesn’t mean your site is broken.
• It doesn’t mean your rankings are about to disappear.
• And it doesn’t mean you need to “fix” everything.

Your job is simply to click through and evaluate what’s going on.

Where the Email Takes You in Google Search Console

When you click through from the email, you’ll be taken to your Page Indexing report in Google Search Console.

If you scroll down, you’ll see an overview of all the reasons Google currently has for not indexing certain pages.

This report is something worth checking periodically to make sure nothing looks off.

Reason 1: Duplicate, Google chose different canonical than user

One of the most common reasons you’ll see is: Duplicate: Google chose different canonical than user

Let’s break down what that actually means.

What Is a Canonical URL?

A canonical URL is the official version of a page.

Multiple URLs can point to the same content. Google chooses ONE to index.

On WordPress sites (and many other CMS platforms), it’s very common for the same content to be accessible through multiple URLs. This often happens when:

• Your URL structure includes categories
• A post is assigned to multiple categories
• There are parameter-based URLs or variations

In those cases, Google needs to know which URL is the “official” one. That’s what the canonical URL tells it.

A single post might be reachable through five different URLs—but only one should be indexed.

Investigating a Canonical Issue in Search Console

When you click into this status inside the Page Indexing report, you can inspect the affected URL and compare:

• User-declared canonical (what your site says is correct)
• Google-selected canonical (what Google decided instead)

In franchise or multi-location sites, this can happen when identical content exists across multiple domains or sub-sites. Google may decide that one version is “close enough” and index that instead.

The problem?

If someone searches in one geographic market and Google sends them to a different market’s site, that’s not a good user experience—even if the content is identical.

In cases like this, the right move is often to:

• Inspect the URL
• Test the live URL
• Request indexing for the correct page

Then you wait a few days to see whether Google reindexes it correctly.

The key is to understand why Google made the choice it did before taking action.

Reason 2: Alternate page with proper canonical tag

Another common status you’ll see is: Alternate Page With Proper Canonical Tag

This one is usually not a problem.

These URLs often include:

• Category paths
• Tag paths
• Query strings (anything with a ? in the URL)

In many cases, these URLs ultimately point to a page that’s already indexed. Google recognizes this and simply chooses not to index the alternate version.

As long as the canonical points to the correct page and nothing looks unusual, these can typically be ignored.

Reason 3: Server Error (5xx)

If you see a Server Error (5xx) status, this one is worth investigating.

That said, on WordPress sites, you’ll often see URLs like xmlrpc.php flagged here. Many hosting providers block access to these files intentionally as a security measure, which causes Google to see a server error.

In those cases:

• The page doesn’t need to be indexed
• The error is expected
• There’s usually nothing to fix

However, if you see real pages returning server errors, or a large number of legitimate URLs showing 5xx issues, that could indicate a hosting or configuration problem or an issue with WordPress or a plugin and should be investigated further.

Reason 4: Soft 404 - What It Means and What to Do

A Soft 404 usually means Google can technically access the page, but believes it doesn’t contain enough meaningful content to index.

This often happens when a page:

• Has little or no content
• Contains 404-like phrases on valid pages like "Out of Stock" or "No Results Found"
• Has poor performance/loading times: Extremely slow page loading or rendering times can cause Google to misinterpret the page as a soft 404.

When a page is flagged as a Soft 404, the key question to ask is:

Is this a page you actually want Google to index?

If the answer is no—because the content is old, outdated, or no longer relevant—then the Soft 404 is doing you a favor. In that case, you can safely remove the page, allow it to return a true 404, or (if it makes sense for users) set up a 301 redirect to a closely related page. If it's a page that you can't remove (like perhaps a category page), it's also ok to let it remain a Soft 404.

If the answer is yes, and this is a page you want showing up in search results, then a Soft 404 is a signal there is perhaps a technical issue or more commonly, that the content needs work. That’s your cue to improve the page by adding more useful information, context, and supporting content so Google sees it as valuable enough to index.

Reason 5: Not Found (404) - When to Redirect and When to Leave It Alone

A regular 404 (Not Found) means the page truly doesn’t exist.

This often happens because:

• A page was unpublished
• A URL changed
• Content was retired

The key question to ask is: Should this page still exist in some form?

• If the content still exists under a new URL → add a 301 redirect
• If the content is gone for good → leave it as a 404

Are 404's Bad for SEO?

It’s a myth that all 404s are bad. Websites evolve. Content comes and goes and 404's are a natural part of a website's lifespan.

Trying to eliminate every single 404 error from Google Search Console “for SEO reasons” often creates more problems than it solves. Redirecting old or irrelevant pages just to avoid a 404 can confuse users and dilute the relevance of your content.

The goal isn’t to have zero 404s. The goal is to make sure your important pages work, your redirects make sense, and there aren’t patterns of broken URLs pointing to content that should still exist. When 404s reflect content that’s genuinely gone or no longer relevant, they’re doing exactly what they’re supposed to do.

The red flag is when you see patterns—for example, all FAQ pages suddenly returning 404s. That usually points to a plugin, permalink, or configuration issue that needs attention.

Reason 6: Page with Redirects

The Page with redirect status is usually benign.

Most often, it simply reflects:

• Renamed URLs
• Improved slugs for clarity or SEO
• Old URLs pointing to updated versions

Your job here is just to click through and confirm the redirect goes to the correct destination. If it does, you’re good.

Reasons 7 & 8: "Crawled - Currently Not Indexed" and "Discovered - Currently Not Indexed"

These two statuses are a bit different. They are not “reasons” pages aren’t indexed—just indicators of where Google is in the process.

• Crawled, currently not indexed: Google has visited the page but hasn’t indexed it yet
• Discovered, currently not indexed: Google knows the page exists but hasn’t crawled it yet

Despite what Google says in the interface, if a page is important, new, or core to your business, it’s completely reasonable to:

• Inspect the URL
• In the case of 'Crawled, currently not indexed', you may need to look at improving the page content to make it more unique and valuable to the user
• Test the live page
• Request indexing

Many of the URLs you’ll see in these categories are feeds, tag pages, or low-value archives that don’t need to be indexed. That’s normal.

Final Takeaway

When you get an email from Google Search Console about a new reason preventing pages from being indexed, remember:

• It’s usually not an emergency
• It’s a prompt to review, not panic
• Many pages shouldn’t be indexed—and that’s okay

You’ll often find:

• Duplicate URLs
• Category or tag pages
• Old content
• Redirected pages

As long as your important pages are being indexed and showing up in Google, you’re doing exactly what you need to be doing.

Hopefully this gives you a clearer framework for how to handle these emails when they show up—and a little more confidence the next time one lands in your inbox.