Google Addresses Persistent Deindexing Reports Amidst Algorithm Updates

Website owners and SEO professionals have been reporting a significant increase in pages being removed from Google’s search index since late April 2026, with reports continuing into June. Despite these widespread concerns, Google maintains that its data shows nothing unusual. This situation has led to confusion and frustration within the SEO community, particularly as many affected pages had no manual actions or crawl errors reported.

Many of the reported instances involve pages moving into “excluded” or “crawled, currently not indexed” categories within Google Search Console. While some attribute these issues to Google’s recent aggressive update schedule, Google’s John Mueller has publicly stated that these movements are ordinary and not exceptional.

Key facts

Aspect	Detail
Issue Reported	Pages being removed from Google’s index.
Timeline	Reports began late April 2026, continuing into June.
Google’s Stance	Sees nothing unusual in the data.
Affected Status	“Excluded,” “crawled, currently not indexed.”

Distinguishing Deindexing from Ranking Loss

One of the main challenges for website owners is accurately diagnosing the problem. What appears to be deindexing is often a ranking loss, canonicalization choice, or reporting anomaly. Glenn Gabe’s independent investigation highlighted a full site drop from the index, yet many similar reports are misinterpretations of data. Ranking losses mean a page remains indexed but appears lower in search results or for fewer queries, a common outcome after core updates.

Google’s dense 2026 ranking calendar, which included a spam update and a core update in March, followed by a broad core update in May, provides a noisy backdrop to these reports. These updates significantly reshaped visibility across various niches, with some sites experiencing drastic changes in their search performance. It’s crucial to differentiate between a page truly being removed from the index and one that has simply lost ranking visibility.

Reporting Anomalies and Data Interpretation

Further complicating the situation are reporting issues within Google Search Console. Google’s Data Anomalies page documented a logging error that misreported impressions from May 2025 until late April 2026. This fix, which applied going forward and did not restore historical data, meant that a site seeing impression drops in early May might have been observing the correction rather than a true loss of visibility. Clicks, however, were not affected by this error, making click data a more reliable signal during this period.

To accurately verify a page’s index status, Google’s URL Inspection tool is the documented method. A simple “site:” search offers only a rough orientation and is not a reliable indicator of index status. Understanding the nuances of “crawled, currently not indexed” is also vital, as it means Google fetched the page but chose not to index it, which differs from a page not yet crawled.

Common Causes for “Missing” Pages

“My pages are gone” can stem from various issues beyond true deindexing. Among these are ranking losses, canonical consolidation (where Google indexes a different URL for the same content), and technical blocking (such as a stray ‘noindex’ tag or robots.txt rule). In many cases, pages reported as “missing” fail at a specific step in the indexing process that can be identified through diligent investigation.

The reports tend to cluster around specific site types, with publishers and programmatic sites exhibiting larger footprints. Thin or templated pages are often the first to be deemed expendable by Google’s algorithms. E-commerce sites with numerous variant and faceted URLs might see pages marked as “not selected” rather than removed. Affiliate and comparison sites, often operating near the quality line, also frequently encounter “crawled, currently not indexed” issues.

What This Means for Indian SEO Professionals

For SEO professionals and website owners in India, these global trends from Google underscore the critical need for constant vigilance and meticulous data analysis. The impact of Google’s core updates and potential deindexing issues can significantly affect online visibility and traffic. Regularly monitoring Search Console for genuine deindexing via the URL Inspection tool, cross-referencing click data with GA4 organic sessions, and understanding the nuances between true deindexing and ranking shifts are essential. Given the competitive digital landscape in India, proactively addressing potential indexing issues and improving content quality will be paramount to maintaining search presence.

Source: Search Engine Journal, https://www.searchenginejournal.com/deindexing-reports-keep-coming-google-sees-nothing-unusual/579847/